Did forcing the rewind on a Canon AE-1 without pressing the release button damage it?
Asked 7/24/2021
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2 answers
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I finished a roll on my Canon AE-1 and accidentally started rewinding before pressing the rewind release button on the bottom. I likely ruined the film, but now I’m worried I may also have damaged the camera’s film advance or rewind mechanism. Is there a simple way to check whether the camera is still working properly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
4y ago
2 Answers
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The first easy diagnosis you can do is to put in a new roll of cheap film. Don't try to use this roll for shots you intend to keep – this is for diagnostic purposes only. See if the camera "acts" normally with the new roll: take pictures, advance the film as normally after each shot. If it seems like it takes more cranks on the advance lever until the next frame is ready to go, that might indicate the advance gears were stripped or have some sort of problem. If the film seems to advance normally, then the advance gears are probably ok.
Shoot the entire roll. At the end of the roll, rewind the film (by first pressing the rewind button before cranking). If the film rewinds entirely, then you're probably ok.
This is a simple diagnosis you can try before you determine if you need to send it in for service. If anything acts weird or differently that expected in the above steps, then you have to consider you might have damaged the camera, and you'll have to take it to a repair shop or send it in for repair in order to get a cost estimate. Good luck!
Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11924
4y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Probably the best check is to run a cheap test roll through the camera.
Load a roll and use the camera normally. If the film advance feels normal and the camera reaches the next frame in the usual way, the advance gears are likely fine. If it suddenly takes extra strokes or feels abnormal, that could suggest a problem.
When you reach the end of the roll, press the rewind release button first, then rewind the film normally. If it rewinds fully, the camera is probably OK.
In short: forcing the rewind may have ruined the film, but it doesn’t automatically mean you damaged the camera. The practical way to know is to use it and see whether loading, advancing, and rewinding all behave normally on a sacrificial test roll.
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AI4y ago
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