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From the bench
Real repairs, start to finish.
Mamiya 645 Pro: Battery Drain Caused by a Loose Spring
This has been a week of Mamiya 645 Super/Pro repairs. I have serviced a lot of these cameras and this is the first time seeing this issue: camera (645 Pro)…
Mamiya 645 Super: Mirror Stop Replacement Techniques
Today was a day for Mamiya 645 Super mirror stop replacements. The Super is a bit more challenging for mirror stop replacements than the Pro as Mamiya…
Mamiya 645 Super Film Back: Repair and Red vs Blue Dark Slides
Mamiya 645 Super film back repair and differences between the versions. I'm servicing a 645 Super film back damaged from impact. The outer film knob was…
Synchro Compur Shutter: Testing Flash Contact Efficiency
As part of the intake process on all shutters, I check contact efficiency and insulation of the flash circuit. After repairs these figures are checked…
RB67 65mm Lens: Checking for Oil on the Shutter Blades
Mamiya RB67 65mm Lens. This lens arrived for service and the first thing I do when checking leaf shutter lenses such as the RB series, is examine the…
RZ67: Light Trap Not Closing Properly
Mamiya RZ67 Repair. This RZ67 came into the shop with a light trap that would not close properly. To service the light trap, lots of disassembly needed on…
Nikon FM: Focus Screen Replacement
Nikon FM focus screen replacement. While the Nikon FE, FE2 and FM2 have user replaceable focus screens, not so much with the Nikon FM. On early FM bodies…
Canon Pellix: Semi-Transparent Mirror Design and Service
Servicing a Canon Pellix. Interesting design using a fixed semi-transparent mirror that diverts some of the light to the viewfinder. This was the first…
Hasselblad 80mm CF Lens: Sticking Shutter, Broken Cocking Shaft
Hasselblad 80mm f/2.8 CF Lens Repair. This lens came into the shop with multiple issues: focus ring goes through infinity by quite a bit, shutter sticking…
Mamiya Sears Auto CS 1000MXB: A Rare NC1000 Variant
Mamiya Sears Auto CS 1000MXB. This is the second lowest production number SLR from Mamiya (2000DTL was the lowest). Produced for Sears in 1978 very few…
RB67 65mm Lens Variations: Single Coated, NB and C
Mamiya RB67 65mm Lens Variations. Although there were five different styles of RB67 65mm lenses (not counting the k/l version), these three variations…
RB67 Lens: Removing a Filter Ring Dent
Removing a dent from a Mamiya RB67 lens. The first photo shows the dent at around the 4.5 marking and the last photo shows the lens ready to accept a…
Mamiya 2000DTL: One of the Rarest Mamiya Cameras
Rarest Mamiya camera of all time? Well, almost, with a production figure of 1,130 units (OK, the Prismat of 1960 had only 455 units produced).this 2000DTL…
Mamiya 7: Adjusting Viewfinder Parallax and Rangefinder
Mamiya 7 adjustments. Using a ground glass on the film plane of the camera I can check and adjust parallax of the viewfinder. Also, as seen in photos three…
Mamiya 645 Pro: Straightening Impact Damage
Mamiya 645 PRO repair. This camera had some impact damage so took a bit of disassembly to straighten everything out. Seen in the photos are the wind side…
RB67 with Lizard Skin Covering and Gold Plated Parts
Interesting RB67 variant. Mamiya made this model with lizard skin covering and gold plated parts. A bit flashy for my taste but I suppose it does appeal to…
Nikkor f/1.1 LTM Lens: Replacing a Damaged Diaphragm Blade
Nikkor f/1.1 LTM Lens Repair. I did this repair a while ago and image quality is not the best but will post it now because it is an interesting lens. When…
Canon FX: Full Service and Prism Replacement
Canon FX repair service. This model, circa 1965, is not as common as the later FT series, uses the FL lenses and does not have through the lens metering…
RZ67: Tracking Down a Loose Screw Inside the Camera
Mamiya RZ67 repair. The owner of this camera has plans to sell it so he sent it to me for an operation check. First thing I noticed was a rattling sound…
RZ67 50mm f/4.5 Z Lens: Damaged Cemented Rear Element
Mamiya RZ67 50mm f/4.5 Z lens damage. Photos show the damage done to one of the cemented rear elements. The third photo is at 35x magnification and the…
Mamiya 645 Super/Pro: Gallery of Broken Mirror Stops
Gallery of broken Mamiya 645 Super/Pro mirror stops. An important word about this part: The mirror stop on the Mamiya 645 Super/Pro is made of a plastic…
Mamiya 7: Checking a Dropped Body and 65mm Lens
The owner of this Mamiya 7 told me that it had been dropped along with the 65mm lens. First thing I check when a camera has been dropped is the lens and…
Copal 3 Shutter: Cleaning and Adjusting Speeds by Swedging
Copal 3 shutter repair. This Copal needed typical cleaning and lubrication. Also, some of the shutter speeds were not within specs. For leaf shutters such…
Mamiya CS 50mm f/1.4 Lens: Oil on the Front Element
This Mamiya CS 50mm f/1.4 lens had a bit of oil residue on the back of the front element as seen in photo two. Repair was straightforward, remove and clean…