Mamiya 645 AFD possible fault

[kyle_westwood]

<p>I recently upgraded from my trusty old M645 1000S to a used AFD that I bought from Ffordes in the UK and all seemed fine when it arrived. I ran one black and white film through as a test film without any issues. The results once processed were quite poor with only 3-4 reasonably sharp shots. The rest looked like they suffered from quite severe camera shake, which I obviously chalked up to me getting used to the camera. I ran another black and white film through taking more care regarding support and shutter speed and the results were virtually identical to the first film. This is using a variety of lenses both AF and MF. I bought another back (as the original had some lateral play) and have tried again, sticking to high shutter speeds (usually 1/500 or faster) and again same results a few acceptable shots and a lot of very blurry shots. Another point to note is that the higher the shutter speed, the more overexposed the images seem to get, suggesting the higher speeds are not accurate. The shutter seems to behave normally opening when the back is removed and closing when reattached. All the contacts on both the camera, lenses and backs have been</p>

<p>I never had any issues like this with the 1000S which I've been using for the last decade so I'd assume given I've tried support and very fast shutter speeds that technique isn't the main issue here. I've uploaded some of the images that I've scanned from the 3 different films both the good and bad shots. Some images show banding from the scanner as it gets a bit cranky with dense negs. I've doubled checked the negs on a light box to make sure the scanner is not to blame here.</p>

<p>Album of test shots here: <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsknsX95d">https://flic.kr/s/aHsknsX95d</a></p>

<p>Is it me or is it the camera?</p>

[peterbcarter]

<p>At first glance, your shots seem to suffer from shallow DOF....which you should be used to and would have tamed by now. Then I noticed a pattern of your focus being really off.</p>

<p>I think you have a back-focus issue......or need a better diopter / adjustment. Try to make some side-by-side comparison with your 1000s, if you still have it. Take some ruler shots.</p>

 

[kyle_westwood]

<p>I do still have the 1000S (and a 645J) used it today too as this AFD has knocked my confidence somewhat.<br>

In some images I'd certainly agree with you as the subject matter is quite close and the aperture is more open. The worst of the lot are subjects that are at least 50m away or more. This one in particular shows it strongest. (and it was roughly 1/4 mile away) <br>

<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/22114242110_b89e9253c1_c.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>The over exposure of most of these negs particularly when I was actually expecting mild under exposure definitely suggests a slow shutter to me. Comparing between the AFD @ 1/4000s & the 1000S at 1/1000s, the 1000S shutter seems faster. This is based on the duration of light from a light box through the mirror box. There seems to be little difference in the duration on the AFD from 1/125s up.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I've completely lost confidence in any of the Mamiya 645 plastic bodies, like the Super and Pro-TL. The magazine backs are poorly made and the catches that hold the back to the camera body are prone to easy wear, making the fit sloppy and light-sealing dubious. The plastic mirror rest/brake part is particularly poor and unable to withstand the spring pressure that's constantly applied to it, with the result that it'll crack or snap sooner or later. That's not to mention the release solenoid that's liable to work itself loose and render the camera totally inoperable.</p>

<p>And those are only the faults that I've personally experienced on my 2 645 Supers and one Pro-TL body - none of which currently work. However the good news is that after replacing the light-seals my old metal-bodied 645 J, M and 1000s bodies are all going strong and look good for many years to come.</p>

[peterbcarter]

<p>My 645J has had a few owners before me and is still going strong. Being fully manual I can only fault myself for anything going wrong.</p>

<p>Kyle: I'm guessing a CLA may not be a bad idea.</p>

 

[kyle_westwood]

<p>My 1000S has always been remarkably accurate provided I remember to only cock the shutter when needed. If i leave it cocked for a day or two, the first shot is slow. All of the light seals and foam bits were shot like everyone elses on both bodies. The J seems even more resilient than the 1000S. My AE prism seems to have suffered the usual problems, making focusing a chore but my PD prism is still good, don't really get on well with the WLF as I shoot portrait too often.<br>

I might try one final test where I shoot one image at several different shutter speeds on a tripod with mirror lock up. They should all be sharp and if the shutter is iffy at higher speeds, the exposure should skew. I'll get on to ffordes about it as I'm passed the 10 day approval but only 1 month into the 6 month warranty so I can hopefully get them to fix it. (particularly as I invested in 3 AF lenses and a 2nd back) A digital back would make this easier, but even renting one isn't cheaper than using several films.</p>

[ondebanks]

<p>Kyle,</p>

<p>Sorry to hear of your troubles with the 645AFD. Mine (I'm on my second) have never given focusing troubles. I also still hold onto ony of my old M645 1000s, but rarely use it.</p>

<p>One thing to note is that if you are using MF lenses on the 645AFD, it switches automatically to spot metering. And of course, the 645AFD cannot operate the aperture on the MF lenses. So at first I wondered, could either of these things explain the over-exposure? Camera working as it should, just an inexperienced user?<br>

I also had this to point out:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Comparing between the AFD @ 1/4000s & the 1000S at 1/1000s, the 1000S shutter seems faster. This is based on the duration of light from a light box through the mirror box. There seems to be little difference in the duration on the AFD from 1/125s up.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>...that test could be misleading, since the two cameras use different shutter technology. The 1000s has a classic two-curtain, vertical-travel cloth shutter. The 645AFD has a multi-bladed metal shutter.</p>

<p>But! Then I looked at your album, and the fact that you know that fast shutter speeds were used, through the film rebate data recording, changes my conclusions. It does appear that the shutter is dragging, staying open for longer than the camera reports it to be open. I'd arrange with Ffordes for a return/repair...I have found them very good to deal with.</p>

 

[kyle_westwood]

<p>Got the colour films back from peak and as expected, anything north of 1/125s was fairly overexposed. The agfa neg films were salvageable but my last roll of fuji asita was complete toast.</p>

<p>It's been posted today and should be back with ffordes tomorrow. I will wait and see what the outcome is.</p>

[larry h-l]

<p>Look closely at the left edge of your centered cargo ship shot, there is a vibrating "triple" image look that may indicate some shutter bounce problems, as if the shutter is hanging up.<br>

(Or it could be from your scanning technique).<br>

I'd have a tech look at it for a cleaning, adjusting.</p>

<p> </p>

[kyle_westwood]

<p>It's the scanner that caused the triple on the edges. It seems to suffer from that effect on very dense negatives only. The camera is being repaired/serviced by ffordes authorised repairer under warranty so it's out of my hands for the time being. I'm just hoping it doesn't take them several months to conduct the necessary work.</p>