Mamiya C220f - 55mm f/4.5 shutter cock lever stiff

[Bobby Brewster]

Hi folks,

I'm new to this medium format thing so please excuse my ignorance. I have just received a C220f Professional and it seems to work fine however, the shutter cock lever is stiff in operation. It moves and I can cock the shutter with it and it fires so it isn't stuck but it isn't as free as I feel it should be. Not super stiff just ... ermmm ... stiff. I assumed that it should be very easy to move and it isn't that easy.

I might be wrong of course and this might just be the way things are. It is functional and I could use it without issue but as I've just bought the camera from a reliable store I can obviously get a repair or return if need be. Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice you can give me.

Thank you for your help

PS I should say I have the 55mm f4.5 lens and no film in the camera as yet.

 

[runswithsizzers]

Please clarify: Your title says, “shutter release” but in your post you say, “shutter cock lever.” Those are two different levers on the C220, right?

 

[Bobby Brewster]

Please clarify: Your title says, “shutter release” but in your post you say, “shutter cock lever.” Those are two different levers on the C220, right?

Apologies. I must hand been even more fuzzy - headed than usual. I did indeed mean “shutter cock lever”. Now edited. The shutter fires perfectly well

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to Photrio.
The mechanism you are asking about is actually part of the interchangeable lens and shutter mechanism, not the camera body itself, so I'll amend your thread title to refer to that.
Do you have experience with other lenses for the Mamiya TLRs? I ask, because it would be helpful to know whether your experience is relative to other, more easily cocked shutters on those lenses.
Over the years I've worked with several of the lenses available for the years and the shutter cocking mechanism requires a moderately firm amount of force.
Perhaps @Mamiya_Repair or @grahamp could chime in on this?

 

[Bobby Brewster]

Hi Matt,

My attempts to post this thread have been spectacularly unsuccessful so far Thank you for amending the title.

I have no experience with other Mamiya lenses but I will try and find one locally that I can use for comparison. If it does need a moderate amount of force to cock, then it wouldn't put me off as long. I just want to know it isn't damaged. I like the camera and the price was pretty good and even if it turned out that it needed some mnor work that could be done easily for a modest sum, it would possibly be worth me getting it done.

 

[MattKing]

Actually, I think you have done well!
It would be even more worthwhile to look for someone local with experience with the system, who could try it for you and give you feedback. The internet is wonderful, but it is spectacularly inadequate when it comes to communicating something like: "How hard should I need to push?"

 

[Marco Gilardetti]

However yes, I would describe the cocking lever of Mamiya C shutters as "quite stiff". It varies from one unit to another, but speaking in general I would say that "a moderate amount of force" is indeed needed to load them.

 

[Bobby Brewster]

Thank you again.

I have decided not to keep the camera as it is fairly chunky and I probably wouldn’t feel inclined to take it out with me that much.
addition the light seals need replaced and I found the viewfinder experience not much of an improvement on my Yashica Mat, the handling of which I prefer.