Canon AF35M II repair & common faults
Fair coverageThe AF35M II, sold in Japan as the Autoboy 2, is a mid 1980s Canon compact built around active infrared autofocus and a motorised film wind, with a programmed electronic shutter handling exposure. It followed the original AF35M and shares the era's typical Canon compact failure points: leak-prone battery compartments, ageing flash charging circuitry and infrared autofocus modules that drift out of calibration.
Active infrared autofocus · Programmed electronic shutter · Motorised auto wind and rewind · 2 × AA batteries · Pop-up flash
Common Canon AF35M II faults
Canon AF35M II autofocus stuck on infinity
The viewfinder distance symbol sits on the mountain, or infinity, mark no matter how close the subject actually is, and prints come back soft on anything nearer than a few metres. That points to the infrared autofocus module or its control circuit misreading the return signal, not a dirty lens. Worth checking the two small windows either side of the lens are clean and unobstructed before it goes on the bench.
Canon AF35M II won't turn on
A dead, unresponsive camera on this model is very often the battery compartment rather than the electronics, these Canon compacts are known for corrosion creeping in from leaked cells and fouling the contacts. Worth trying a fresh pair of AA batteries seated cleanly first. If it still shows no sign of life, the corrosion has likely reached the circuit board itself, which is a more serious job.
Canon AF35M II lens cover won't open
Switching on should retract the lens barrier automatically, ready to shoot. When it sticks shut, or conversely stays open and exposed all the time, the fault sits in the linkage between the power slide switch and the cover mechanism rather than the lens itself. This is a mechanical wear or misalignment issue and generally not something to chase without opening the body.
Canon AF35M II flash won't fire
This camera's flash pops up manually on a slide switch rather than automatically, so a flash that stays dark first deserves a check that it has actually been raised. If it's up and the neon ready lamp never lights, the flash capacitor isn't reaching charge, a fault in the high voltage charging circuit rather than the flash tube itself, and best left to the bench given the voltages involved.
Canon AF35M II film winding slow or noisy
Auto wind on this model runs off a small drive motor and gear train, and with age the motor noise picks up and winding between frames slows down noticeably. It's usually wear or dried lubrication in the gearing rather than a battery problem, though it's worth ruling out weak cells first since a struggling motor draws more current than fresh AAs may comfortably supply.
Stuck on your Canon AF35M II?
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Try it now ›Scatto is a reference tool for people who service film cameras. It explains mechanisms and quotes service data, but it cannot see your camera at the bench, so verify anything load-bearing before you act on it.