Pro tip: That squeaky shutter button might just be a loose screw under the leatherette

Had a customer bring in a Canon AE-1 last week, shutter button felt gritty and made this awful squeak. I was ready to tear into the top cover. Then I remembered an old repair guide I found online - popped off the leatherette on the front, tightened two tiny screws on the shutter button plate, and it was smooth as butter. Saved myself an hour of work. Anyone else got quick fixes that sound way bigger than they are?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow1142mo ago

Did you find the screw was actually loose or just needed a tiny turn to seat it right? I had that same gritty feeling on a Minolta once and it drove me nuts until I found the same trick.

simonh742mo ago

Found the screw was just barely loose enough to make that gritty noise, but tight enough that I felt like an idiot for not checking it first... turned it maybe an eighth of a turn and it seated perfectly. Classic case of me overthinking a repair and missing the obvious, which is basically my superpower at this point. Glad I'm not the only one who's been driven crazy by a Minolta though... they're great cameras but man, they know how to hide their quirks.

caleb2621mo ago

The Canon AE-1 actually has three screws under the leatherette near the shutter button, not just two. I only know because I stripped one of them on my first try and had to figure out a workaround. @willow114, you asked about the screw seating - on that Minolta I worked on, the screw wasn't fully loose, just barely not seated right. Less than a quarter turn fixed it, but it felt like a bigger deal than it was. It's wild how such a tiny thing can make a camera feel totally broken.