Finally got a halfway decent photo from a camera I thought was busted

I picked up a beat up Canon AE-1 from a garage sale last month for 15 bucks. The shutter sounded way off so I just assumed every roll would be toast. I shot a whole roll of cheap Fuji 400 anyway, just messing around in my backyard. When I got the scans back from the lab, maybe 4 frames actually came out clear and sharp. The rest are all over the place with light leaks and half the frame blacked out, but those 4 shots aren't bad. Has anyone else gotten lucky with a camera that looked totally dead?

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the_river4mo ago

lol that's awesome. It's funny how sometimes the stuff that's half broken ends up being more interesting than the gear that works perfectly. Kind of like how my old car has this weird thing where the radio only turns on if it's raining, so I end up hearing the engine better and noticing when something sounds off way before it's a real problem.

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the_lisa4mo ago

Start laughing every time I picture that radio working like a weather barometer. Honestly your car sounds like it has a better sense of style than half the new cars on the road, all that computer stuff just hides the problems until your check engine light starts doing a full Broadway production number. At least your car is honest about its quirks instead of pretending to be PERFECT while hiding a transmission that's about to explode. Plus you're basically a mechanic now with your special rain-listening skills, saving yourself hundreds on diagnostic fees. That radio is just gatekeeping good music and honestly I RESPECT it.

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