Advancing film issue Mamiya RZ67

[marta_beltowska]

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I recently encountered an issue with a Mamiya RZ67, that I've got on long loan from a non-photographer friend who had it in the family. I've used this specific camera a few times to know that it otherwise functions well (unless this is the beginning of the end? D:)</p>

<p>What happened -<br>

was shooting some landscapes using the mirror up function (fairly new to the method, but done it a couple times now to start getting used to it), on a new roll of film. Frame 1, no prob, advance to frame 2, no prob, then frame 3... I fire, all seems well, until I use the shutter cocking lever to advance and it never stops, and never advances the film. It's like the lever has gone limp - when pushing the lever forward to advance the film, the winding knob on the film back twitches but doesn't make a full turn.<br>

And it makes a rackety sound version of how it'd normally sounds when advancing the film.</p>

<p>I've looked around the web and the forum, and the closest I've come is that it might be that the winding mechanisms aren't talking properly anymore between the body and the back. If I take the back off, I can advance the film by turning it with my nail (where the pin from the body would go), but I'm still left with not being able to fire the shutter once the back is on the body again.<br>

Tried a new battery, tried rotating the back and firing, and rotating the back without firing; tried simply putting the camera in "R" mode and pushing the lever slightly (read this somewhere), tried a variety of according-to-the-manual/first-things-first methods but no luck yet...</p>

<p>Any magical advice out there that I have completely overlooked, or will I have to hand this camera over to someone to have a look?</p>

[lubos_soltes]

<p>Have you by chance rotated the back between the frames ? Might be that the rotation is not complete and the gears do not mesh properly ?</p>

<p>When you are rotating the back, the first thing that happens when you switch to the R position is that the winding gear is disconnected.</p>

[mag_miksch]

<p>Dont know for the RZ, but on the RB you have to use a special dual cable release for mirror up</p>

[marta_beltowska]

<p>Lubos: I didn't rotate the back between the frames during the shoot, I have tried that now though in hopes that the mechanism will "snap" back... No luck so far.</p>

<p>Mag: For the RZ you can use a dual cable release, but you can also use a single cable connected to the lens and just use your finger on the shutter button to swing the mirror up - which is how I do it.<br>

--<br>

If I remember correctly, with the last exposure the mirror went up as per normal, and then I pressed the cable for the shot, shutter sounded as if it worked normally, put the dark slide back in, and went to advance the film - and that's when I noticed the lever went limp...</p>

<p>Also would like to add, the only thing I did (visibly) out of the ordinary, is that I forgot to press the shutter button on the front to swing the mirror up before firing frame 1. That was at the very start of the shoot, and I quickly realised why I couldn't take the shot (real "duyh" moment), and for the 2nd & 3rd frame nothing was wrong.</p>

[Stephen_Prunier]

<p>I use the RZ67. Have you checked to see if the R-M Lever is in the middle position? If it's in the R position, the camera will think you want to rotate the back. M is for multiple exposure. Please keep us updated. There's a lot of RZ users out there, and any information is always appreciated. </p>

[marta_beltowska]

<p>Stephen: R-M lever was in middle position when shooting.</p>

<p>Still no luck since posting. I have a spare back that I could test the body with, BUT I'm currently visiting family so won't have access to the spare for another week.<br>

I've attempted to press the shutter button without a back in the M position, but keep getting the orange lever warning in the view finder. Still same when the back is on and rest of the settings are as normal, limp lever and orange warning.</p>