Mamiya C330 hiccup

[johnalever]

Just acquired the C330. Seems to check out, but on loading, the film doesn't stop. Any ideas what could be wrong?

Thanks,

John

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to APUG

First of all do you have the manual(s)? If not you can get them at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/mamiya.htm Please donate $3 for each usable manual since that website is a love of labor and supported by donations.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

With the back open there are two red dots on either side of the film guides. Load the film on the take up spool. With the back open you advance then film until the arrows on the backing paper correspond with the dots. Then close the back and advance the film until '1' appears in the red window. Then rotate the wind lever COUNTER CLOCKWISE. until it latches. You are ready to take your first photo.

Loading is fairly typical for a TLR. Get a copy of the instruction manual! You will have other questions.

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to APUG/PHOTRIO.
I'll second the recommendation for the manual.
But add that in my experience, if you aren't careful to firmly latch both top corners of the back door of the camera, you can find yourself experiencing exactly what you have experienced.

 

[shutterfinger]

Why throw money to Mr. I own the copyright to other companies materials because I scanned them and posted them on the net when you can get free PDF copies from the original source Mamiya?
http://www.mamiyaleaf.com/documentation.html
3 manuals at the bottom of the page, camera, accessories, depth of field charts

 

[Questor84]

Make sure that both sides of the back latch evenly. Otherwise it will not have even pressure on the film pressure plate and will not wind correctly. Also make sure the film did not slip out of the film take up spool. I will echo need for manual. Butkus .org works well and there is simply a request for donation.

 

[grahamp]

There is a small metal tag on the upper right of the camera (held for photography) where the back closes. That is what sets the film counter, and why closing the back properly in both corners is essential. The only other time non-stop winding can happen is if you have a cable release mounted and it is long enough to trip the shutter release. There is a feature of the camera where you can hold down the release to wind off the film without cycling the shutter. I can't think of why this would happen during loading. It usually catches people around mid-roll!

Make sure the camera is on 120 (unless you have a rare source of 220 film) before you start. The pressure plate has two positions. It should not affect film loading, but you can't change your mind once the film is loaded.
Load the film onto the take-up spool, and gently advance the film so that the start arrows match the red dots, then close the back. Wind until frame one, about three full turns, or so.

 

[Jeff Bradford]

I have experienced some form of this with almost every Mamiya C-series camera I have owned. Old lubrication in the winding mechanism prevents the pawl from falling into place in the ratchet mechanism which stops the film advance in the proper place. It needs cleaning.

 

[Old_Dick]

Make sure the back is actually closed all the way. Use both thumbs and really press hard. My 2¢.

 

[paul ron]

Make sure the door isnt deformed and is actually pushing that tab in?
check that the tab at the edge of the door isnt stuck? Excersize it till it frees up if it is, use a tiny dab of wd40 if it is stuck.

.

 

[bernard_L]

Why throw money to Mr. I own the copyright to other companies materials because I scanned them and posted them on the net

1. Mr Butkus never claimed he owned copyright to the manuals that he makes available. Or did I miss that somewhere?
   
2. The $3 donation is voluntary, access to the documents is open, trusting the visitors to be honest (though I doubt that is always the case)
3. Most user and service manuals are not available from the original manufacturers (who do not care for old stuff), and people like butkus.org or suaudreau.eu are providing an invaluable service to the community of vintage camera users
4. I am not associated with either Michael Buktus or Benoît Suaudeau.

This said, it should be obvious that I find the quoted remark unjustified.

 

[mrosenlof]

The C330 has a feature that if you hold in the shutter release (either release on the body, not the lens!) the film winds on without stopping. It's the quick way to burn the end of the roll if you need to process right away. The other comments about making sure the back is closed completely on both sides are also correct.

 

[shutterfinger]

Mr Butkus never claimed he owned copyright to the manuals that he makes available. Or did I miss that somewhere?

yep, mr.butkus seems to have changed the watermark on the pdf's from copyright m butkus to butkus.org on each page of the manual. I haven't checked all manuals and don't plan to but its likely some older ones still say copyright butkis on them.
I only look up manuals there to answer questions on these forums.

 

[mweintraub]

Make sure that both sides of the back latch evenly. Otherwise it will not have even pressure on the film pressure plate and will not wind correctly. Also make sure the film did not slip out of the film take up spool. I will echo need for manual. Butkus .org works well and there is simply a request for donation.

This got me with the C220 I have!

 

[benjiboy]

I would check if the multi-exposure knob on the cameras right side is set to single and not multi.

 

[bernard_L]

but its likely some older ones still say copyright butkis on them

And the reason is some other people just take the pdf that he has collected+scanned+posted, and sell printed versions. Maybe "copyright butkus" was clumsy and/or inappropriate, but I understand his motive. In other words, it's just a watermark.

I only look up manuals there to answer questions on these forums.

What if Mr Butkus had not cared enough to collect, scan and put online these manuals? The questions might remain unanswered.

I recently contacted him, lamenting the lack of a service manual for the Zeiss-Voigtlander Vitessa 1000 SR. He replied with a large pdf including repair instructions and exploded views for the Vitessa 500 (close enough) and... all kinds of Voigtlander cameras.
He did not ask for it, but I sent him a donation, above the standard $3. Because I feel it is well deserved.

 

[shutterfinger]

I whole heartedly support watermarking the pdf's offered on his site so that profiteers do not make use of the info he has posted and appreciate that the watermark statement has changed.

If I made such a special request I too would contribute to the cause but when I can get it for free from the manufacturer I will take their copy over his.

 

[bernard_L]

when I can get it for free from the manufacturer I will take their copy over his

Agreed. But few service manuals can be found on official sites. Amateurs provide a lot of information. Maybe I should post the compilation of URLs that I've collected; Just a few examples:
Dead Link Removed
http://pheugo.com/cameras/index.php
http://stephenc7.tripod.com/cameras/fed2.htm
and Rick Oleson's tech notes:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-27.html

 

[paul ron]

I don't mind butkus doing the manuals.... it makes it easy to find manuals that were once free anyway plus if you search, other sites want to sell those same pirated manuals for $15.

nice to have it all in one place. the $3 donation is a bargain considering Mr butkus took the time to maintain a site and scan countless manuals.

I gave and appreciate his service!

 

[shutterfinger]

I have Prontor, Nikon F4, and Graflex service and usage manuals that have been removed from their original sites, site closed and the like if they're needed or if someone wants to rehost.
Now, back to the C330 hiccup?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Butkis provides a service for some hard to find manuals and some historic printed manuals and ads.

 

[johnalever]

Thank you for the responses. As several noted, ensuring that the back was properly closes did, indeed, remedy the problem.

Case closed, thanks again.

 

[Questor84]

I had an unusual experience with this on a C330F I had just purchased. The seller included a roll of CineStill 800 in the camera that I had not expected. I was out and shot the roll and when I got to the 12th frame it just continued to wind to 13 and beyond. I knew about the option to wind with shutter pressed and rolled the film up. When I got home the film was on the take up spool as normal. When I started to check out the camera I noted a small object in the channel on the right that the back slips into and was not sure if it was a switch. On further investigation it did not appear to be there normally. I was able to tease it out of the channel and it was actually a little screw from the plate on the back that holds the latches. With a little pressure the back closed properly and I have not had a problem since. I guess any kind of debris in that channel could cause the same problem with the back not closing properly on both sides. I did not know about the switch / tag that sets the counter. Glad it was that simple a fix for you.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you for the responses. As several noted, ensuring that the back was properly closes did, indeed, remedy the problem.

Case closed, thanks again.

I am glad that you found a solution. With most of the world thinking only digital, this is about the only place to find answers for questions relating to film, equipment, development and printing.

 

[jvo]

wlecome to photrio... as you can see there is no shortage of input here!?