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From the bench
Real repairs, start to finish.
Mamiya 7II: Loose Cable Release Socket Repair
If you have a Mamiya 7II and use a cable release this might be a handy post to read in order to keep it running for a long time. This Mamiya 7II came into…
Mamiya 7 80mm Lens: Removing a Dented Filter Ring
One of the regular tasks that I do here in the shop is removing dents from the front filter rings on lenses. Not an exciting job but often very necessary…
Mamiya 7 Lenses Adapted for Arca Swiss Pico Digital Camera
The three mint condition Mamiya 7 lenses shown here in the photo will probably never again be mounted on a Mamiya 7 body. These 43mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses…
RZ67: Winding System Failures and Choosing a Body by Date Code
The RZ67 is probably, after the Mamiya 6/7, the most popular model that I see here in the shop. It is also the most common model to suffer from some fatal…
Mamiya 7/7II: Rangefinder Calibration and Adjusting Screw Damage
One of the most common services that I provide is rangefinder calibration on the Mamiya 7/7II. While it may seem like a simple process, the details can go…
Mamiya 7II: No Power Caused by Energizer A544 Battery
This post is for users of Mamiya 7II cameras. The Mamiya 7II that was on my bench today had an issue that had me a bit perplexed. Complaint was that there…
RZ67: No Shutter Cocking from Broken Cocking Shaft Assembly
Failure of RZ67 models comes in one of two flavors: 1.) electrical or 2.) mechanical. First order of business is to determine which and easiest way is to…
Mamiya 7 65mm Lens: Replacing the Broken Flex Cable
Since I am servicing a Mamiya 7 65mm lens I thought that I would do my yearly post on replacing the flex cable. Common complaint with this lens is that the…
LA Camera Expo in Burbank: January 18 Show Table
It’s time for another camera show this weekend in Burbank, California. Seems like I will be making this a quarterly event for getting a sales table. So, if…
Mamiya 645 Super: Broken Mirror Stop Jamming Shutter Curtains
This is my annual reminder to owners of Mamiya 645 Super/Pro/Pro TL cameras to check their mirror stop. If your mirror stop has not been replaced in the…
Mamiya 6 75mm Lens: Unsharp Images from Loose Front Element
Sometimes the problem on a camera/lens turns out to be something different than what is first expected. In this case, my client told me that his Mamiya 6…
Mamiya 6/7: Why Not to Buy As-Is Broken Cameras
I’m doing some year end inventory on parts and this post is about broken Mamiya 6/7 cameras. Specificaly about purchasing cameras that are sold “as is…
Testing a 3D Printed O.Zone Mark 8 Body for Mamiya Press Lenses
We recently printed a copy of an O.Zone Mark 8 camera body designed by @o.zone69 This body was made to accept Mamiya Press lenses and has a Graflok back to…
Mamiya 645 80mm f/2.8: Sticking Diaphragm from Oily Blades
This Mamiya 80mm f/2.8 lens arrived with a sticking diaphragm. As seen in the photos, lots of oil present on the diaphragm blades. And, a lot of grease on…
Mamiya 7: Rangefinder Control Mechanism Explained
The first photo shows most of the major parts of the Mamiya 7 : the main body, wind mechanism, rangefinder, shutter speed assembly and front lens mount…
Mamiya 7 Lenses: Inspection After Impact Damage
These three Mamiya 7 lenses came into the shop today for checkout (along with a Mamiya 7 body) as my client mentioned that the body had some impact damage…
Mamiya 6: No Power from Corroded Battery Contact
This Mamiya 6 came into the shop with no display or release. Obvious power supply prolem and when I removed the battery cover and batteries, I could see…
Mamiya 7II: Two Bodies Unrepairable from Impact and Water Damage
Some of the cameras coming into the shop are not repaired due to major trauma that may not be economical or possible to repair. These are usually impact or…
LA Camera Expo in Burbank: October 12 Show Table
In the years before the pandemic in what seems like another life I would set up a table at a camera show in Pasadena, California every month. After decades…
Mamiya 6: Wrong Shutter Speeds from Spring Lodged in Speed Selector
This Mamiya 6 arrived with a common issue, a broken viewfinder window. But, it also had a problem that I have never seen before, which was various shutter…
RZ67: Replacing Bottom Panel Rubber Covering
I have been out of action for a couple of days last week due to a scorpion sting on my finger. In the first photo, the RZ that I am working on is shown…
RB67 Revolving Backs: Four Versions and Common Issues
I am servicing Mamiya RB67 revolving backs today. Photo one shows all fours versions that are found in the wild these days: 1.) 1971 original style without…
Mamiya 7: Impact Damage to Rangefinder, Frame Lines and Flash Sync
This Mamiya 7 had impact damage and due to that, the rangefinder and frame finder lines needed attention. Also the top cover trauma caused the flash sync…
RZ67 Pro II: Bellows Replacement and Bellows Construction
The question of bellows replacement on RB67/RZ67 comes up often. In this post I will explain a little bit about the bellows construction. This RZ67II came…