Buying advice
33 posts tagged Buying advice. Search within these →
RB67/RZ67 Lenses: Missing Rear Elements on Online Purchases
If you are buying RB67 or RZ67 lenses, please check them out very carefully for haze,fungus,separation. Especially the three lenses mentioned and shown in…
RB67 Bellows Replacement: Original vs Aftermarket Bellows
I’m doing a bellows replacement today on an RB67 and though that I would pass along some information on the bellows that are available for replacement…
RZ67: Failing Electrolytic Capacitors
If you are purchasing an RZ67, keep in mind that unless it has been serviced in the last decade (most have not) it will need repairs of some sort maybe…
Dating Mamiya Cameras and Lenses by Two Letter Code
I commonly get asked about dating the year of production on a Mamiya camera. The date of manufacture was important for determining the status of updated…
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…
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 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…
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…
Mamiya 6 and 7: Three Items Rejected as Unrepairable
While I try to prevent items from being shipped to me that are not repairable so that my client does not have to spend money on needless shipping and…
Mamiya 7 vs Mamiya Universal: Rangefinder Systems Compared
This is a comparison of a Mamiya 7 and a Mamiya Universal. More specifically, I will compare the rangefinder systems. If you are shopping for a Mamiya…
645 Super vs Pro: Buying Advice and a Bad DIY Mirror Stop
If you are looking to purchase a 645 Super/Pro/Pro TL, I’d recommend not getting a Super. While these models all look pretty similar externally (and…
Mamiya 645 AF Series: Repair Fixtures and Why to Avoid Buying
This post is about a Mamiya camera that I generally don’t recommend purchasing these days: the Mamiya 645 AF series. Great camera when it works but it has…
RB67 Lenses on RZ67: Why Use Post-1978 791 Shutter Lenses
I often receive questions regarding the use of Mamiya RB67 lenses on RZ67 bodies. Hopefully this post will answer these questions. While you can certainly…
RB67 Lens Shutters: 653 vs 791 and Plastic in K/L Lenses
get a lot of questions regarding the use of plastics in RB K/L shutters. Usually, it is someone deciding on making a purchase. Keep in mind that Mamiya…
Mamiya 645 PRO: Three Symptoms of a Broken Mirror Stop
I have three Mamiya 645 PRO models on the bench today with the same issue, a common broken mirror stop. But each one showed up with different symptoms. I…
UV Filters on Mamiya 7 Lenses: Testing for Parallel Surfaces
This is a tale of two filters and why I feel it is important to get high quality UV filters. When lenses come into the shop with a UV/Sky filter installed…
Mamiya C 105mm DS Lens: Slow Speeds and Shutter Release Delay
This lens arrived with typical slow speed issues and shutter release delay. What is interesting is that this lens is the 105mm DS version of the lens for…
RB67 Lenses on RZ67: Cocking Torque of C vs K/L Lenses
Mamiya made it so that the RB lenses would work (in full mechanical mode) on the RZ bodies. However, there is a caveat: Mamiya recommended that RB lenses…
Mamiya 7 65mm Lens: Testing for a Broken Flex Cable
This post is another one about the Mamiya 7 65mm lens. I see a lot of these lenses in the shop with the issue of a broken flex cable. If you are purchasing…
Mamiya 6: Stuck Counter and Problems with Used Replacement Parts
This Mamiya 6 came into the shop with a stuck counter and wind lever and damaged top cover. Since the counter frame window was missing, it is obvious that…
Lens Filter Quality: Testing UV and Skylight Filters
This post is about lens filter quality. There seems to always be a debate about whether UV or Skylight filters should be used on a lens. I'm not going to…
Mamiya 7 vs 7II: Rangefinder Differences Explained
I get asked quite often about the rangefinder differences between the Mamiya 7 and 7II. And I read a lot of misinformation on the internet. So, here again…
RZ67 Early 1982 Body: Mechanical Release Failure
Servicing a Mamiya RZ67 for a release issue. When these do not allow mechanical release, the problem is quite often an issue with the body not fully…
Mamiya 7 vs 7II: Four Frame Finder Versions Compared
While doing some service on Mamiya7 bodies today I thought it would be a good time to document the differences on the various versions. While officially…