Howdy! First time posting here, be nice!

I have a Canon EOS model 630 SLR film camera that has a vexing problem that maybe someone out there can shed some light on.

Sometimes, when trying to make an exposure, the shutter will trip, or at least, the view finder goes black, but the camera doesn't complete the action. In other words, the film isn't exposed. This isn't a consistent problem. It comes and goes, but can be very frustrating.

All this happens when the shutter release is pressed. The camera focuses properly, and after that half push to focus, as you continue the press, is when the problem happens. If I hold down the release, the viewfinder stays blocked until I release it, or, if I just momentarily hit the release, then the viewfinder will be blocked for the duration of how long my finger is on the trigger.

If I continue to try to shoot the camera, it will eventually fire, and a normal exposure is made. Sometimes the camera "locks up" for only a few attempts, but other times, it will continue to malfunction until I just get sick of it, turn off the camera and put it away.

This problem isn't cleared by putting in a new battery, changing lenses, different film, cycling the power to the camera, or even changing the shooting modes. It doesn't happen every time I use the camera, but it happens enough to really tick me off. Nothing more irritating than losing a shot to a malfunctioning camera!

So, is there anyone out there that has experienced this sort of problem? Is there any hope? Any insight you folks can offer is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Unkel Gilbey