Help! Mamiya TLR lens not working.

[marcmarc]

Hi everyone,
Please help me out if you can. I recently put together a Mamiya TLR kit with a couple of bodies and a handful of lenses. Today was the first time I tried to use a 80mm Chrome version lens on a C220F. I wanted to shoot a test roll to see if the shutter speeds were uniform. It seems that I'm either not following the steps correctly or something else is going on. Basically, after putting in a roll, checking that the lens is locked and multiple exposure dial is set to "single" and the roll is advanced to frame one the shutter cocking lever on the lens wont move down. It seems that if I press down on the shutter release lever also located on the lens, the shutter cocking lever will then move down and therefore cock the shutter. However, when I press down on the shutter release button (which presses down on the shutter release lever) nothing happens, it wont move down. So I then have to set the multiple exposure dial to "multi" and that allows the shutter shutter release button to move down when I press on it. This is what happens on many but not all my attempts to make an exposure.

Now the odd thing is that when there's no film in the camera and I have it set to multiple exposure the lens cocks and releases fine every time. Likewise, I have a 55mm lens and that oneworked fine when I shot a test roll with it last week. I tried this chrome lens on a different C220 body and had the same issues although it seemed like it was less frequent during that test roll then the first test roll in the C220F. So am I missing something here? Is there a set sequence one has to go through such as 1) set shutter/F/Stop, 2) advance film, 3) cock shutter or some combination of these that differs from the newer black lenses like my 55mm? I have a users manual for the C220F and it doesn't allude to any set sequnce of steps to make an exposure so I'm not sure if I'm just using it incorrectly or if there's an intermittent problem with the lens or the bodies. Thanks for any info.

 

[saman13]

I'm assuming you've read the full manual?

I don't see why the shutter cocking lever on the lens wouldn't move, unless it is already in the down "cocked" position. Have you tried firing the lens off the body? Then you could determine if the fault is in the lens or the body. Limiting your independent variables and all that.

Take the lens off, cock the shutter, fire it. Do it again. If it is working, the problem is with the body. If it is not working, the problem is with the lens.

But maybe I misunderstood that stream of consciousness and you already know the answer to this...

 

[Wayne]

Does it have a shutter lock like my C330, to prevent the shutter firing when you don't want it to?

 

[Sirius Glass]

It is a new lens to you, so it may have sat around for years without firing? May be time for a CLA.

 

[MattKing]

There is a double exposure prevention system built into the camera, which interfaces with both the shutter cocking and shutter release as well as the film winding system.
All of that communication between the camera and the shutter in the lens is done using levers and other mechanical connections. Things can go wrong with those connections.
Is it the 80mm f/2.8 lens, or the relatively rare 80mm f/3.7?

 

[bernard_L]

I don't see why the shutter cocking lever on the lens wouldn't move, unless it is already in the down "cocked" position. Have you tried firing the lens off the body?

+1. Shutter cocking lever moving or not is wholly an issue of the lens alone. The interlock in the body will forbid: advancing the film is the shutter has not fired; firing the shutter if the film has not advanced (except multi).

 

[marcmarc]

Thanks for the replies. This is a chrome f/2.8 that I picked up from KEH. The shutter blades did not appear to have any oil on them and I did exercise the shutter by going through all the speeds a few times with the camera set to "multi." I did what saman13 suggested and I tested the shutter without being on the body. The shutter cocking lever does get stuck every 10 or so attempts, it won't push down unless I push down on the shutter release lever, then the cocking lever will push downward. So it appears something is hanging somewhere in the cocking mechanisms. Not surprising I suppose given the ages of some of these chrome lenses. I developed two of the three rolls I shot yesterday and there were also some blank unexposed frames on these two rolls but that may be because I advanced the film thinking that would allow the shutter to cock and release. I'll try another test roll but it looks like I may end up sending the lens back to KEH. I cannot get a refund on it but it should be under warranty so maybe they can get it serviced.