Canon 7 self-timer/shutter jammed?

relistan

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I just got my late grandfather's Canon 7 with a really nice 2.0/50mm Summicron lens on it. It's largely in very good cosmetic shape but the shutter won't fire and the self-timer appears to be jammed. Is there a known or possible solution to unsticking these or is it just time for a repair shop? The self-timer won't budge at all, and the shutter button depresses (when set to "A"), but nothing happens. The lock appears to work (set to red dot). When I put the camera in rewing mode ("R") the shutter curtains return to rest and seem quite snappy. But the shutter itself is a no-go.

Help very much appreciated! I have no money right now for repairs so it may end up on a shelf for awhile if it has to go to a shop. If anyone knows of a decent site on diy working on one of these, I'd be happy to go that route, too. Google is not finding one.

Cheers,
Karl
 
Success! I decided to dive in after reading through the service manual. I took the cover off the camera and was able to figure out that the shutter was fine but the self-timer was about 3/4 wound. It was stuck and wouldn't wind more, but once you have it about 3/4 wound it won't release, either. Once I was able to get the timer wound all the way it released the shutter.

I then followed the instructions to adjust the rangefinder and all seems well now with the main functions of the camera. The two remaining issues are that the self-timer doesn't work properly and the slow speeds are not at all right. The speeds from 30 on up seem just fine. I think it could use a real service from a real mechanic in some months time. I'll have to save up for that.

For now I'm going to run a cheap roll of color film through it to see how it comes out. I'll test the focus at close range and infinity and in between. I hope it works. This is one nice camera and the lens is a beauty!

Cheers,
Karl
 
I guess I'm just talking to myself here. But it turns out the film advance is also not working properly. I guess the 7 goes on the shelf until I can pay someone to fix it.

Cheers,
Karl
 
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