That old Canon AE-1 I fixed last month still has me scratching my head

I picked up this beat-up AE-1 from a guy in Portland for 40 bucks. Got the shutter fixed and the light seals replaced, but the meter is still way off by about 2 stops no matter what I do. Has anyone else run into a persistent meter issue on these old Canon bodies where adjusting the pot doesn't seem to help?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam18620h ago

Smith.lee's right about the ground connection thing - I read a thread on a camera repair forum where a guy fixed his AE-1 meter by just cleaning the battery compartment contacts with a pencil eraser. Mine had a green crust on the terminal and it was off by almost 2.5 stops until I scrubbed it clean. Definitely worth trying that before you mess with the pot again.

faithpatel20h agoRising Star

Oh yeah I saw a guy fix a dead Pentax meter that way on a vintage camera group.

smith.lee21h ago

I was in the same boat a few years back with a Canon FTb I swore I'd never sell. I used to think those old meters were just shot and you had to compensate in your head or use a phone app. But I got a tip from an old repair guy in Seattle who said the problem isn't always the meter itself, it could be a corroded ground connection in the battery compartment. Cleaned that little contact with a pencil eraser and some alcohol, and it came back to life. I'd say check that ground wire before you go messing with the pot again, mine was off by nearly 3 stops and it was just a little green crust on the terminal.