Officially a 35mm shooter

[st3ve]

Well, I couldn't restrain myself and picked up a Canon AE-1 and a bunch of stuff with it at the local Goodwill for $55. Upon further inspection, I've found that the shutter works intermittently (pinned it down to the shutter button since I can manually fire it with the magnet). Darn.

It came with the Canon 50 1.8, a Vivitar 28 2.8 and a Canon 70-210 f/4 that won't stop down. Also in the bag (a very nice padded bag, some offbrand) was a Speedlite 155A, cable release, all the assorted caps, and every bit of original information, manuals, even the original AE-1 warranty card and a pack of lens cleaning cloths that look like tissue paper.

I, always a glutton for punishment and instant gratification, got a nearly identical setup with an AE-1 Program to replace the AE-1 as I decide what to do with it, 135mm, 50mm, Sears 70-210, teleconverter, flash bag etc on ebay for the exact same price ($56 shipped) and plan to sell off the items I don't need based on what I like more or works better or whatever.

Did I clean up alright? I suppose it doesn't much matter since it's mine now but just wondering.

Looking forward to the valuable information on the forums,
Steve

[Rick A]

Take the faulty body back to Goodwill with the reciept and ask for a refund(or partial).

[holmburgers]

Hi and welcome to APUG!

I'm a Canon FD guy and I've got an AE-1 that was my dad's and an AE-1 Program that was my uncles (go figure). I've shelved the AE-1 because of a light leak, and the AE-1P has some nice features, most notably LED indicators which are a boon in low light.

I'd say you didn't exactly "clean up", as in the deal of the century, but if you can use it all then you'll have a nice set up. The off brand lenses are more or less worthless, from a resale standpoint. What brand are the 50mm and 135mm??

When you say "Canon 70-210 f/4 that won't stop down", how do you know it won't stop down?? Have you actually mounted it on the camera and tried the stop-down lever, or are you just fiddling with the lens and looking thru it? In the latter case, the aperture won't change. Don't worry. It has to be mounted as it only stops down when the exposure occurs.

[st3ve]

I used to shoot SLR's of the variety that is to remain unnamed... It isn't film.....

The 70-210 f/4's iris doesn't stop down if I push in the DOF preview (slide? Is that the word for it) that sits toward the bottom and right of the lens. I had managed to get it to 5.6, open it up again, and no luck any longer. I assume this means the blades are oily, if my research is correct.

The 50mm (well, both of them) is the Canon FD that came with the AE-1s, and the 135 is a Sears. Allegedly the Ricoh rebadged variety, but the proof will be in the pudding. Just wanted to see if I got a fair price, at least. Not worried about every penny but it feels good to know you got a square deal.

Steve

[fotch]

Hi Steve, welcome to APUG.

[holmburgers]

I see a lot of them going for upwards of $100 on craigslist in my area, so based on that you didn't do too bad at all. I'm partially biased, considering I got mine for free.

The Vivitar 28mm should be pretty fun, and the 50mm's are classic, excellent lenses. Are they new-FD (all black plastic) or old FD (chrome bayonet)? And yes, you can call the DOF thingy a slide.

[st3ve]

Chrome bayonet. It gave me a heck of a time when I was trying to get it off, "I PUSHED EVERY BUTTON AND NOTHING FREES IT UP SO I CAN SPIN THIS THING OFF OF HERE!"

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, I'm looking forward to moving back in time a generation with my new, old camera technology.

[John Koehrer]

Since you have the bottom cover off, the first thing you need to do is clean the magnet.
I use a piece from a dollar bill, just clip an edge off. Wet it with alcohol or contact cleaner, put it between the armature & magnet & pull it out. Between the solvent & rough texture of the paper it may be enough for it to work reliably.

If the diaphragm is oily, you should see some on the blades, but you're most likely correct.

[st3ve]

Hey John,

I'm very interested in trying this out (might have two fully operating cameras!) but really got lost as soon as you started using electrical terms. I've been tripping the shutter with a screwdriver, pushing on the piece that looks like the "pin" part of a lapel pin on the side where the rewinding knob is. I assume that's the right area, but I'm not sure what piece is the armature and what piece is the magnet. Appreciate any guidance on this one.

Thanks,
Steve

[st3ve]

Well, I guess I have two working camera kits now. The magnets (I found an AE-1 service manual) got a good wipedown with some alcohol, and it's like new........