Pentax 6x7 mirror lock up problem

[balazs_somogyi]

Hi,

 

Took my new (used) Pentax 6x7 out 'in the field' yesterday to shoot

some landscapes (lovely snow here in the UK on the hills), waited

till dawn, lovely red sunrise had camera set on tripod, filters

attached etc.etc. freezing my hands off then picked the moment,

locked the mirror up and -> couldn't trip the shutter. Film is loaded

correctly, and on looking inside the camera from the front with the

lens off, it seems the mirror is halfway up - i.e. neither fully up

or down.

 

Does anyone know what the problem could be? I am hoping for a simple

explanation - i.e. flat battery or something but I don't seem to be

able to do anything now, can't advance the film, can't release the

shutter, can't get the mirror back down. i.e. am hoping that the

mirror isn't jammed -> my latest thinking is that the shutter isn't

releasing because the camera may know that the mirror is not in the

correct (fully up or fully down) position?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Balazs

[bobby mahaffey]

The mirror can get stuck when the battery goes dead. There is a

small button to depress to release the mirror. If I remember right

it is somewhere on the front of the camera, near the mirror

lockup switch. It's small and you may need a small object to

press it.

[stemked]

Yup. Sounds like a battery problem. Replace the battery and then press the little button on the front of the camera.

[tom_musselman]

Can the 67 II have such a problem? What is the fix? I don't see a button anywhere.

[allan_jamieson2]

The battery on pre P67II versions can and does fail with very little warning;

particularly in cold weather conditions. The first time I used my brand new

Pentax 67 some years ago, the battery supplied with it by Pentax failed within

a few minutes, leaving me in the middle of nowhere with no spare battery!

 

The recessed button resets the camera so that when you press the shutter

release, after changing the battery, the mirror should return to its correct

position. You always lose the shot that the battery failed during though. It pays

to carry a few spare batteries, just in case, when you are out and about with a

Pentax 67/ 6 x 7.

 

As for the P67II, it doesn't have a reset button as per the previous versions.

The LCD display on the camera body should give a warning when the battery

starts to get a bit low on power; giving the user the chance to change to fresh

batteries before there is a problem. On the older models the only warning is

from pressing the battery test button and checking to see whether the red light

illuminates properly; it isn't always easy to see in bright light and the battery

can still fail soon after lighting up the red light.

[mark_newton1]

Pentax thought of this problem you encountered long before you experienced it, and had a solution for it. In their accessories catalogue they have a remote battery holder and cable. The battery goes into one end, the other into the battery holder in the camera and then slip the battery into your pocket, for very cold conditions.

 

Too bad you didnt own one....

 

Cheers

[bob_fatone]

<p>Does Pentax make an A/C power adapter that will plug into the bottom battery compartment? - This would help to alleviate the problem at least some of the time while in a Studio, etc.</p>