Mamiya 6 75mm with stuck focus?

[zenza]

Hey everyone. I signed up yesterday due to my new purchase of a Mamiya 6. I've had the camera for a week now and up until last night, everything was working flawlessly. I have put three rolls through it with no issues. Last night however, I started to notice the focusing getting a bit weird. It almost seemed like slight grinding. It got progressively worse and now the focus is basically stuck. I couldn't find any examples of this happening with a Mamiya 6 lens. Any ideas of what's wrong? The focus went from great to absolutely horrible in a matter of an hour or two. I did not hit or drop the camera or lens.

EDIT: so the focusing is looser again, but it is not smooth at all. You can hear and feel slight grinding.

 

[zenza]

So I took it to a repair shop in town and the guy said it's most likely sand. I didn't want to leave it there overnight just yet. Any ideas of how to get the sand out?

 

[morback]

Yes, have them clean it...It's worth it.

I wouldn't mess with it unless you know what you're doing. Don't use compressed air, you'll just blow it further in.

 

[john_s]

I took apart a lens that had what I considered a minor problem and it ended up in the rubbish bin. Different lens to yours, and different problem, and worth less, but you can make a big mess.

 

[Landshark]

If it's sand or grit it needs to be disassembled, all of the lube and sand removed, then relubricated. If the helical isn't properly assembled it won't focus correctly. But it may be smooth.