Mamiya 645 Metered Prism problem

[Curtis Miller]

I just purchased a 645 pro to. It's in great shape but the meter behaves strangely. In the aperture priority mode it blinks "over" all the time regardless of aperture or lighting conditions. It never displays any shutter speed. In manual mode, it displays the selected shutter speed but still blinks "over" regardless of aperture or lighting conditions.

I have read the manuals for camera and finder. I replaced the battery just to be sure. I shot a roll of film and the negatives generally look okay. Nothing is terribly overexposed.

Any suggestions about what may be happening? I'd hate to send this beauty back to Japan.

 

[Curtis Miller]

That's a Mamiya 645 Pro TL...

 

[Willyekerslike]

Hi,
I know dumb questions......have you cleaned the contacts on the camera body and the prism........shutter speed dial set to A and the asa dial on the film back set to the correct speed?

What is the iso of the film you are using?

Often these problems are caused by dirty contacts but if you have cleaned them then I guess it may be faulty.

 

[John Koehrer]

"Just purchased?"
If you find that cleaning contacts and other suggestions here don't work, I'd think about returning it or having the previous owner
pick up the repair cost.

If you got this through a business, not an individual read the below.
If you got it & paid through paypal, even if an ad says "no returns" They'll have to take it back.
If you paid for it with a credit card I think you could dispute the purchase.

 

[shutterfinger]

Contacts should be shinny, not matt or dull. Reseating a prism, the lens, or both may clear the poor contact/misread eliminating the error.

 

[Curtis Miller]

Well, I fixed it! Cleaned all of the electrical contacts with alcohol and a soft cloth and everything works as designed. I'm thrilled! Now I can go out and enjoy the camera.

 

[MattKing]

Good.
By the way, there are also contacts for and on the back, because it is on the backs that you set the film speed.