Throwback Edit Version: I edited this in May 2026, checked the links and converted it to the new WordPress blocks format if needed.

So, I was at a festival, and someone I knew in passing had a film camera around her neck. It was a film camera I did not have and had not tried. I struck up a conversation, and it turned out I may have influenced her to try it out. It was a camera once belonging to her grandfather or father, and she had decided to try it after seeing my escapades with film. We had a chat about the beauty of film and the awesome sounds the cameras make. I decided then and there I must have that camera. So on my way home, I stopped at a second-hand store, and there it was, without a lens, in the junk bin…A Canon AE-1.

As I already had a Canon A1, I decided to invest in a wide-angle lens. I even made a camera strap to add to my imagined coolness. If the AE did not work, then I could use the lens on the A1. This camera is one of the most popular cameras for students, those wanting to learn about f-stops and depth of field, film…anything really. You can read all the technical details you like here. It was produced between 1976-1984. This guy says it is one of the best cameras ever made! Bold. But once I put a battery in this one and added the lens, wow, it makes the most satisfying noise when the shutter was pressed. It was the best shutter noise I have ever heard. I later found out that this was the Canon squeak. I like it on this camera, though. It also felt solid, yet comfortable. I loved it. This site has an excellent review, going as far as to say this was/is a cultural icon. But did this junk bin find work?

NO 🙁

It was one of those too good to be true moments. Yeah, these days you can’t get a Canon AE-1 for $10 in a junk bin and expect it to work. On the plus side, the lens seemed fine. The camera body had an intermittent mirror lockup issue, probably related to the squeak. I thought the shutter curtain might stop light from hitting the film, but no. I did some research, and this site said it might have been an issue with the mirror magnet that needed to be cleaned. So I took off the bottom plate, but it was as clean as a whistle and perfectly intact. I followed this video for instructions.

The same site said it might be some plastic under the film advance lever, so I took the top part off too…Then I just got carried away and started to take the whole thing apart.

I wish I could take apart a camera and put it back together again. I wish I had the knowledge to fix issues like this. I don’t….but I do enjoy ripping things apart.

So keep or sell….erm..it’s in pieces. BUT I will get another one day because I am a bit obsessive about these things.

Addendum: I did get another body to go with the lens. This time, a fully black AE-1 for about $60, which I think was a great price. Here are the test shots from that camera.

I love this camera. On the day out, you can see here I also took the Nikon F2, the Canon is much lighter, and I feel just as great. I think it will be one I choose to use more often than most.

Keep or sell: I decided to just keep the A-1. So this one was sold. I did keep the lens, though. Also, I think if I had the original camera now, I could have fixed it as I just fixed the squeak on the A1. Oh, well. I am glad I can look back on my posts and realise how far I have come in my knowledge and understanding.