Un-jamming a jammed A series camera

- Check the battery contacts and the batteries. If mercury batteries are specified, use them, not
alkaline or lithium (these batteries give lower voltages and will affect your camera's meter
accuracy). There are alternative solutions to mercury batteries which are generally not available
due to their mercury content and U.S. laws. .
- Try resetting the camera by taking the batteries out for several minutes to several hours or
more and putting them back in.
- Verify that you aren't at the end of a roll of film.
- Press the rewind button and rewind the film into the cartridge. You will be able to save your film,
and hopefully, the camera may un-jam.
- If the jam is caused by an electronic problem (either weak batteries or something else), you might
unjam the shutter by switching it to a manual (non-electronic) speed. If the camera made it all the way through its firing cycle but the wind lock is still engaged, the advance gears may be slightly out of adjustment. One thing to try: press in and hold the rewind button, and see if you can work the film advance lever. If you can, you may be able to release the wind lock and recock the shutter. If it works, try firing the shutter and winding the camera several more times. Even if one of these tricks works... if the camera jammed once, it may jam again in the near future, so It may need adjustment or just cleaning and lubrication.
- Slam the camera down moderately hard onto the palm of your hand. (It works with some
cameras!)
- On other cameras, very gently pulling up on the mirror (to move it toward the closed, upright
position) while applying gentle pressure on the film advance lever.
- Setting off the self-timer may work.
- If all else fails, remove the bottom plate of the camera and see if you can trip the shutter or
unlock the film advance. Don't force anything; you're looking for a latch that is just on the verge of
tripping.  See: