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>

<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>