Mamiya 645 Super Issues

Hello,

 

I just recently acquired a Mamiya 645 Super from a buyer on eBay. This is my first medium format camera so being as excited as I was I shot endlessly this past week. Everything was working fine with a few exceptions — shutter not firing every so often, power drive not functioning occasionally. On the last day of shooting I dropped the film back while trying to change the film and chipped the dark slide holder. The next day I tried to shoot a new roll of film and the shutter was completely unresponsive. I removed the film back and the shutter would work fine but I couldn't get the shutter to fire while the film back was on. On top of that now I have more problems:

 

— broken mirror stop

— AE Prism (worked at first) flashes OVER constantly and won't give exposure readings.

 

What could cause these problems? I've tried everything and I'd rather not invest in another body for this camera considering I just bought this kit. I just want to fix these issues so I can get back to shooting. Help!

Edited May 16, 2017 by justinsolomon

"What could cause these problems?"

- It's a Mamiya Super!

 

I encountered all the same faults you've listed + a few more, over 2 Supers and a Pro TL body.

 

Gave up on the plastic Mamiya 645s in the end and returned to my metal 645 1000S, J and M bodies.

 

I'm afraid your only recourse is to rerurn the camera for a refund if possible. Spare parts are no longer available AFAIK, and repair costs would likely exceed the worth of the camera.

 

The not firing issue is almost certainly due to a loose solenoid. This just needs re-seating and glueing into place; like Mamiya should've done in the factory. However, getting to the solenoid requires extensive and expensive stripping of the camera.

 

The mirror brake/stop needs replacing. No getting round it. The part isn't made anymore, so it's a case of fabricating one from metal (again it's what Mamiya ought to have done) or having one 3D printed.

 

Even if you attend to those repairs, the plastic magazine backs will still warp or crack over time. The fitting of the backs will still be sloppy, and the light-trapping between back and body will still be inadequate.

 

The good news is that the metering issue is probably just down to dirty contacts.

Edited May 16, 2017 by rodeo_joe|1

As far as the shutter not firing it will fire successfully with the film back removed and it also fired successfully before I dropped the back so I assumed that was the issue. I shot about 4 rolls on it last week and even got some developed. Can cracks in the film back prevent it from working properly? It seems like this camera has numerous ways to prevent the shutter from firing.

The backs have an interlock that detects whether the darkslide is inserted or not. With the darkslide inserted and the back in place the shutter won't fire.

 

So if the back was cracked in the region of the interlock button it may well not detect removal of the darkslide.

 

Really, the only "advantage" that the plastic Super had over its metal predecessor was having interchangeable film magazines. It sounds like you only have one magazine. In which case I'd seriously consider getting rid of the (not so) Super and buying a metal 1000S that'll probably last forever with no trouble.