Canon A1 tune up price?

[dknapp1117]

My son is wondering about how to shoot pics on film.  I am the original owner of a Canon A1 that I loved back in the day. I haven’t used it for 20 odd years and I think the shutter is sticky. What price would I expect for a general tune up and cleaning for just the body? Where’s a good place to send it out to?

Thank you 

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

Would be hard to guess about something like this.  Primarily because you might have difficulty finding someone who is capable or willing to work on a camera this old. 

Try garrys cameras in illinois.  Shows a flat fee of $78.  Note: I have no experience with this company

[dknapp1117]

Thank you, I will give them a try. Pro Photo in Washington DC was also suggested, but I haven’t heard from them yet.

[normadel]

What leads you to think the shutter is slow? It is electronically controlled. Slowness is not very likely.

[jrhoffman75]

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@normadel wrote:

What leads you to think the shutter is slow? It is electronically controlled. Slowness is not very likely.

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I think you might be confused about what an Canon A-1 is.

Canon A-1 - Wikipedia

[dknapp1117]

Just listening by ear, there’s a significant pause between hearing the shutter open and hearing it close. Could be a bad battery though. I will check.

[dknapp1117]

It’s definitely the A-1. It also has a sticker showing 1988 from an earlier repair visit on the inside. A 36 year old camera could still need a tune up. The shutter itself is mechanical, only the timer is electronic. Could be a bad battery though, I will check that before sending it to anyone. 

[jrhoffman75]

My post wasn’t to you. I don’t doubt you know what your camera is. 

[justadude]

The A1 has a red light next to the shutter.  If it doesn't blink several times per second, the battery is low.  If it is blinking several times per second, then you have a different problem with the shutter.

Curious - what is everything set at on the camera?  Are you in bulb mode?

[dknapp1117]

The battery is so low, I get no blinking lights. Measured by VOM outside the camera the voltage is about 0.2 v, instead of the 6v it should be. The camera is set to 1/500, F8, ASA 400, not B but good guess. My by-ear timing was a while ago, but without a good battery all bets are off. Thanks for the suggestions.