Canon EF camera

[benjiboy]

Broken ones are going for £55 on the net and are selling .I am after a spare as i am hope to swap viewing screens .

The viewing screens aren't user replaceable Colin, but there were two versions of the EF and the later one had a split image if it's any help.

 

[colin wells]

Hi thanks for reply i have been looking on the net at Ef Top removal and seeing the printed circuits going over the pentaprism i don't fancy it , The circuits are 40 years old and i dont think it would take a lot to bugger them a Canon FTB it isnt lol

 

[flavio81]

Hi thanks for reply i have been looking on the net at Ef Top removal and seeing the printed circuits going over the pentaprism i don't fancy it , The circuits are 40 years old and i dont think it would take a lot to bugger them a Canon FTB it isnt lol

You don't need to touch the printed circuit. Just cleaning of the switch contacts, which are away from the printed circuit. And doing a general inspection.

The main problem probably is on the bottom part of the camera around the battery holder.

 

[colin wells]

Hi the battery problem was another guy .I was looking at changing the view screen but have given up the idea

 

[flavio81]

Hi the battery problem was another guy .I was looking at changing the view screen but have given up the idea

Colin, on the net there is a PDF that is the service manual for the EF by "national camera" (not by Canon). It is very thorough.

Well, to the point: To remove the pentaprism, the top PCB and pentaprism comes off as an unit, there is no need to remove the PCB away from the prism (and it would be a BAD idea). But to achieve this you need to unsolder some wires (i think you can figure them out), taking note of which goes were. Also, take care with the toshiba IC, it is sensitive to static charges.

But why do you want to change the view screen?

 

[Dennis S]

EF problem solved. Sent it back to the seller after refund. Too bad as I would like one for my Canon film camera collection. If anyone has one (that works) I would be willing to buy.

 

[flavio81]

Posting here, my EF had very very bad battery life, losing the charge after about 1 month of leaving the camera on the OFF position.

I removed the bottom cover and examined the battery holder.

The battery holder assembly actually is a "sandwich" of two assemblies, the top one is a metal frame where the battery caps screw into; the bottom one is a plastic one with contacts.

This assembly is held by two screws AND... the important part is that there are minute white nylon washers that electrically insulate these two parts. On my EF, a washer was misplaced, so it did not insulate. I corrected this.

Also, the EF service manual out there on the internet has a handwritten recommendation for taping the underside of the battery holder with insulating tape (electrician tape). Yes, the wires on the battery holder sit very very close to the (metal) camera body, so it's a good idea to do this.

I am now in process to evaluate whether there was an improvement (battery was installed 1 week ago). Apparently, I am already feeling an improvement, because the battery checker light is flashing at roughly the same frequency as when the battery was installed, despite leaving the camera in ON for about 8hrs during my trip. Where as before, in a matter of few days the battery checker light's frequency would have diminshed noticeably.

 

[kpembo]

I have an EF that I would sell. It's in good shape. If you're interested, send me a message at kpembo@hotmail.com

Ken

 

[cooltouch]

Flavio, thanks very much for you post. I also have an EF whose battery life is about one month with the switch set to "off". I'll check for washers and add some electrical tape where you mention. Question -- was one or more of your washers missing, and if so, what did you use as a replacement? Did you fabricate one?

 

[flavio81]

Flavio, thanks very much for you post. I also have an EF whose battery life is about one month with the switch set to "off". I'll check for washers and add some electrical tape where you mention. Question -- was one or more of your washers missing, and if so, what did you use as a replacement? Did you fabricate one?

No washer missing, just one washer which was misplaced -- it should go between the top and bottom part of the battery holder.

If missing, i would guess you could hack a solution, for example using electrical tape to separate the upper and lower part with a layer of electrical tape or other insulator.

So far the battery on my EF reads with the same freshness - 11 days have passed by, but it appears to be an improvement nevertheless.

 

[benjiboy]

I wouldn't sell my EF because I have most of the Canon FD cameras and it's the smoothest in operation of any of them including the New F1, and it took me nearly twenty years to find a mint one then I spent more than it cost to have it completely serviced.

 

[Dennis S]

I have an EF that I would sell. It's in good shape. If you're interested, send me a message at kpembo@hotmail.com

Ken

Hotmail message sent

 

[Dennis S]

I wouldn't sell my EF because I have most of the Canon FD cameras and it's the smoothest in operation of any of them including the New F1, and it took me nearly twenty years to find a mint one then I spent more than it cost to have it completely serviced.

Was thinking of keeping it and sending it in for repair but I learned my lesson many years when I got an old F1n and found out it was a unrepairable.

 

[benjiboy]

Was thinking of keeping it and sending it in for repair but I learned my lesson many years when I got an old F1n and found out it was a unrepairable.

That can happen,my EF was in reasonably good shape when I bought it but the light meter was two stops out and the flash sync didn't work and I thought that a forty year old camera that had probably never been serviced since it was manufactured and since I intended to use on a regular basis while it was at the repairers I thought it could do with a C.L.A. and to have the light seals replaced, that was about five years ago it still works like a Swiss watch and I find it to be with the shutter priority AE and the Canon 35mm f2 lens attached an excellent camera for street photography.

 

[flavio81]

Was thinking of keeping it and sending it in for repair but I learned my lesson many years when I got an old F1n and found out it was a unrepairable.

I would like to have a word with your technician...

It is very difficult to think that a F1n (original F1, improved model) could be unrepairable.

Once, i saw an ad for two F-1 cameras and i immediately went to see. The two cameras were in really BAD shape; basically one of them fell into a river and got soaked, and in the other one something even worst happened:

This guy, photographer, had two little kids around the house and one of them found entertaining to poke the F-1 shutter curtain with a pen or some similar device. And he trashed the shutter curtains.

This photographer send them to service and the repairman, instead of replacing the curtains, did patch them (how, i don't know and it's still something that I would like to know!). The curtains looked really kinked and with black patches on the repair points. Really, the curtains looked horrible, the ugliest curtains i've ever seen.

So at this point in time i was disappointed that the cameras were in such bad shape... BUT... BUT... BUT...

... They worked!! I would guess speeds over 1/125 were not accurate at all, but the cameras did work.

So any repairman that would come to me and tell my a F-1 is "unrepairable", i'd guess that's just BS. On the other hand if it was a New F-1, which relies on electronics for triggering the shutter, and the electronics were dead with no spares, then I would understand.

Maybe this is because in my country a really good repairman is considered one that actually repairs stuff, not just replace a spare part with a new one. Here, when a good technician sees something not working, he'll try to make it work first.

 

[benjiboy]

I would like to have a word with your technician...

It is very difficult to think that a F1n (original F1, improved model) could be unrepairable.

Once, i saw an ad for two F-1 cameras and i immediately went to see. The two cameras were in really BAD shape; basically one of them fell into a river and got soaked, and in the other one something even worst happened:

This guy, photographer, had two little kids around the house and one of them found entertaining to poke the F-1 shutter curtain with a pen or some similar device. And he trashed the shutter curtains.

This photographer send them to service and the repairman got to patch the curtains (how, i don't know and it's still something that I would like to know!). The curtains looked really kinked and with black patches on the repair points. Really, the curtains looked horrible, the ugliest curtains i've ever seen.

So at this point in time i was disappointed that the cameras were in such bad shape... BUT... BUT... BUT...

... They worked!! I would guess speeds over 1/250 were not accurate at all, but the cameras did work.

So any repairman that would come to me and tell my a F-1 is "unrepairable", i'd guess that's just BS. On the other hand if it was a New F-1, which relies on electronics for triggering the shutter, and the electronics were dead with no spares, then I would understand.

I have a donor body that I bought from ebay fairly cheaply that can be cannibalized by my camera repairer so he can use for spare parts to keep my New F1's going with if necessary.

 

[Dennis S]

Camera (EF) arrived and is in great condition. Everything works as it should, very well packaged and would like to thank Ken Pemberton (kpembo) for supplying it and giving a good deal on shipping. A roll in it now using all options as well as flash.

 

[darkroommike]

I would like to have a word with your technician...

It is very difficult to think that a F1n (original F1, improved model) could be unrepairable.

I spoke to an area repairman about my old F-1n, flash sync had gone out. He said that the camera is more complicated than some and that makes a CLA kinda spendy, also noted that parts are difficult to source. So not impossible to repair but expensive compared to other similar "system" cameras. His is a one man shop and I don't know how many of these he's actually worked on. The best Canon guy is Ken Oikawa, Canon factory trained, bought up all the Canon USA spares. He's hard to contact, doesn't have a website or email and may, for all I know, be retired, although other sites have him as still at it as of a year ago. I have
(951) 246-9136 as his phone number. I have not used him but have not read a single negative review.

 

[Dennis S]

I would like to have a word with your technician...

It is very difficult to think that a F1n (original F1, improved model) could be unrepairable.

That was many years ago and the F1n was a very used camera. Used by a pro (?) who did not give a sh** about keeping his cameras clean or maintained. To get it back to a reasonable condition was way past what I wanted to invest. Sold it for "parts only" camera for more than I paid. Have an F1n now that is a good user.