Mamiya 6: Stuck Frame Lines and Broken Viewfinder Glass
Originally posted on Instagram. Notes from the repair bench, kept here as a searchable archive. View the original on Instagram
This Mamiya 6 came into the shop with a complaint of the frame finder lines not moving (stuck on 50mm). This tells me that the frame finder mechanism is likely not connected as the 50mm is the default frame line and the 75mm and 150mm lenses trigger the movement of the mechanism. After removing the top cover, I found the frame finder mechanism a bit jammed. Also, while not visible from the outside of the camera, photo three shows the broken viewfinder glass discovered once the top cover was removed. Sure enough, the client told me that the camera had been recently shipped to him so it obviously had some sort of impact.
Seems like I have been seeing a lot of cameras damaged lately from shipping. It’s a good idea, when shipping cameras, to use plenty of bubble wrap and/or packing peanuts. Don’t use the air pillows as I have seen many cameras come to me damaged with the camera pushed to the side of the box and the middle of the box full of air pillows!
In this case, the impact damage was light, just the frame finder mechanism and a broken viewfinder window, both fixed up.
