Mamiya C220 film switch stuck

[ALifeRooted]

I recently acquired a Mamiya C220 and love it.

Now that I’ve put a couple test rolls through it, I see that I’m only getting 10 shots on the roll of 120 instead of the expected 12. The camera is winding too much film to get to the first shot, which leads me to hypothesize that the camera thinks it’s loading 220, as there’s about 2 frames worth of longer lead on those rolls. The selector switch on the camera is currently set to 120, and switching to 220 and back doesn’t change anything.

Is this common? Any thoughts if it’s easily repairable, or would it need parts no longer available?

 

[grahamp]

Is the pressure plate in 120 or 220 position? Does the frame counter / advance interlock stop at 12? It might be repairable, but if it is a consistent offset you might want to try closing the back as soon as the start arrow appears rather than waiting to align it with the index dots.

Also, make sure that the back is latching properly in both corners. This can throw off the film advance tracking mechanism if the pressure on the film is not even.

 

[MattKing]

Also, make sure that the back is latching properly in both corners.

This in particular.
Although my C330 is more likely to not stop anywhere in the roll if I accidentally latch just one of the top corners.
I think there is slightly more resistance to latching the corner nearest the film advance tracking mechanism.
When you latch it correctly, there is clear positive feedback that tells you that it has clicked into place.

 

[ALifeRooted]

Aha! I thought I was starting at #3 but instead was starting to shoot too early because I wasn’t lining up the arrows before closing the back. Do now that I’m lining up the arrows I can confirm it’s loaded and ready to shoot at #1 correctly.

Problem solved. Glad it’s a rookie mistake and not a repair situation. Thanks for the help!

 

[ALifeRooted]

When you latch it correctly, there is clear positive feedback that tells you that it has clicked into place.

Thank you - great tip.