Mamiya 645 body: mirror drops to expose film but...

tikkathreebarrel

tikkathreebarrel

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Guys,

I've just taken delivery of an M645 body from Japan.

It's supposed to work.

I've put my lens and wlf on, I wind it on, the mirror flips to expose the film BUT STAYS FLIPPED and doesn't drop back.

I've put a new battery in.

I've selected MULTI.... I've deselected MULTI.

No difference.

The mirror stays flipped until I press the little red button.

Am I doing something wrong? I can't think what.

Am I going to have to return it (and deal with duty/vat reclaim)?
 
Well I don't have a M645..but my first guess is sticky foam holding the mirror up.
 
In seriousness, it does sound like an electronic issue. I'd maybe try and find someone to repair it and see if you can get that money out of the seller.
 
Sticky foam is definitely worth checking.

If the mirror flips down to expose the film as part of normal operation, and hence is currently in the 'viewfinder' position currently having fired the shutter, then with the lens off push the mirror in a corner with a cotton bud or something like that. If it releases with a small amount of pressure, the foam is sticky. If it doesn't move at all, then it *could* be a mechanical fault, but someone with more experience may want to comment on this instead.

I was always under the impression that the mirror flips up to expose the film, and hence cocking the shutter pulls the mirror down from flat to 45 degrees. If this is the case, you'll need to remove the back and push on the rear side of the mirror once the shutter is fired.
 
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Woodsy said:
Sticky foam is definitely worth checking.

If the mirror flips down to expose the film as part of normal operation, and hence is currently in the 'viewfinder' position currently having fired the shutter, then with the lens off push the mirror in a corner with a cotton bud or something like that. If it releases with a small amount of pressure, the foam is sticky. If it doesn't move at all, then it *could* be a mechanical fault, but someone with more experience may want to comment on this instead.

I was always under the impression that the mirror flips up to expose the film, and hence cocking the shutter pulls the mirror down from flat to 45 degrees. If this is the case, you'll need to remove the back and push on the rear side of the mirror once the shutter is fired.
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Thanks for this.
I've removed the lens, finder and focussing screen which gives a clear view of the insides of "the box". I've squeezed the button, the mirror pops up and is held there mechanically until I press the red button. There's no stickiness at all.

Oh well, dear EBay seller in Japan......

Thanks guys
 
And the reply by the Japanese EBay seller is....

Refund in full and no indication that I need to send the body back!

Either there'll be a communication to say "we forgot to ask....." or I've now got two Mamiya bodies with the same problem.[emoji45][emoji45]

Who do we know ideally in the UK who'll tackle Mamiya body repairs please?
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
And the reply by the Japanese EBay seller is....

Refund in full and no indication that I need to send the body back!

Either there'll be a communication to say "we forgot to ask....." or I've now got two Mamiya bodies with the same problem.[emoji45][emoji45]

Who do we know ideally in the UK who'll tackle Mamiya body repairs please?
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Could be a result if you have got your money back and can keep it then you could send it off to Miles for a service.
 
excalibur2 said:
Could be a result if you have got your money back and can keep it then you could send it off to Miles for a service.
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Yes that's a good suggestion: I'll contact him.

Total outlay to me appears to be the £30-something duty/vat charges but what I really wanted was a working camera body.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Yes that's a good suggestion: I'll contact him.

Total outlay to me appears to be the £30-something duty/vat charges but what I really wanted was a working camera body.
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Well can you please let us know how you claim back duty\vat as I, and probably others, would like to know. Miles usually charges around £50 for a service and wouldn't just charge for maybe a small mechanical fault for a tenner.
 
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If he can fix it and wants the work, he's semi retired I understand, then what ever is wrong with it get it fully serviced so you don't have to pay to send it back any more than you need to.
 
steveo_mcg said:
If he can fix it and wants the work, he's semi retired I understand, then what ever is wrong with it get it fully serviced so you don't have to pay to send it back any more than you need to.
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I think it's next year he's going to semi-retire/start winding down. An email to him should confirm whether he's got time or the parts to do the repair.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well can you please let us know how you claim back duty\vat as I, and probably others, would like to know. Miles usually charges around £50 for a service and wouldn't just charge for maybe a small mechanical fault for a tenner.
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In short, having received a full refund from the EBay vendor without the need to ship the camera back to Japan (which speaks volumes to me) I'm not going to even attempt a vat/duty reclaim. The value of the camera might well now be £0 in which case I have overpaid any taxes based on value but I do still have possession.
Man-logic I know....


As to repair costs I'm expecting a fair rate for "CLA and fix fault".
 
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tikkathreebarrel said:
In short, having received a full refund from the EBay vendor without the need to ship the camera back to Japan (which speaks volumes to me) I'm not going to even attempt a vat/duty reclaim. The value of the camera might well now be £0 in which case I have overpaid any taxes based on value but I do still have possession.
Man-logic I know....


As to repair costs I'm expecting a fair rate for "CLA and fix fault".
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You could always buy your next new bit of camera kit from a grey importer (to the same saving value as the taxes you've paid) with a clear conscience and get it back that way. :)
 
I had a 645j, by little red button do you mean the battery check button?
 
I've put a new battery in.

Have you tested this with a volt meter , I had a new battery that was dead / flat once
 
F1.2 said:
I've put a new battery in.

Have you tested this with a volt meter , I had a new battery that was dead / flat once
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I assumed the battery is working as the red button is the battery check button, plus if the mirror resets when the button is pressed it must be getting power from the battery. I’d have thought anyway :s.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Guys,

I've just taken delivery of an M645 body from Japan.

It's supposed to work.

I've put my lens and wlf on, I wind it on, the mirror flips to expose the film BUT STAYS FLIPPED and doesn't drop back.

I've put a new battery in.

I've selected MULTI.... I've deselected MULTI.

No difference.

The mirror stays flipped until I press the little red button.

Am I doing something wrong? I can't think what.

Am I going to have to return it (and deal with duty/vat reclaim)?
Click to expand...

Does the red battery check light illuminate when you press the button? It definitely sounds like a voltage issue, but could be an issue with the internal circuit if the battery is registering power.
 
Also, a battery that tests 'OK' with a voltage (test) meter across it may still fail miserably when it's placed under a current draw load. So, in the absence of specialist test equipment (or being able to test the battery in a similar 'known to be fully working' electrical item) then a simple voltage test of the battery can be inconclusive.
 
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Ben johns said:
I assumed the battery is working as the red button is the battery check button, plus if the mirror resets when the button is pressed it must be getting power from the battery. I’d have thought anyway :s.
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The battery I had in a F3 Nikon would not make the camera work , replaced it with a new one , still no joy , Tested it with a meter and it showed 0.15 volts it should have read 1.5 volts , Obtained another new one and that did read 1.5 volts fitted it and off we went camera working
 
stevelmx5 said:
Does the red battery check light illuminate when you press the button? It definitely sounds like a voltage issue, but could be an issue with the internal circuit if the battery is registering power.
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Setting aside for a moment that the green battery check light illuminates more strongly on one body compared to the t'other and I will today swap the batteries to see if relative brightness is a function of battery strength....

I think it's an electromechanical issue and I take as positive news the fact that the mirror and shutter can be encouraged to "return to normal resting position " rather than remaining completely inert.
 
Agrée with some of the points concerning the power output of batteries.
There is often a very fine line at what point a given battery can make an apparatus function or function correctly.

Numerous times I have been convinced that my cameras or more recently light meter had developed fatal faults as they would work but incorrectly.

A change of battery rectified the issue but sometimes required more than one change.

I have no means of checking battery output so can only presume that the new ones that didn’t resolve the issue were faulty in some way.
They did however function fine in other ( less power demanding) appliances.

I think the worst experience I ever had was with AA batteries in a Nikon F4

Sadly I can offer no real practical advice.
I wouldn’t give up hope though as it may prove to be less of a camera problem than what one might be lead to believe;)
 
A battery checker is a great little tool and, shockingly, my one came from poundland. Saved me a few issues.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Setting aside for a moment that the green battery check light illuminates more strongly on one body compared to the t'other and I will today swap the batteries to see if relative brightness is a function of battery strength....

I think it's an electromechanical issue and I take as positive news the fact that the mirror and shutter can be encouraged to "return to normal resting position " rather than remaining completely inert.
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My m645 seems to be suffering from the same issue, I haven’t been able to find much info online about it though. I was wondering if you were ever able to get yours fixed? If so, what was the issue?
 
If you read the instructions this might not be a fault! Some medium format cameras did not return the mirror until the film was wound on or a button was pressed.
They were not fitted with a 'quick return mirror' unlike their 35mm brethren.
 
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