Mamiya 7, Shutter

degruyl

degruyl

Just this guy, you know?
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Sep 22, 2009
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I am not really sure that this is an issue, yet.

On the last roll of film that I shot yesterday, the last three frames, the shutter sounded like it took longer than it should have. It was set to 1/500 and 1/250. 1/125 worked fine, apparently.

I was in a somewhat dusty environment, and it is also possible that I have run down the batteries. I have shot roughly a couple of hundred rolls with this battery, and I have no idea how long it is supposed to last.

Until I develop that roll, I won't actually know if the shutter was way off or something else is going on, but I would like to know what I am looking at in terms of service. Is it a lens issue (because of the leaf shutter) or a camera issue (because of the electronics) or just a connection issue that can be fixed by thorough cleaning? Or, is it possible that something screwy happened to the speed setting knob, or that I am doing something wrong?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I can guess at three areas as possible problems.
1. Contact corrosion between lens and camera.
2. Extreme temperatures effecting shutter lubricant.
3. Battery

I suggest a cleaning and shutter comparison with old and new batteries. Next, I would call Mamiya.
 
Well, there was no extreme temperature. Possibly extreme for Colorado in October (85 F) but not for the camera.

Corrosion is unlikely, but I will clean the contacts. Alcohol, I suppose.

Battery is first on my list, and I would have changed it if I had one on me and if I were not just shooting off a roll before getting on the plane. Then, of course, I will contact Mamiya for service.
 
Electronically controlled shutter means either it works or it doesn't. No in-between. Your viewfinder will tell you if your battery is low.
The only shutter related problems (wouldn't fire) I had with my M6 were fixed by wiping the contacts on the lens.
Let us know how these frames turned out.
 
will do.

Is it possible that it did not fire right away, but instead delayed? It was almost half a second between pressing 1/500 and getting hearing a surprise click. I thought I heard the shutter go, but I heard it again...

It might all be nothing: something else which sounded like a leaf shutter, but not on the camera. I can't feel this shutter, so I don't really know positively. Must develop film.
 
degruyl said:
It might all be nothing: something else which sounded like a leaf shutter, but not on the camera. I can't feel this shutter, so I don't really know positively. Must develop film.
Click to expand...

Isn't that awesome? I have to admit I miss my M6... What an amazing photographic tool...
 
morback said:
Isn't that awesome? I have to admit I miss my M6... What an amazing photographic tool...
Click to expand...

Much better than sliced bread.

Really, a great photographic tool that I am always nervous about breaking (unfortunately).
 
degruyl said:
will do.

Is it possible that it did not fire right away, but instead delayed? It was almost half a second between pressing 1/500 and getting hearing a surprise click. I thought I heard the shutter go, but I heard it again...

It might all be nothing: something else which sounded like a leaf shutter, but not on the camera. I can't feel this shutter, so I don't really know positively. Must develop film.
Click to expand...

I hear the shutter open and close only when I set below 60th.
 
So I developed this last roll (I still have eight rolls to dev from that trip... but I fished that roll out of the pile).

It turns out that two frames are completely black (overexposed) and these correspond to the two frames which I heard the shutter behaving poorly. I no longer think it is the locking solenoid, but the shutter timer or the shutter itself.

I suppose I will try to fire off a roll tomorrow (I don't think you can run the camera without film. I might be wrong.. I'll try that first) and see if it displays this again.

I guess I have to find a camera repair shop that works on these.

Thanks for the help.
 
Nippon Photo Clinic "fixed" my Zeiss Ikon. When I was there I saw a Mamiya 6 in one of their bins.
I had to come back to them because the first time around they did not fix my problem (rangefinder alignment). They're on Broadway and 21st I believe. They can fix the Mamiya rangefinders.

Ohterwise send it out to Mark Hama. He repaired the stripped advance mechanism (totally my fault) of my Mamiya 6.
 
Hmmm, embarassing...This is what I remember:

I remember putting a roll through my M6 and winding until it came to the end of it...(It didn't automatically stop at the first frame for whatever reason). Being a little confused as to what just happened I thought, no problem, I'll put it back in, upside down (I think), do the same thing and it'll be good as new.
So I switched the roll back, and wound the camera until I felt some resistance. My M6 was not too smooth anyways so...Being a man I used my brawn instead of my brain, forced it, heard the sound of gears being stripped and ended up with 1 kilo of dead photographic equipment on my way to vacation in Quebec.

That's the story. User error.
 
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