Mamiya 6/7 Rangefinder Calibration: Lenses vs Bodies
Originally posted on Instagram. Notes from the repair bench, kept here as a searchable archive. View the original on Instagram
The most common issue that I get contacted about is rangefinder calibration on the Mamiya 6/7. And, often the conversation is: “I just purchased a new lens for my Mamiya 6/7 and want to get it calibrated to the body”. My response is: “If the lens is reaching infinity, then all is OK”.
Lenses for the Mamiya 6/7 do not get calibrated to a particular body. Each lens is calibrated to a standard and so is the body. This way, any lens will work with any body. Many years ago, if you bought a Leica lens, you needed to send it to Leitz for calibration to the body. This ended in around 1931.
While each lens does have a calibration point, from my testing of all lenses that come into the shop, it is rare that the lens needs calibration unless it has been disassembled or impact damaged. The body is another story and will need calibration from normal use/abuse.
Photo two shows my Mamiya 7 test fixture in the foreground. To the left is the factory rangefinder standard that all lenses get calibrated to. Besides checking the rangefinder, the test fixture also checks shutter speeds and lens focus (lens focus is always checked first before rangefinder calibration)
Photo three shows the tools that I use for rangefinder calibration (removal of top cover to adjust infinity, one meter and vertical)
