Plaubel Makina 670 double stroke query/issue?

mcf

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Hi there...

I've just purchased and imported a seemingly good condition Makina 670 from a well regarded reseller on Ebay. Having read all the reviews I could, I tested three rolls of film through it. All seems fine except, the roll finishes at around the 5 mark (in the film indicator) using the double stroke method of winding the film on.

Nearly all reviews and mentions of the 670 clearly mark out that it's a double stroke mechanism to wind on. However, the manual clearly does not mention this and, before I report back to the reseller, this made me think... the obvious first answer may well be, it is not double stroke at all and I'm finishing the roll earlier than expected.

To be clear, it is definitely the 670. So, where did this knowledge/double stroke requirement come from if it's not in the manual!?

And, do I waste a 4th film to try single stroke?

Any help or insights would be most grateful 🙂
 
The Makina 670 is double stroke. It should let you wind twice and then lock the advance lever. Are your images only on the first half of the roll, or are they spaced out twice as wide?
 
Thanks for the reply. I haven’t had a chance to dev yet (hopefully tomorrow). I suspect from the winding they’ll be first half, but will report back.
 
Okay, I've developed two rolls of HP5 and as suspected, the framing is all over the place. Large gaps and some overlapping frames too. Good news is, the lens, light meter and shutter work well and the images look great.

Thankfully, I had a load of very expired b&w film around that I was unlikely to use so tested the Makina 670 with about 6 rolls to document what was happening.

Of course, you are right, @keytarjunkie it most certainly is double stroke wind on. Here's what's happening...

First couple of shots fire, double stroke, and lock after the second stroke advance. Of the the 5 or 6 rolls I ran through, around frame 3 or 4 onwards becomes a lottery. It could work fine (rare), or, lock the mechanism after one stroke. Or, not lock at all.

I've figured out that if it locks after one stroke, I would need to cover the lens and shoot, and advance one more to clear the last image. Then proceed as usual. However, it's likely the lock won't kick in (sometimes) after this. As long as I'm mindful of never over-stroking 😱S past double strokes I could conceivably get through a roll o-k.

Another observation is that the film counter doesn't seem to function acurately too. Often the number will lag behind and sit in between say, 3-4, 5-6, etc.

So, I guess it's something to do with the shutter locking mechanism being intermittent/unpredictable.

Any insights would be welcome again. I'm going to have to inform the seller and come to some arrangement. I love the camera and don't particularly want to send it back to Japan (since I paid a heavy tax on importing it in the first place.) I hope someone like PPP Repairs here in the UK can fix it.
 
I don’t really have any suggestions for you, other than it needs to be repaired. The seller should pay for the costs of the repair if you purchased it in working order. These are extremely expensive cameras to be not working 100%. Unfortunately, they are a bit of a money pit over time anyway, so you should at least start out with it working!
 
Yep, agreed. The seller claimed it was serviced, which I don't doubt since all other aspects are very good quality/in good working order. But, how many service places race through these resell jobs without running film through properly?

I've asked a few places for a quote already. Fingers crossed it's something that can be easily corrected.

Thanks for your reply.
 
Miles Whitehead has serviced two Plaubel Makinas for me in the past (amongst many other cameras and lenses). My Plaubel W67 had spacing issues which he fixed during a service. Cost was around £100 for a full service from memory. I highly recommend his service.
 
Miles Whitehead has serviced two Plaubel Makinas for me in the past (amongst many other cameras and lenses). My Plaubel W67 had spacing issues which he fixed during a service. Cost was around £100 for a full service from memory. I highly recommend his service.
Oh, great. I'll get in touch with Miles too, thanks!
 
Did you hear a slight click when you finish the second wind? It needs to wound all the way to the end.

Secondly, when loading the roll, you need to ensure that the backing paper remains somewhat tensioned as you advance the lever (before the arrow reaches the mark). I do this by keeping a finger on the take up spool.

Finally, which film did you use? I read online and also experienced some difficulties with loading Kodak film (as opposed to Ilford). I was advised to advance gently as the Kodak backing paper is thicker.

I don’t know if the solution is as simple as this but I though it worth mentioning. I use a single advance Makina 67.

Do let us know how you get on!
 
Thanks for the info. By way of an update...

I sent the camera to Miles Whitehead. He opened it up last week and discovered the camera had been repaired with what looked like incorrect parts (apparently the frame counter didn't sit correctly and a few other pieces were just not right), causing the issues. Therefore, not fixable.

A massive shame as I now have to send it back to Japan for refund. That's the risk you take I guess. Fair to say I've had my share of bad luck with second hand film camera purchases!

I doubt I'll be replacing the camera, despite absolutely loving it.
 
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