วีดีโอ

Hello Rock Munkey Glad you dropped by and enjoyed the video.

Hello ch2o2 Why don't people post the easy comment questions. LOL The problem you describe sounds serious, and is not an easy fix. If your camera was on my desk, I would check two things first. First, some AE-1 cameras have a ceramic resistor on the ASA side under the wire wheel. The ceramic resistor can have a crack in it from impact to the camera. If it's cracked, the camera will need a new circuit. Second, under the advance lever wire wheel is a second resistor. It also can be cracked or need cleaning. If it's cracked, it needs to be replaced. If it's tarnished, it needs cleaning. These are about the only two things I can suggest without repairing the camera myself. Beyond this, the camera may need a new circuit. Good luck with your camera, and next time ask something easy. LOL

@@FilmCamera_Vlog ....thanks very much for your interesting tips - I will have to take a closer look at these two possible sources of error (the hidden resistors). Sorry for the somewhat difficult question that I suddenly confronted you with without warning (the fact that I am not a native speaker and phrase everything in a rather awkward way probably doesn't make things any easier ...I'll improve, got it ,) Apart from that I've now also been given an AE1 service manual, unfortunately it is an extremely poor copy and you can hardly make out anything for long stretches. The graphics are practically just black spots. However, I can already make out a few important points from it, and I'll try, as far as I can, to take a closer look at one or two chips and measure their pins to see whether everything that is measured is plausible (well, you can always try) :) ..you are doing a pretty good job, great respect for that and thanks again 👍

@@ch2o2 SPT (Society of Photo-Technologists) camera repair manuals are specialized publications containing detailed instructions and guides for repairing various camera models. Find a 1980 January/February Issue on eBay if you can, and buy it. The AE-1 is in that issue. The printed manuals are much easier to read than the pdf files online.

Hello Maple Leaf Mopar That would require a long tutorial that I need to add to my camera courses when I get around to making them, and I just don't have the time at the present. My repair shop takes up most of my time and these videos I make for my channel are what I do for fun after hours.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog That's understandable. Thanks for taking the time to reply and making great videos in your spare time!

@@MapleLeafMopar I like your idea about a video on the AE-1 tungsten wire. I wrote it down as a possible tutorial, in my list of future video projects.

Hello Felix The meter adjustment (resistor pot) for the Konica Autoreflex is located on top of the prism. You have to remove the top cover to get to it.

​@@FilmCamera_Vlog Hi, thank you :) I already took of the bottom but yes it wasn't there. This is great help I really appreciate it. Gonna check your video how to remove the top

So I had to make my own tool...I did remove the top and tried to adjust both resistors but it didn't really work and then I realised that the rust on two lines ( between the two CdS cells) on the PCB circuit could affect it so I replaced them with wire and now it works as if it was new :)..your video was great help thank you 👍 time to load it with film 😊

@@felixnicsergulden9786 Hello again Yes, I have seen the problem you discussed, and there is another problem with the SRT meter which I will cover in a future video. I hope it helps.

Hello Daniel Goh And thank you Danie for your comment.

Hello KPete 23 Thanks for the reply. I am trying my best to target the interests of my viewers.

Hello Owen Hill Thanks. I plan to do more Classroom videos on the OM-1 as my time permits.

Hello Tav I get many requests like yours in my comments. Some are simple fixes and I can help them, but others are major problems. I guess you have figured out yours. It's bad. I have no idea what is causing your camera's problem, but it's deep and serious. I would need to pull the mirror cage to get to it. Inside any camera, there is a chain of events that must take place in order and any break in that chain, locks up everything. Anyway, I can't help you. Taking the camera apart is hard and even harder to reassemble. I will make a course on the Konica Autoreflex T series someday, but I don't know when. Don't throw it away. Set it aside and move on with other cameras. Kori

Hello Nikola Dimitrijevic Thanks for dropping by. Yes, those blades damage very easily as I have warned people. Overall, it's an excellent camera if it were not for the blades being so delicate.

Hello SEL TORMLOCK Yes, I will make a video on one or both in the future. I have too many cameras and too little time. LOL

Hello Ernesto Bossi Carranza I use 1mm for nearly all of the Minolta X-700 light seals. Sometimes I put a 2mm strip at the hinge on the film door, or put two layers of 1mm. I would say that 95% of all film cameras use 1mm foam light seals, only a few take 2mm strips.

Thanks a lot! I've just ordered some foam to get my light seals replaced. Thanks a lot!

@@ErnestoBossiCarranza It's not hard to replace foam in a film camera. Cleaning out the old foam is half the work. Putting in the new foam is easy. Good Luck.

Hello again Yes, small world. It was fun visiting with you today on the phone.

I've worked on the AV1 in the past. I don't see many of them in for repair. I'm afraid I can't give you any repair advise without having them on my desk to inspect myself. If you plan to go it alone, you need to buy other non-working AV1 cameras and take them apart to learn all the parts inside and then start swapping parts until you fix the ones you have. That is about the only advise I have for you.

​@@FilmCamera_Vlog ..thank you very much for your help. That was actually exactly what I intended when I bought the second camera (it was only intended as a spare parts donor). But hat was that - after a small inspection, after turning some screws and cleaning the contacts, this defective "donor" started to work again ...well, somehow (perhaps only temporarily). Of course it would be good to know what caused the failure in order to prevent the next failure. But well, now I have "somehow" repaired one camera. The other one, which is dear to my heart (I bought it in the 80s with my tiny budget) still needs a functioning battery compartment because it has now completely broken apart and does not ensure proper contact with the battery (perhaps there will be an opportunity to get a donor again at some point). Now I will start to replace the rotten and crumbling light barriers. I hope I can find something like that on the Internet :) Many thanks again and all the best!

Hello I have no idea what is wrong with the camera. The electronics on the OM-2 are very hard to work on compared to other cameras. I have stopped taking them into my shop because of this, plus I can't buy parts for them. What I usually do in such cases is buy a non-working camera off eBay and swap out parts until it starts working. This is not very professional, but it works for me in such cases were my repair manuals do not help me fix the problem.

No. I never got into the rangerfinder cameras much. Mostly SLRs were my bread and butter. I am a commercial repairman and the cameras you are talking about were never set in my shop. I am guessing they were sent to east coast shops that specialized in those models. Back in the day of film photography, expensive cameras were sent to shops that specialized in a limited clientele

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Makes sense - Thanks again.

Hello Steve Thanks for the sub and nice comment. I don't see many Konica cameras in my shop anymore. Mostly, I see Nikon and Minolta, and sometimes an Olympus or Pentax. There was a time in the 80's when I repaired all types of camera equipment, with too many types to list here, projectors, both slide and 8mm, and super 8, sometimes 16mm, tripods, filmbacks, flash units,, darkroom equipment, and more. Also, 126, 120, point and shoot, and on and on. Today, mostly 35mm SLRs. It's okay. I prefer to specialize in a few camera models, plus I have to make time for video production on TH-cam. I've been thinking about making camera service courses and putting them on some website like Gumroad or Vimeo, then I could close my shop and work full time of video production. Anyway . . . thanks for the sub.

Hello Andy The OM-1 is a very simple camera compared to the Nikon FM and FE. My other OM videos (DIY and Vlog) have already covered most of its construction, but yes, I will make a video on it in the future.

Hello Amunarriz I own a full time repair business, which leaves me very little time to make camera courses. I barely have enough time to make Classroom videos, but I have not given up on finding a way.

Hello MrFreakwent Thank you for the support and comment. I plan to make more Classroom videos in the future on the Nikon FE and FM.

Hello George Yes, getting those mirror cages back into the body is a real challenge sometimes. I need to make a video course to properly explain how to dissemble and assemble the cameras. I'm still trying to find some way to make the extra time to work on camera courses.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Oh yeah a video for disassemble and reassemble those one would be incredibly helpfull ! i'll keep a eye on your future videos to see that ! Cheers

Sorry, I can't help you with that information. I've always just taken a good LDR from another working HI Matic and used it to repair a broken Hi Matic. In the camera repair business, we call them junkers and we rob parts from them. It does not have to be a Hi-Matic 9. It can be a Hi Matic 7, Hi Matic 11, Hi Matic E, etc. Most use the same LDR. I can't remember the best match for the Hi-Matic 9. You may have to experiment a little to find a match and use the meter adjustment to make match them. It's not hard. I'm not sure you could order a new LDR, and I would not know even where to look for one. Just find a non-working HI Matic on eBay and rob it of parts.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Hi, thank you very much for the quick reply. Then I'll look for some donor camera.

Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it. I've been thinking of adding a Tier on my Partreon in which I offer free exposure testing, but I am not sure how much to charge for the tier. The exposure test does not take much time, but the unboxing and boxing, plus shipping takes up a lot of my time.

That sounds great, I wish I was living at least in the same country. I live in Europe (Greece).

Hello musicianluca I just finished a video on Removing The Top Cover on a Minolta SRT102 that will probably fix your problem. Minolta SRT102 | Remove Top Cover Tutorial | DIY #016

Hello Peter Thanks for the information. I saw that mistake during editing and I should have run tests and fixed it, but I don't script or fact-check my videos as I make them. I remember when TH-cam videos, years ago, were made by normal people like myself. Today TH-cam videos are way too perfect and commercial for my taste, so I try to keep the videos I make more personal and they will have a few mistakes now and then. LOL

Hello Rolando I've tried fixing lightmeter needles in the past and had no success doing so. They were usually sticking, so I would clean them. They would work for a period and then start sticking again, and come back to my shop under warranty. It was always easier to just replace them since I am a commercial repairman.

Hello Bill Thanks for the compliment. I would love to make a full DIY video on the Olympus OM-1 if I had the time, but I own a full time camera repair business which does not leave me enough time for making Camera Course DIY videos. I have tried Patreon, but so far I don't think it's going to free up enough time to allow me to make tutorial videos. I'm still working on a solution to the problem. I may try a paywall using Gumroad or Vimeo for making Camera Course DIY videos. Not sure yet. Anyway, thanks for the comment.

Hello Dane I am curious. What do you mean by, "Total cap replacement"?

@@FilmCamera_Vlog I meant all the electrolytic capacitors. There's the one under the bottom plate, but two more under the ASA circuit board that also leak and fail - I replaced them on two different cameras and they were still inoperable. Oddly enough, I had a nonworking X-370 just randomly start working without a need to replace any caps. I should replace them any way but I'm afraid to jinx it. Electronics are weird sometimes.

@@danem2215 The Minolta XG series is hard even for me to work on. I run into too many glitches with the electronics. I'm afraid I will not be able to help you. If I had your camera on my desk, I might be able to find the problem, but as I said, they have very tough electronics to trouble shoot. I tend to stay with the mechanical cameras and avoid the electronic cameras. Sorry.

No worries, Kori. I didn't expect you to troubleshoot for me through blind comments. Thank you for the video! I hope to become more competent at repairing

Hello Kyshark Thanks for the complimentary comment. When I first started making videos, I tried to keep them short, but people seem to prefer the longer detailed videos. So, my future signature-style will be detailed videos, because this seems to be what the DIY crowd wants.

@FilmCamera_Vlog I feel that when we have these detailed videos it actually helps in learning the techniques properly whereas short videos are good to get the overall gist but not necessarily learn. Also people have the option to play the video at 2x speed or skip parts they are not keen on. Im definitely looking forward to learning from your videos and many thanks making them. 🙏

Hello Spills The Tea That is a very long comment. I see you are going to make me work. LOL I bought my first camera while in the Army in 1969. A Nikkormat. Then I traded in for a Beseler enlarger while in college. Over my younger years, I traded many cameras, because I didn’t have the money to buy and keep them all. I sold the ones I had to buy new ones. I guess that's pretty common among young me who don’t have enough money to buy and keep cameras. As for the Olympus OM-1 meter, it’s not made of high quality parts and it has to be clean, calibrated and cared for to work at all. It’s a shame the exposure meter on the OM-1 is of such poor quality. It’s a very popular camera. I always suggest photographers not use their camera’s built-in light meter, but instead, to buy a handheld meter off eBay for setting their camera’s exposure. Serious photographers use handheld meters, period, and sometimes more than one. I have always owned both film, and digital cameras, since the digital cameras came on the market. My first digital was a Ricoh (early 2000). I sold it of course to buy another one. I wish I still had it. Film photography is good for a fun hobby, or serious gallery prints to keep and sell. For gallery prints you much also develop your own film and do your own darkroom print making, which I did back in my day. Anyway, I like both, but I agree, digital cameras are soulless.

Hello Andy It takes 1mm foam all around. Most cameras don't use much 2mm foam. There are a few that do in some special places, but not the X-700.

Thanks a lot! Love the quality and repair videos that you do!

Hello Andy Thanks. I try to add those small details, and I hope to make better videos as I get more experience on TH-cam.

Hello playman5000 Sorry, I have no idea what is wrong with your Canon AE-1, but it does not sound good. My success rate for trouble shooting electronic cameras is less than 50%. I usually end up replacing the whole circuit. I can only suggest you check all switches and search for a direct short. This is usually the main cause of a needle pegging. If not that it's IC failure related, and that can't be fixed. Sorry for the bad news.

Hello Paul It always helps to get comments like yours. Sometimes as I slog through hours of recording and editing videos, I forget why I am making them. It's for the film camera community. I need to pass on 45 years of knowledge before it's lost to the digital camera future. I own both film and digital cameras. I don't hate digital cameras, but I don't want film cameras forgotten either.

Hello Paul Thank you for the comment support. I hope your camera is not making noise. It's a very strange sound that has spawned many TH-cam videos. LOL

Hello Andrew Sorry, no. The adjustments for the AE-1 are located in a different area. I need to make a video for the meter adjustment on the Canon AE-1, but have been busy making other videos. I know I will make one, but not sure when. It counts on my work load here in my shop, and what cameras people send me. I will have one next year, but not sure when.

Hello Kieran The service manuals are made for camera repairmen who already have experience with fixing cameras, which means they are sparse. I'm glad to hear you enjoy my videos. Kori

I already made the video and then had to take it down because of a mistake. I mixed up my LL and EV settings from my tester resulting in the video having errors. Anyway, I will make a second FTb QL video as time permits. I am still angry at myself for making my mistake. I put a lot of time in that first video. LOL

@@FilmCamera_Vlog We all make mistakes. Thanks for putting this amount of effort in your Videos

There is no risk in using a 1.5v battery. The adjustment is the hard part. I prefer the 1.35v battery myself. It makes the adjustment much easier.

Hello George I find the AE-1 Program much easier to work on than many of the film cameras I see in my shop daily. The electronics are not as easy to fix as most of the mechanical cameras, but the mechanical parts of the camera are easy to work on.

Hello Peter I don't recall every having fixed the mirror squeal on a Canon A-1. I suppose it could happen to that camera also. I just don't remember if I did or not. Anyway, if there is room, try using a needle from the top. If the brass flywheel can't be reached that way, try putting oil through the top left hole on the lens mount. Set needle for 1 MM. See my video where I put the needle in from that screw hole. It will give you a feel for how far to insert the needle. I did measure it and 1 MM was about right. I prefer inserting the needle from the top because the brass wheel is visible on the AE-1 and AE-1 program. As for how I fix the squeal, I pull the mirror cage when I work on the camera. I dont' use oil needles. The oil needle approch is a quick fix DIY for the brave. LOL

Hello Al Scarpone If your OM-1 has been set to ASA100, Speed of 125, and aperture of f16, the needle should be in the center if you use a EV 15 light source. See my DIY on how to set the meter. You are calibrating your meter, not setting the sensitivity.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog ah ok i see. Thanks a lot for your answer! what if my light meter works relatively fine but is a little high (right in the middle the needle is laying diagonal and not quite horizontally). Is there any way to fix this?

Hello@@AlScarpone It is a common problem with many needle meters. The only fix is crude and I don't like using it. You have to (carefully) bend the needle with your tweezers until it is horizontal. You will never get it perfect. Just do the best you can and leave it alone. It will never be perfectly horizontal.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Oh ok i see, thanks a lot. So I‘ve got one last question. In the video you show this „circle mechanism“ to set up the light meter. Is it possible that my needle is too low in any of these possible settings (all around the circle)?

Hello@@AlScarpone Yes, it can happen. It usually happens with the 1.5 volt battery, and not often with the 1.35 volt battery. The meter only has so much adjustment. If you exceed that limit, the needle will never go to the center.

Hello @klofisch Normally, you test the meter by putting negative battery current to the meter ground screw on the back side of the meter near the viewfinder, and positive battery current to the blue wire on the switch circuit board. If the needle does not move, try reversing the negative and positive wires to see if it moves. If the needle does not move with either test, the meter is probably dead. I don't know if you are using a power supply or battery, but keep the voltage under 3 volts or you may burn up the meter. Those Olympus OM1 meters are hard to test sometimes. Half the ones I have in storage are dead. They don't seem to hold up as well as the Nikon, Minolta, and Canon meters. I don't think the quality is as high.

Hello ZommBleed I never really thought about it being a camera repairman. LOL I would never buy a camera just because it was popular or made well. I always use the cameras that I like and enjoy using regardless of other factors. I suppose the Nikon FM2 and Canon AE-1 Program are my favorite cameras to take pictures with, but being 77 years old I don't get out much to take pictures any longer. I don't have the time actually. Between my camera shop and TH-cam videos, I'm busy enough.

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Can't argue with that.

Hello Neil This video Article is what you need to read. It's something you can do, and it's not hard to do. "Olympus OM 1 Erratic Meter Needle Article #009"

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Thank you.Going to try it tomorrow. This seems to be at my ability level.

YES! I fixed it. Seems like it was corrosion on the switch. Thank you.

Hello @@neilmoran9988 The meter in the OM-1 is very simple. It usually can only be one of three things. Normally.

Hello NSRGB And thank you for watching the video.

Hello Nathan I am not sure what to tell you. It should unscrew if you turn it counter clockwise (to the left). Sometimes they are really tight, but it should back out. The danger is using too much force and breaking off the thread in the advance shaft. You need to use a hand tool like I have in this video that is heavy and strong. A spanner wrench will not work. I can't think of any other suggestions to get the retaining screw out. The only other thing I can suggest is to buy a non-working AE-1 off eBay. Buy the cheapest one you can find, and remove the retaining screw on that camera for the experience to see that it can be done and see what the parts looks like. This will give you the confidence to proceed.