Mamiya 7II - only 9 frames per roll

[Colte]

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a Mamiya 7ii but every time I shoot, it cuts off the last frame. It's obvious that it leaves too much blank at the beginning of the roll. This happens on any kind of roll I use. It's getting frustrating to lose a frame each time (it's already so expensive!). I took it to a camera repair shop but they said it was due to the 'double exposure' button, which turned out not being the case. I tried several ways of loading the film but always ended up with the same result. I'm not sure what to do at this point.
Has anybody else encountered this problem? I'm desperate for a solution.

Thank you so so much!
N.

 

[shutterfinger]

Are you following the film loading instructions in the instruction manual? http://www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_7ii.pdf
Is the spacing between frames correct?
Are you using a fresh battery? Don't trust in camera battery check to show a good battery, battery checks do not put a load on the battery, the battery may look good in a static state and fail under load.
If yes to the first two questions then ask Mamiya Leaf for a service facility to take it to. http://www.mamiyaleaf.com/support.html

 

[Colte]

Hey Shutterfinger,

Thank you so much for taking the time to get back to me! I did follow the instructions, and my battery is fairly new. I'm not sure what's causing this.
Sorry for my ignorance, but how does the Mamiya actually know that there's film inside? I was wondering if getting that arrow closer to the left spool when closing the lid would trick it into starting the film a bit earlier, but I don't know how it actually 'calculates' where the first picture is. I used a Mamiya 7ii 10 years ago and did not have that problem...

Thank you!
N.

 

[abruzzi]

how much is the last frame cut off? Rather than lining up the arrows, could you just advance it an equivalent amount less? So if you are losing 2 cm of the 10th frame, leave the arrow 3cm before the mark?

 

[mshchem]

According to Ken Rockwell this is the single greatest camera in the world.

You need to double check an instruction manual to make sure you are loading correctly. If something was slipping you should have overlapping frames inconsistent spacing etc. Butkus has manuals on line ,great service don't forget to donate a few bucks.

 

[MattKing]

Are you sure that you are using the correct "Start" arrow on the backing paper, and lining it up against the correct reference?
Assuming you are using negative film, is the blank area at the beginning of the roll clear, or is it fogged?
The camera doesn't "know" about where the film in it is positioned. It just knows that there is film in it, and once the back is closed it advances the film a standard distance before it is set for the first exposure.
You didn't answer the question about the between frame spacing.

 

[shutterfinger]

If you do your own processing use the backing paper and spool from one of your processed rolls (ask the lab for one if you don't), wind the paper onto the spool so that 1 is at the beginning of the spool and load it in the camera, wind to frame 1, then open the back and see where the 1 for 6x7 is. You can also use a cheap roll of B&W for this test also. If the 1 is in an incorrect position remove the backing paper from the camera, rewind it, try again.
I use backing paper to test film holders that have/had spacing issues, accurate enough to tell if the problem is solved or not.

 

[johnha]

I haven't used a Mamiya 7 - but I've had similar experience in a Pentax 6x7 which may be of help (the battery is unlikely to be an issue as it only powers the meter and shutter and shouldn't have any effect on the mechanical film advance).

On my P6x7: The position of the slot for the film leader on the take-up spool is important - it needs to be 'vertical' (i.e. 12 o'clock or 90 degrees to the film plane) when loading - if not I wind the advance lever until it is (this takes 3 or 4 advances to bring it into the right position). Then when loading, I thread the leader into the spool and wind the advance lever (full winds only*) until the 'start' arrow is close to (but not beyond) the 120 start mark (it rarely lines up exactly). If I don't do the above, I sometimes get 9 frames with the 10th cut-off.

* The P6x7 uses a single throw of the lever to wind a frame - I don't know if the Mamiya 7 is the same?