Old Canon AE-1 finally locked up on me mid-shoot

Was testing a lens I just shimmed, and the mirror got stuck halfway up. Hadn't seen that failure in years. Anyone know if the old foam decay trick still works to fix the mirror bumper, or is there a better way now?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_carr579d ago

Ditch the foam trick and just adjust the mirror stop screw instead.

henderson.mason9d ago

@avery_carr57 is right that the stop screw can fix the mirror height, but the foam is usually what's gone bad after all these years. The pads turn to sticky goo and that's what stops the mirror from moving right. I'd do both, clean up the old foam first, then adjust the screw if needed. The foam trick still works fine if you use new bumpers from one of the repair kits online.