Canon EOS A2 Troubleshooting

You have the camera turned on but it is nonresponsive.

If your camera doesn't turn on, the battery is most likely the culprit. First, make sure the camera is in the off position. Then open the battery door and remove the battery. To view, click this link remove the battery. Reinsert the battery, ensuring that it makes contact with the terminals, and replace the battery door.

If your camera is still unresponsive after this read on...

If your battery is properly in place, but the camera still doesn't respond, the terminals may be contaminated or corroded. Take the battery out of the battery door and check the terminals on the battery. If you see any corrosion, stop using the battery immediately and discard properly. If the terminals look contaminated or dirty, they can be easily cleaned with a rubber pencil eraser, or with some electrical contact cleaner. Clean the terminals on the battery and the camera, then reinsert the battery and replace the battery door.

If your camera is still unresponsive after this read on...

Your battery may not be holding a charge anymore, which is why the camera will not turn on. You can easily tell if your battery is not holding a charge by using a multimeter. Set the multimeter to DC mode and connect the positive probe to the positive terminal and the negative probe to the negative terminal of the battery. The multimeter should readout a number close to 6.0 volts, since that is the voltage of the battery. (If the readout is negative then you have the probe's backwards.) If the readout is 5.5 or less volts than your battery is either going bad, or already has, and needs to be replaced.

Camera won't take photos when shutter is pressed

Ensure the control dial is set to any location except 'L'.

Make sure that the batteries in the camera are working properly. Refer to our battery troubleshooting above to address this issue.

Take the lens cap off of the front of the camera.

Ensure there is film present in the camera.

Check if the film is inserted correctly in the camera without jams. If there are no jams, use a blowing tool to clean any dust that may be present on the film pressure plate. Re-insert the film now and look for a film symbol on the LCD to see if the camera recognizes the film.

Dirt or debris may be present in the shutter curtain on the front of the camera. Remove the lens and ensure the curtain is clear.

Your control dial is stuck which prevents you from rotating it, or it rotates freely without any clicking.

Verify that there is no debris that might be underneath the control dial. Small debris can get underneath the dial and prevent it from turning. Using a brush with stiff bristles, such as a toothbrush, run it underneath the control dial. You can also try using a can of compressed air to blow the debris out.

If that does not work than the control dial may be dislodged from it's track. Sometimes this can be fixed by manually trying to turn the control dial. Carefully push down on the control dial, applying an increasing amount of pressure while also attempting to rotate the dial. If you feel as if you are going to break the dial, stop trying to turn it.

If you are unable to turn the dial, your control dial may have more serious problems and you can view our repair guide to fix it.

If you're control dial rotates without any clicking, than it has a serious problem that requires the camera to be taken apart and the control dial parts replaced. Here is our repair guide where you can view instructions on how to fix this.

The flash won't open to take a picture.

Sometimes the flash can be fixed by simply turning the camera off and on. Preform this and see if it fixes your problem.

The button which controls the flash of the camera is located just to the left of the flash unit. Press the button and ensure the flash setting appears on the lcd screen.

A common problem for the EOS A2 is for the plungers under the hot shoe mechanism to become stuck, causing the camera to believe an external flash is installed, thus disabling the built in flash. This usually occurs after using an external flash and the plungers do not reset properly after the removal of the external flash.

If you have an external flash, try sliding it in and out of the hot shoe multiple times. Sometimes this will cause the plungers to reset.

If the plungers do not reset, you will need to take the hot shoe mechanism apart and do it manually. Follow our repair guide to fix this.