Bronica RF645 film advance - problem?

[dana pionek]

Howdy,

 

I am new to medium format photography - just purchased my first MF camera a

couple of months ago. I ended up going with a Bronica RF645 (overall I love

it). There is only one question/concern I have with it - the film advance

seems to drag/have excess friction midway through the advance stroke. When I

initially load the film and advance it to frame "1" there is no resistance in

the winding mechanism at all. From frame #1 till the end of the roll each

winding stroke has more resistance/friction than I would expect at the end of

the stroke(the first half of each winding stroke is very smooth). If I open

the back of the camera mid roll (and the counter resets) the advance is once

again very smooth until I hit the new "frame #1"). This happens to be the

only RF645 that I have ever used so I don't know if this is how they normally

feel when advancing film (my previous cameras have been exclusively 35mm - all

of them have had smooth advances through the entire winding stroke). I have

heard that the advance mechanism is a weak point in the design of the Bronica

RF645 - so this has me a bit worried. Are there any RF645 owners that can

tell me if this is normal (am I concerned over nothing or do I need to send it

in for a CLA)?

 

Thanks!

[Uncle Goose]

It's the same with my Bronica Etrsi and I use it for years now without any problem.

[j_rgen_loob]

Dana

 

I do not experience the issue you describe with my RF645 .

The friction is all the same from the beginning to the end of the roll . It is a low resistance

friction , but as we have no measurement figures , I can not really explain "low resistance" .

Also my right thumb might be stronger than yours , as I am a strict righthander .

 

J�rgen .

[trooper]

Mine has always had a very slight "notchiness" in the wind cycle about midway. It has stayed the same over the years. Perhaps I should be concerned and have it attended to? Could others relate their experiences with their particular RF645 bodies?

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

An earlier thread advised that the little metal clips that "grasp" the film roll may need adjusting. Probably just flex them out slightly - bit don't over-do it.

[phil_hanson]

It may be the same problem I encountered that was dealt with on the thread: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00MDvG

 

On a good day, the winding on mine has always been super smooth.

[dana pionek]

Phil,

 

Here is a dumb question - but please bear with me. What metal tongues/clips did you bend? The two pronged one on the back door? The little semi-circular metal clips with the rollers that run horizontally in the film chamber? Or the little straight metal clips that run vertically in a downward direction in the film chamber(s)? Just want to clear up any confusion before I start bending parts.

 

Thanks