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2024

52 posts from 2024.

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7II: Unstable Meter Display from a Loose ISO Dial

This Mamiya 7II arrived with the complaint that the meter display was not stable and would change from the correct setting to the overexposure arrow. Sure…

Mamiya 7 · Mamiya 6 · Viewfinders & meters · Electronics

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7 65mm Lens: Flex Cable, Cold Shutter Delay, Focus Issues

This Mamiya 7 65mm lens came into the shop with a few issues: Broken flex cable (very common) Delayed shutter release Focus issues The broken flex cable is…

Mamiya 7 · Electronics · Shutters · Focus

From the bench ·

Mamiya 645 80mm f/1.9: Cine Conversion Warnings

Cine converting Mamiya 645 lenses is very popular these days. As a minimum, they are de-clicked and a focus gear is installed. Here is a warning with these…

645 · Helicoid grease · Focus · Lenses

From the bench ·

RZ67: Diagnosing Shutter Not Releasing, Mechanical or Electrical

A very common issue with the Mamiya RZ67 is that the shutter does not release. This is usually caused by the mirror not releasing and can be a mechanical…

RB67 · RZ67 · Electronics · Testing

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7II: B Setting Failure and Battery Drain

This Mamiya 7II arrived with two issues: 1.) B shutter setting did not work and 2.) Battery drain. Turns out they were related problems. The camera, owned…

Mamiya 7 · Electronics · Testing

From the bench ·

RB67 Pro S: Locked Wind Lever from Crumbled Seal and Spring

This Mamiya RB67 PRO S came into the shop locked up. The wind lever would not move. When removing one of the side covers, I found the situation as seen in…

RB67 · Winding & transport · Light seals

From the bench ·

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 6 · 645 · Buying advice · Mirror stops

From the bench ·

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…

645 · 645AF · 645AFD · Buying advice

From the bench ·

RB67 Lenses on RZ67: Lens Throat Diameter and Adapter Ring

This post is a bit of a continuation of my previous one regarding using Mamiya RB67 lenses on the RZ67. The first photo shows the RB67 Pro S body in the…

RB67 · RZ67 · Lenses · Parts

From the bench ·

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 · RZ67 · Lenses · Shutters

From the bench ·

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…

RB67 · Shutters · Buying advice

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7II: Broken Plastic Battery Cover Caps

I have had two Mamiya 7II models come into the shop this week with broken plastic battery covers so it looks like time to revisit this topic. Although the…

Mamiya 7 · Parts · Electronics

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7 80mm Lens: Reassembling a Client-Disassembled Lens

This Mamiya 7 80mm lens arrived at my shop in pieces. No problem with USPS, the lens had already been disassembled a bit when it was shipped out to me! My…

Mamiya 7 · Lenses · Rangefinder

From the bench ·

Camera Repair Photos on the Bench

Camera Repair Photos on the Bench

From the bench ·

Mamiya 645 80mm f/1.9: Lens Separated into Two Pieces

This lens, a Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 for the Mamiya 645 series, came into the shop in two pieces as shown in the second photo. This is not unusual for this lens…

645 · Helicoid grease · Focus

From the bench ·

Leica M4-P: Rebuilding Worn Back Door Hinge Sockets

While I no longer service Leica, I still have a personal collection of Leicas that needs tending to from time to time. This M4-P has had a rough life…

From the bench ·

Marshal Press 6x9: Rangefinder Adjustment and History

This camera being serviced is a bit unusual: a Marshal Press 6x9. While not that hard to find in Japan, there was no U.S. importer and possibly none in…

Mamiya 6 · RB67 · Rangefinder

From the bench ·

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…

645 · Mirror stops · Buying advice

From the bench ·

RB67 90mm NB Lens: Delayed Shutter Firing

This Mamiya RB67 90mm lens came into the shop with the very common issue of a delay firing of the shutter after being released. This normally entails…

RB67 · Shutters · Cleaning

From the bench ·

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 7 · Testing · Buying advice

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7 65mm Lens: Shutter Magnet Not Holding

The Mamiya 6/7 lenses are fairly robust but lately I have been seeing a lot of them for service. Maybe age is catching up with them. This 65mm lens came…

Mamiya 7 · Mamiya 6 · Shutters · Electronics

From the bench ·

Mamiya 7 80mm Lens: Filter Ring Replacement and Rangefinder Cam

This Mamiya 7 80mm lens arrived with two issues: 1.) damaged filter ring 2.) rangefinder calibration off. While I can normally straighten damaged filter…

Mamiya 7 · Parts · Rangefinder · Impact damage

From the bench ·

Mamiya 6 50mm Lens: Bent Cocking Shaft and Shutter Replacement

This Mamiya 6 50mm lens would not release the shutter blades. After disassembly, I found that the cocking shaft in the shutter was binding, slightly bent…

Mamiya 6 · Shutters · Parts · Calibration

From the bench ·

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…

C Series TLR · Shutters · Lenses · Buying advice