Canon AE-1 Shutter Stuck on First Shot

[Dewster]

Hello everyone,

First post here! I inherited two AE-1's recently - a regular AE-1 and a Program. The Program works great from what I can tell, as the pictures turn out great with it. The regular AE-1, as I found, has a problem with the shutter getting stuck. If I haven't used it for hours, I can press the button to get the shutter to fire, but it stays open for about 4 seconds seconds, regardless of what speed I have it set to. After that, it works as it should. It's only that first shot after not using it for a while that the shutter stays open.

I've read several things about the release magnet being the culprit. This is my first time dealing with old cameras, so I haven't the slightest clue if that's what it could be. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[shutterfinger]

You'll need this so download it http://jameskbeard.com/Photography/...AMERAS/AE-1 Camera Service & Repair Guide.pdf
Are the batteries fresh? Ignore the battery check light on camera if so equipped.

 

[Dewster]

Yes, the batteries are fresh. Just bought them yesterday.

 

[John Koehrer]

Ummm, Today's guess would be a sticky magnet. The AE1 uses several to control the release and timing.

 

[Dewster]

Ok. I'll look into that. It's only on that first shot after not using it for about 30 minutes that the shutter stays open longer than it should. The shots after that work just fine.

 

[Dewster]

I cleaned the release magnet thoroughly, but it had no effect on it unfortunately. The delay on the first shot seems to be getting shorter, as it's down to about 1.5 seconds, but something is still hanging after it's been unused for a while.