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Just hit 1000 shutter actuations on a repair and it felt weird

I was testing a Canon AE-1 I fixed last week, and the counter hit 1000. It hit me that this camera is older than I am, and I just gave it another thousand pictures. The gears felt smooth, the mirror slap was perfect. I guess I never really thought about how many times these things can click back to life. Anyone else get a little moment like that with an old piece of gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait you fixed an AE-1 yourself? That’s wild lol. Those things are like little mechanical puzzles.

terryk281mo ago

Yeah calling it a puzzle is pretty spot on, but honestly the AE-1 is one of the easier ones to start with. The real puzzles are the older all mechanical ones with no electronics. For the AE-1, if you can get the top plate off and clean the old grease, you're most of the way there. The service manual is online and it's not too bad to follow.

the_mary1mo agoMost Upvoted

That service manual is like fifty pages of tiny diagrams. I tried to follow one for a different camera and got lost after step three. It feels like you need special tools just to get started. I guess some people have the patience for it but I would be scared to break something. The idea of taking the top plate off myself gives me major anxiety.