Mamiya 645 Super Electrical Issue

[aaron_seriff]

<p>Hey yall! <br /><br />This is my first official venture into the world of online photography forums, but it seems like precision and brevity are valued at top dollar here, so I'll cut to the chase.<br /><br />I just found myself a Mamiya 645 Super on Craigslist. The man I bought it from had no idea what it was, where it came from, or how it worked; I paid $100 to take it as is, and was pleased to find it in pretty good shape. It came with an 80 mm lens, AE Prism N finder, and power winder. I had never used a 645 before, but when I turned the power winder to 'start,' I heard the film attempt to rewind, which I took as a good sign. <br /><br />I brought the camera in to have the body cleaned and the metering checked, and the folks at my local camera store reported that the camera was beyond economical repair, because of an electrical issue. That was all the information they were able to give me. <br /><br />Call it naivete, but I still think I can make this guy work. I put fresh batteries in the body as well as the power grip, and both 'Battery Check' lights come on just fine. <br /><br />Here are the issues I'm noticing right off the bat:<br />1) I can't get the shutter to release, using either the button on the body or the power winder.<br />2) The power winder is unresponsive (the battery check light works, but that's all). <br />3) I am getting no exposure read-outs in the AE prism finder. <br /><br />There is clearly a major issue here; it seems like the different pieces of the camera are failing to communicate with one another, and the electrical impulse meant to stimulate the shutter is not getting there. I don't see any visible signs of battery corrosion, but it is definitely possible - the camera was left in the previous owner's garage for who knows how long. What throws me off is that I'm sure I heard the power winder work when I first bought the camera. <br /><br />Has anyone overcome this issue before (without sending the camera back to the factory for a $600 repair)? If I were to replace the AE prism finder, and perhaps use a manual crank instead of the motorized one, would that solve my problems?<br /><br />I should mention that as a fresh post-grad, I have more time to contribute to fixing my camera than money...<br /><br />Thanks so much for y'all's help! Still got my fingers crossed for a craigslist camera miracle...</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Faith, Hope, and Charity are cardinal Christian virtues (1 Corinthians 13:13), not to mention the martyrs of the same names (Wikipedia, you don't think I actually would <em>know</em> this?).<br /> Your faith and hope that you will get this to work despite the expert testimony to the contrary is touching.<br /> Your charity in donating $100 to the cause is manifest.</p>

<p>However, virtues are sometimes repaid.<br /> The lens if in decent shape is probably worth at least the ~$60 now being asked for it on eBay. The prism, if working, maybe if not, has been fetching $80 or so as well. So you may be able to recover your "investment" I'd guess even the nekkid body would have some "for parts" value.<br /> If it were me (he says, sitting surrounded by piles of old cameras and lenses) I'd see what the expert you went to says is the problem, if they know more detail. What could you lose by trying to fix it, given the more or less value of the other bits?</p>

<p>I'd also say that there are some people here who know more about camera repairs than others of us (I yam the Prince Naphtha, etc.....), so you might even "Hope" to get some solid advice.</p>

 

[evan_dong1]

<p>Aaron,</p>

<p>These older Mamiya 645 uses an electric circuit board and there are no spare parts beside stripping it from a junker. </p>

<p>I used a Mamiya specialist to overhaul a Mamiya 645 1000S kit prior to sending it off to my niece in Berlin, Germany.<br>

Minimum amount of work required as i was the second owner of the kit. </p>

<p>You can try and contact Precision Camera Works. The owner's name is Bob Watkins. <br>

Here is his website: http://www.precisioncameraworks.com/<br>

<br />He is a good technician and will not steer you wrong.</p>

<p>Evan</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>Aaron, to clear up any simple confusion, have you read thru the manual ... it may make some more sense with the camera in front of you?</p>

<p>Next, the shutter won't fire if the dark slide isn't removed. Ensure the shutter isn't on the red dot, i.e. "locked". Did you try these? That should eliminate any 'silly' mistaken impressions.</p>

<p>AE finder is beyond my limited Super familiarity.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Jim</p>

[Dustin McAmera]

<p>As Jim says, download the manual; however, I <em>believe</em> these are true:</p>

<ul>

<li>If you have a film back attached, but no film in it, you must have the body set to 'Multi' for it to cock the shutter.</li>

<li>The shutter should work at 1/60, mechanically timed, even if the battery is bad, with the front switch set to the yellow dot.</li>

<li>There are electrical button-connectors linking the body to the back, and the body to the prism; it's always worth cleaning these.</li>

</ul>

<p>Good luck!</p>

[aaron_seriff]

<p>Hey everybody, thanks so much for all your help! <br /><br />I've got good news and bad news: The good news is that after cleaning the electrical contact points throughout the camera, I am now getting LED exposure readings in my AE prism finder! This seems like a major battle won, because it indicates that the various pieces of the camera are communicating with one another successfully (at least the power winder, lens, and body). <br /><br />The bad news is that I still can't release the shutter. I have tried with film in the back, with the dark slide removed, and by using the manual release on the body itself (with the front switch set to the yellow dot), but to no avail. <br /><br />I'm concluding that, either:<br />1) the shutter mechanism itself is broken <br />2) the camera is failing to communicate with the shutter<br />3) the film back is failing to communicate with the body<br /><br />I should mention that the first time I took the lens off to take a look inside the body, a tiny black plastic rectangle with a screw in it fell right out of the interior chamber. I have searched the exterior, and no screws seem to be missing, so I assume it's coming from the interior, somehow. <br /><br />From here on out I'm going to try some DIY repairs. If anybody has any ideas (ie. where the little black screw goes), please let me know. I'll update y'all if I'm able to get this baby workin' again. Keep your fingers crossed for me! </p>

[Dustin McAmera]

<p>Take a look at this earlier post:<br>

<a href="http://m.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00YV2b">http://m.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00YV2b</a><br>

Sorry; it's not very encouraging...</p>

[c_watson1]

<p>Not meaning to insult but have you checked the functions enabled/disabled by the rotating collar around the shutter button?</p>

[ondebanks]

<p>The bit that broke off in the mirror box is the Achilles' heel of the mid-generation Mamiyas (Super, Pro, ProTL)...it's the plastic mirror rest/brake.</p>

<p>I also suspect that the shutter is bust...it probably served previous owner(s) well through a lot of work.</p>

<p>So at this point, it may be time to regard the body as a spare-parts donor. Its focus screen and film magazine are both saleable in their own right. Also on the upside, you appear to have a lens, AE prism, and winder-grip that are all working ok. These alone are worth about twice the $100 you paid for the kit. </p>