Can a sticky slow shutter on a Canon FTb be repaired, and should I try it myself?

Question

My Canon FTb seems fine at faster shutter speeds, but at 1/4 second and slower the timing is clearly off. At 1 second, the shutter can stay open almost like bulb mode. If I gently shake the camera while it’s open, I can hear the mechanism move and the shutter closes sooner.

Is this something that can be repaired, and is it realistic to do as a DIY job? Also, if the slow speeds are sticking now, is the problem likely to get worse and affect faster shutter speeds too?

user38275 · Answer

It likely just needs a CLA - "clean, lube, adjust". At X and below, the second curtain is on a clockwork delay, and that can't tolerate a lot of dust and grit or old, broken-down lubricant. It is something you can do yourself with relatively common precision/jewellers' tools (well, except for accurately adjusting the timer spring, but if you can get within a third of a stop by ear, that's probably good enough), but it's going to involve a lot of teeny-tiny, easy-to-lose and hard-to-manipulate parts to keep track of. (And there's almost always a little spring that seems to need four or five hands if you don't know the trick.) If you're comfortable with that sort of thing, it might be worth trying. You can find a service manual for most old cameras, including the FTb, online.

Sending the camera out for a CLA isn't expensive in absolute terms, but compared to the current price of the camera it may seem like a lot.

Can a sticky slow shutter on a Canon FTb be repaired, and should I try it myself?

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