Canon FT QL mirror getting stuck up

[hartacus]

Hi all,

First post here - looks like a great site.

I have an old Canon FT QL (my dad's old camera, it's pretty great) and from time to time the mirror gets stuck up after taking a photo. What I've deduced is that the mirror isn't stuck because of sticky foam, but because it moves slightly downwards (outwards with respect to the hinge) due to centrifugal motion during its up/down motion. After several exposures (say 5 to 10) the movement is enough that the bottom of the mirror gently wedges itself against the camera body in the up position, loosely enough that the next exposure usually shakes it free, but tightly enough that it sticks against gravity/the return mechanism. The mirror lock switch doesn't have any effect on whether it's stuck up; usually, taking off the lens and gently pulling it down is what's required.

I know it's the mirror moving, because some gentle upward (towards the hinge) pressure moves it back out of the range of the camera body temporarily.

Any ideas of how to fix this permanently? I mean, it's kind of fun to have an excuse to literally shoot from the hip, but the viewfinder is rather useful!

 

[John Koehrer]

If this is the same camera as in your other post, the problems are related.
When the curtain reaches the end of it's travel it strikes a release for the mirror.
If you want to experiment with an FTx camera, pick one up on ebay for cheap since
there's some emotional stock in the one you have.

 

[summicron1]

if this is the same one as the capping shutter, and it was your dad's, have it serviced. Worth every dime, trust me on this.

 

[hartacus]

Thanks for the tips! It's definitely heading for a service, for this and a couple of other things.

As mentioned in the other post, I'm not sure if the mirror and the shutter are related (conflicting evidence). But I know for sure that the mirror contacts and sticks against the front of the body when it's up sometimes, and I can feel it move upwards when I push against in gently. Is there an adjustment mechanism for the placement of the mirror, or is it just working loose? Just asking for curiosity - as I said over in the other post, I'm not really brave enough to work on this camera but I'm curious to know for the sake of learning.

 

[BMbikerider]

Most reflex cameras have a foam strip to help absorb the shock of the mirror flipping up. I have known when the foam strips deteriorate with age, this can turn them sticky and hold onto the mirror and stop it from returning down. I will go with the service on such an old gem

 

[hartacus]

Most reflex cameras have a foam strip to help absorb the shock of the mirror flipping up.

There doesn't seem to be any stickiness - with the mirror loose, I can push it all the way up as many times as I like and it won't stick to the top. The only thing that seems to make a difference is how snugly it is mounted towards its hinge end.