Canon EF electrical problem

Alan W · Jun 18, 2014

Manual shutter speeds are good,electrical speeds do not work.The light meter is dead..is it worth having repaired,has anyone got any suggestions or recommendations for a repair man?I love the camera,but wonder if there are any canon repair men around who would tackle this.Thanks for suggestions,Alan.

shutterboy · Jun 18, 2014

1 series?

Alan W · Jun 18, 2014

The Canon EF,from the '70's-1973 I think. The only one I know of"The Black Beauty"

frank · Jun 18, 2014

Here is a possibility which offers a simple solution: the wire on the back of the battery chamber has corroded through and is not connected anymore.

chriscrawfordphoto · Jun 19, 2014

Alan W said:
The Canon EF,from the '70's-1973 I think. The only one I know of"The Black Beauty"

EF is also the name of Canon's lens line for their autofocus EOS system cameras. On the EOS lenses, EF stands for Electronic Focus.

benjiboy · Jun 19, 2014

I have an EF that I spent far more than it's commercial value on to have it completely serviced a couple of years ago and I've never regretted it because I consider it an investment in my future pleasure, since I have no intention of ever selling it.

Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk

AgX · Jun 19, 2014

chriscrawfordphoto said:
EF is also the name of Canon's lens line for their autofocus EOS system cameras. On the EOS lenses, EF stands for Electronic Focus.

To make the list complete: EF also means (inbuilt) Electronic Flashlight on some Konica cameras.

trythis · Jun 19, 2014

They can be had in working condition for $60 to $70. I know...they are all old but a cla is going to be more viable than electronics repair + cla

sent from phone. excuse my typing.

benjiboy · Jun 19, 2014

chriscrawfordphoto said:
EF is also the name of Canon's lens line for their autofocus EOS system cameras. On the EOS lenses, EF stands for Electronic Focus.

That's true but in the context of the year it was first manufactured 1973 E.F meant "Electronic F" because it was a hybrid shuttered AE capable similar version to the original canon F1 that had a lot of facilities the purely mechanical F1 of that era lacked, like shutter priority AE and a full range of mechanical shutter speeds from 1/30sec to 1000/ sec if the batteries failed, and 125/sec flash sync speed, it was a camera that many pro F1 users bought as a backup at the time

Alan W · Jun 19, 2014

Like most on here I don't really need another camera,but this one "feels" right and I wouldn't mind having it back in working condition,I'll take the baseplate off and see if there is an obvious battery wire problem,if anyone has used a Canon fd camera repair man in the U.S. I'd be obliged for the contact number-thanks

John Koehrer · Jun 19, 2014

It does use two batteries, one for display/meter and one for electronic shutter/auto exposure.

Andrew K · Jun 20, 2014

From memory (it's been a while) the electronic speeds are controlled by a ceramic circuit board on the left top end of the camera. Back in the day when I was a camera tech we would often find them with small cracks through the boards, and they are impossible to fix...

Sorry to say 20 years ago we used to have to put the line "parts no longer available" on the repair quotes........

AgX · Jun 20, 2014

Interesting. I never saw a ceramic circuit board. Only those phenol-resin papers, epoxy textiles or those foils.

Mackinaw · Jun 20, 2014

Alan W said:
......if anyone has used a Canon fd camera repair man in the U.S. I'd be obliged for the contact number-thanks

You might try Ken Oikawa, who is a retired Canon repair tech who specializes in Canon FL and FD cameras. He even has a supply of NOS parts. No idea if he services the EF, but no hurt in asking. He's in California and his phone is: 951-246-9136.

Just be aware that English is not his native language, so phone calls can be a bit difficult.

Jim B.

Charles Wass · Jun 20, 2014

It does use two batteries, one for display/meter and one for electronic shutter/auto exposure.

It certainly uses two batteries. I always wondered how they were used and so I have just checked. One battery alone will operate the slow speeds, but both are required to operate the metering and battery check. Hence the problem could be a corroded wire.

Canon EF electrical problem

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