Canon 514 XL Lightmeter "stuck". Any solutions?

[Steve Molloy]

I recently purchased a Canon 514 XL camera in virtually mint condition. Everything runs smoothly, though the lightmeter will only go up to f:/4 even when pointed at bright sunlight with the filter out and with a film cartridge in. When it does move it moves very slowly. I think it may be stuck. Is there any solution for this/ anything I've missed.

 

If this is not something I can repair myself, will a camera repair specialist used to dealing with still film equipment be likely to be able to fix it (there is one in my nearest city that I know of). Can this be repaired at all?

 

Many thanks

[Tom Doolittle]

Steve,

 

I recently had a similar problem with a Nikon R10. You can read the post here:

 

http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...showtopic=18169

 

I don't have any experience with the Canon, but I'd be willing to bet your sticking meter just needs to be exercised a bit. The meter is mechanically coupled to the aperture thorugh a series of tiny linkages. The mechanism is very delicate and is designed to respond to the miniscule impulses of the auto-exposure servo. Over time, the lubricants used at all the little joints will dry up, making the system sluggish or stopping it altogether.

 

When I got my Nikon, the meter would not move no matter what I did. I had to actually open it up and move the mechanism back and forth by hand about a hundred times. Now it works great.

 

Hope this helps.

[Douglas Hunter]

The other possibility is that your photo cell is dead. Get that checked first before looking at other possibilities.