Plastic is a wonderful invention with many benefits including lower weight and production costs, but often there is also a tradeoff in durability. The Canon EOS Elan 7 / 7e was one of Canon's last 35mm film cameras, and is also regarded as on of the best due to its simplicity married to modern EOS technologies.
The Canon EOS Elan 7 is constructed of a mix of metal and plastic, but one of the most important parts of this otherwise magnificent film camera features a design flaw, making it easily broken: The film door latch is constructed of cheap plastic which will snap off if slamming the film door shut too violently, causing the door to not be able to lock.
Today you'll learn how to easily replace the door latch for under $20, in less than 15 minutes. This is much cheaper and easier than an out-of-warranty Canon repair. This is the 2nd time I broke this part; the first time, Canon had my camera for 14 days and charged $120 for replacing this part. This isn't the only guide out there, but I thought the pictures in others were hard to distinguish.
Supplies: Replacement Door Latch (found online below), small jewelers philips head screwdriver, and a bit of time.
1) First, you need to get the replacement part. Make sure this is the part that is broken - you should be able to see the sheared plastic inside the door latch on the camera body (NOT on the film door itself). If you're unsure, you can still proceed with this guide and very easily check the latch mechanism.
Here are several vendors I found selling the part. I got mine off of eBay, and ordered 2 in case I break it again.
Here you see the broken part along with the replacement part:
2) Like any electronics project, start by removing the batteries. We need to remove 7 screws from the camera and strip off some of the body to access the part. Order doesn't really matter for this, but let's start with the two screws on the side to remove the latch assembly cover panel, and 1 for the body. Below, you'll see that I've already removed the broken latch.
3) Next get the two screws on the bottom of the camera body.
4) Finally, remove the 2 screws from the front of the camera body, and keep these separate: they are slightly longer than the other screws.
5) The front face should easily come off. Remove the face, and then detatch the broken latch being careful not to ruin the spring's shape.
6) Install the new latch by hooking the spring first, then placing the latch back on the sliding track. It should "snap" into place, but will only be held in by friction and the spring holding it in place. The triangle arrow on the latch should point down, and the metal fingers should be in contact with a small electrical plate on the circuit board; this tells the camera if which position the latch is in, and likewise if the film door is locked or not.
7) Now, replace the latch cover panel and the two screws holding it in position to ensure the new latch doesn't fall out. Note the panel has a notch at the top that matches a notch in the camera body.
8 ) Reinstall the faceplate, and tighten the two long screws on the front, two screws on the bottom, and one screw on the side. You should now have a fully operational film door - now get out there and shoot!
2020 Update
Hello all, just dropping in to provide some updates to this article, as it has been one of the most popular pages on my website since I first published this guide in 2012.
I routinely receive messages from fellow EOS film camera owners either thanking me for this guide, or searching for the OEM replacement parts, which were still available when I wrote this, but have long dried up in availability.
Sometimes 3rd party replacement parts pop up on sites like eBay, but these listing frequently disapear or sell out, making the parts hard to come by. Here is a listing for a 3rd party repair kit currently available as of this writing (I have no experience with this 3rd party part, kit, or seller, so cannot comment on its quality) - note it does not have the metal contact “fingers” which would need to be transplanted to restore proper full function:
2x Hook Back Lock Door Inside Buckle+Tools for Canon EOS 30 33 ELAN 7 7E ZVMB101 sold by ewwt-cnd
Several years ago I suggested that the part could easily be fabricated and built stronger with the rise of 3D printing, and simply transplant the metal contact “fingers” from the broken OEM part to a replacement. That’s exactly what several people have since done; CAD models of the part are now available for download from several sources (I’m linking two that were posted to my site’s comment section here - if there are others, please feel free to comment them below). This is not my work, nor do I have experience with these parts, but the comments with others’ experiences seem very good:
CANON Eos 50e Door Latch by iscand
Canon EOS 30 / 50 / Elan II / Elan 7 film door latch by OndrejP_SK
CANON Eos Elan II, Elan IIe Door Latch by bitterbot
This is great if you have access to a 3D printer, but what if you don’t? In the old days you could just tape your film door shut and be done with it. With the ELAN, you still can, however depending on how / which part of your latch broke, this may require extra steps.
I’ve now created a video that demonstrates correct function of a fully-operational (non-broken) ELAN 7 latch, but also shown how film may be loaded if the latch mechanism isn’t allowing the camera to recognize that the door is closed - this case scenario applies to some, but not all door latch failures. You can then simply tape the door shut and continue using your camera - it’s imperfect, but it’s better than nothing if you’re in a pinch.
This video demonstrates the function of a fully-functioning film door on an ELAN 7, and shows a method to continue using your camera if the camera is otherwise unable to slide the film door latch and advance film or hold the door in place on its own, now that OEM parts are no longer available, and not everyone has access to 3D printed parts that have been developed by owners. Some steps may or may not be needed depending on the damage to your latch; this video is for demonstration and example purposes, and will not apply to all cases. Some people's cameras will still slide the film latch and advance film upon closing the film door, without need for manually sliding the latch as seen in this video - use what tips and ideas apply to your own case. For more about the Lubitel 2 medium format lens that makes a cameo in this video, read my article about my retrofit project that was featured in Fstoppers and PetaPixel.
I do still monitor the comments on this page, and am happy to have helped so many of you around the World. I hope this video provides you with a bit more help in diagnosing problems and presenting ideas for solutions when other options have failed.
Happy shooting and great exposures to all of you!