Mamiya Press lens maintenance

[ChasCanada]

Just bought a 65mm Mamiya lens with a sticky shutter. Does any body know how to open it up to clean it?

 

[sevo]

Any camera repair shop worth his money can. I would not recommend to do it yourself, unless you already have a bit of experience - these lenses with all their body couplers are quite a bit more complex than SLR or fixed lens RF lenses.

 

[ChasCanada]

Thanks, having it cleaned professionally is the best way to go but I was able to clean the aperture & shutter blades on my 100m & 150mm lenses by simply unscrewing the front element. I'm guessing the 65mm is not built the same way - or it's very tight.

 

[Silverado]

Hi, I found these lenses are about the simplest to repair. I've not exactly a pro, but far from a hack. I managed to ressurect these by just going for it. They are delicate but doable. Just be pragmatic and brave... You can fix everything that goes wrong with it. Perhaps start with detachment of the ficus ring, then the lens retainer ring, you'll see how it all goes.
Be well!

 

[ChasCanada]

Thanks for the encouragement, I did manage to take the top off the body and adjust the mirror so the focusing dots line up again but found my old fingers aren't as nimble as they once were. Had problems holding the screws that hold the top on, so I don't know how I'd manage with the small screws on a lens. I may try to find an old lens to practice on but for now the 65mm works well as long as I trip the shutter before I take the dark slide out and make the exposure.

 

[sevo]

On the Tessar type Mamiya Press lenses, it is quite easy - these are composed of screw in cells on a shutter mounted with a retaining ring to the barrel, just like usual on folders or large format lens boards, so there are no tiny screws between you and the shutter. The 50mm wide angles are not as easy, thanks to an integral shutter. I don't have the 65mm, but from online images it seems as if at least the early (silver) version might follow the easy pattern.

Sevo

 

[ChasCanada]

My 65mm is a mamiya-sekor, with lots of little screws. As long as it works ok, I'll live with it as is, Once it becomes a problem, I may have a go at fixing it. I just don't want to show up at a shop with a plastic bag full of parts.