Mamiya C330 Shutter Problem

[jon w.]

<p>Hi guys,<br>

<br />I haven't posted on here for a long time, but at one time I was an active member of the community, responding to many questions by others, so I hpe you will forgive this urgent query after a long silence.<br>

I am currently selling a Mamiya C330 camera body, and I don't have any lenses to check its functions on (the only one I ever had was a 180mm, which has a funny interface with the shutter anyway).<br>

There appears to be something wrong with the firing mechanism on the shutter. The lever reloads, advances and cocks the shutter fine, and the piece of metal fitted into the semi-circular groove by the lower lens aperture moves as it should during this procedure (that bit of metal is the thing that actually recocks the shutter, which is fitted to the lens). When you then press the shutter release button, it depresses, as does the alternate release on the side of the camera, but the semi-circular bit of metal in the groove doesn't move at all (though any shutter could still be triggered manually by performing the same motion this thing is meant to do, i.e. just pressing down on the trigger mechanism with your finger).<br>

It's difficult to be sure if it's an actual fault because I don't have a lens to test it on, but the upshot is that the camera COULD POSSIBLY require a repair to the shutter mechanism, and I want to specify that clearly in my description to sellers.<br>

Is this something obvious I'm not understanding or seeing, or does the camera shutter mechanism have an actual fault / jam?<br>

Any advice from those familiar with the C330's idiosyncracies would be much appreciated, and I'll try to reciprocate by answering a spare question or two where I have the requisite technical knowledge. Will look around now for one.<br>

<br />Thanks, Jon</p>

[jon w.]

<p>(See photo.) It's the metal bit in the groove by the lower lens aperture that doesn't move during shutter release. It should move, because it's what presses the trigger on the shutter.</p>

[marnedog]

<p>The knob has to be unlocked and it pivots to the left. This is normal. there is a guard that slides to unlock it .</p>

[jon w.]

<p>Thanks for the response Dan, but not sure which 'knob' you mean (I have already consulted the manual, and used the camera successfully previously on several occasions btw).<br>

If you mean the dial that turns from 'Lock' to 'Unlock', etc. to seal the lower lens aperture, I'm firing the shutter with it set at 'Lock', as if there was a lens fitted and it was taking an exposure. If you mean the safety catch with the red 'L', obviously that's off because otherwise nothing would move on the camera at all.<br>

There is a lever that locks bellows movement too, but obviously that has nothing to do with the shutter. Exposure is set to 'single'.<br>

Any further clarification would be appreciated.</p>

[jon w.]

<p>If you try to fire the camera with the side dial set at 'Unlock', with the lower lens aperture closed (a feature intended to enable you to change the lens, which I'm explaining for others), the shutter won't fire at all, an automatic feature that stops you from photographing when there's no lens fitted, but I WANT to fire the shutter with no lens fitted, to test its functionality.<br>

But you could be referring to something entirely different, because (unless you mean the safety catch, an entirely different feature on the other side of the camera) 'there is a guard that slides to unlock it' doesn't make any sense to me.</p>

[david_weiss2]

<p>Jonathan,</p>

<p>I believe your camera is operating correctly. I have the C330 Pro and the C330S. The following are instructions for the C330S:<br /> <br /> As we look at the camera from the front, with multi/single switch on "single", the shutter lock on the left side unlocked and the lens remove lock on the right side switched to "lock"<br /> <br /> 1. Open the back to reset the counter and close<br /> 2. Use the film advance until the counter stops you at film frame "1" (the metal bit in the semi-circular groove would move back and forth and cock the shutter on the lens if a lens is attached)<br /> 3. Push the shutter button near the bottom of the camera or the side shutter button - this will cause the short metal "arm" that is attached perpendicularly to the thin metal slide on the left of the camera to trip the shutter on a lens - the metal bit in the semi-circular groove does not move when the shutter button is depressed. (I think your confusion is that on a lens, the shutter cocking mechanism is on the right of the lens and the shutter tripping lever is on the left of the lens)<br /> 4. Advance the film, the metal bit in the semi-circular groove moves again and the shutter is cocked again.</p>

<p>With the older C330 Pro, multi/single switch needs to be on "multi" and the film counter will stay on "0" but otherwise it is the same.</p>

<p>So I believe your camera is okay if I understand what you said correctly.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

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[jon w.]

<p>Thanks a lot Dave, very helpful, though I feel it may be too late to save my eBay auction, and I'm not sure it's worth generating the bad feeling of cancelling and relisting, saying, 'No, no, the shutter's fine after all!'</p>