Mamiya RZ67 - Problem with successive shots

Corto · Jun 26, 2010

Hi everybody !

I am completely new to the analog mamiya world and received my RZ67 set yesterday. I just wanted to try a bit the beast without film and came across the following problem : when I try to "take" a shot, I am only able to use the shutter once. Then, whatever I try, I must remove the lens before being able to "take" an other shot.

Here are my step-by-step actions:
- Without the lens, with the RM lever on "white", I push the cocking lever to set the mirror.
- I then attach the lens.
- I then take a picture, everything works fine. I even checked without the Film Holder and the mirror/shutter are working properly.

But then, I can not just use the cocking lever and take several other frames. The shutter refuse to work and the monitor light for "Cocking Lever Not Set" illuminate.

To take an other shot, I must restart from scratch by removing the lens,...

Anyone has an idea ? That would be really helpful !
Thanks a lot in advance !

John Koehrer · Jun 26, 2010

Try it with the back on & set for multi exposure.

Dave_ON · Jun 26, 2010

Check the battery.

Corto · Jun 26, 2010

Thanks a lot for your answer.
I tried both and still the same ...

Mainecoonmaniac · Jun 26, 2010

You shouldn't attach the lens with the body cocked. You are probably cocking the camera body but not the lens too. That's my wild guess on your problem.

Corto · Jun 26, 2010

Mainecoonmaniac said:
You shouldn't attach the lens with the body cocked. You are probably cocking the camera body but not the lens too. That's my wild guess on your problem.

Really ? Because that is what I understand from the manual page 11 "Setting the Mirror"...

EdSawyer · Jun 26, 2010

dry firing

dry firing this w/o film is tricky. as mentioned, the usual way is to set it to multi-exposure. otherwise, you will likely have the problem you are experiencing. it knows there's no film in it and won't keep firing it.

Can you fire it when set to the manual 1/400 speed using the small ring around the shutter button? you have to pull the ring and turn it to the orange mark I think. Try that, see if it works multiple times.

If the battery is weak the light will flash in the finder, if it's not, then it's likely as mentioned above. The interlocks on this camera are sophisticated and sometimes too smart for their own good when it comes to things like dry-firing.

You can also try w/o the back on, that should allow multiple dry fires with normal shutter speeds.

-Ed

Corto · Jun 26, 2010

Thanks Ed. Maybe it's just the fact that it does not like to be fired dry... Even with the film holder removed, I have to quickly remove the lens after each shot, then cock the lever, then reput the lens and I can take the next shot.

Kevin Kehler · Jun 26, 2010

My RZ knows when there is film in it and gives no end of grief without it. I would recommend burning a roll and seeing if that fixes the problem; I used the same roll for a while: after shooting it all, unwind without removing the paper and rewind by hand onto the original reel, now you can use it again.

My bet is the camera knows it has no film but the shutter is already cocked; so it lets you fire the cocked shutter but not advance because it hasn't advanced past the necessary paper to reach film (in its' mind).

ContaxRTSFundus · Jun 28, 2010

Hi - if the mirror is in the correct down position before you attach a lens and the lens shutter is cocked (i.e. the pins are aligned with the green dots), the camera will fire with or without a back provided the RM lever is set to M. If the lens shutter is not cocked, or the mirror is in the up position when you attach a lens, the camera will jam. This can get confusing if you are using the 75mm shift lens as it has to be manually cocked after every exposure. I'm assuming you are using a RZ lens and not an RB one but in any case, the process should be the same. If the camera jams as you suggest, despite having the mirror down before attaching a lens with the shutter cocked and the RM lever set to M, then I fear you have an electro-mechanical fault though it is likely to be easy for a camera repairer to remedy it.
Good luck.

EdSawyer · Jun 28, 2010

One more thing

One more thing to try - check the switch on the lens. If it's set to T (timed exposure, I think), it will behave as mentioned. Make sure it's set the other way (To the left, if looking at the lens from the camera end of things). I've been caught by this before. Sometimes those switches get moved when changing lenses and it's easy to forget about them.

-Ed

Lars Daniel · Jun 28, 2010

Another thing that can potentially make you scratch your head (but is not likely the case here): If the mirror-up socket is in the *out* position. I don´t know how it happened to me, but it sure drove me crazy for an hour or so.

Chazzy · Jun 29, 2010

You guys are really making me question whether I want to buy an RZ. It sounds as if there is a lot that can go wrong with the electronics, the interlocks, etc.

EricO · Jun 29, 2010

Chazzy said:
You guys are really making me question whether I want to buy an RZ. It sounds as if there is a lot that can go wrong with the electronics, the interlocks, etc.

You shouldn't be alarmed. I purchased my RZ67 about 5 years ago and had similar problems. Several of them stemmed from not reading the manual before starting to press buttons, flip switches, and "dry firing", etc. Once I learned not to switch the "M" lever unless I indeed wanted to do multiple exposures all of those problems disappeared.

Rudeofus · Jun 30, 2010

Chazzy said:
You guys are really making me question whether I want to buy an RZ. It sounds as if there is a lot that can go wrong with the electronics, the interlocks, etc.

Well, there are two basic philisophies, the RZ and the RB philosophy. The RZ will prevent the shutter from firing if it has any reason to believe that it is not ready for taking a picture. The RB will happily do the pic and you learn after film development that you didn't expose it at all.

EdSawyer · Jun 30, 2010

Don't fret

the RZ67 is about the best 6x7 SLR available from anyone. It's quite reliable. Most issues (like the ones mentioned here) are user errors, not problems with the camera itself. It's good to have these interlocks, since as mentioned, it saves from missed shots on a regular basis. There's a lot to remember with a camera like this. W/o the interlocks, there would definitely be some blank frames (e.g. RB67).

I am really loving the RZ67/Mamiya 7 combo. RZ for portraits/closeups/long shots, M7 for everything else. Even though the RZ is a beast, I still have been primarily hand-holding it. It actually is easier to handhold with the grip and motor drive, even though they add weight.

-Ed

hspluta · Jun 30, 2010

Charles,

I loved my RZ, in the years I used it I was never let down by it. However, as mentioned it did take me a few days with the manual and a sacrificial roll of film to figure out how everything worked.

Take the time, the images you are going to get will be worth the effort.

Best,
Harry

EricO · Jun 30, 2010

I once had an RZ that had a broken interlock that would allow me to shoot with the darkslide still in. As a newbie with this camera I had many instances where there were blank frames and mis-fires. I haven't had that problem with the RZ that I now have. It also helps that I now know how to use the camera.

nick mulder · Jun 30, 2010

EricO said:
You shouldn't be alarmed. I purchased my RZ67 about 5 years ago and had similar problems. Several of them stemmed from not reading the manual before starting to press buttons, flip switches, and "dry firing", etc. Once I learned not to switch the "M" lever unless I indeed wanted to do multiple exposures all of those problems disappeared.

Yeh, same reply from me - read the manual, then its ingrained and for whatever reason just works from that point on ...

Also it's much more interesting dry firing it with the back off

TareqPhoto · Jun 30, 2010

I have RZ and really i don't like it much, it is so heavy and using it is a painful in.....!!!
In all cases, i use it to get 6x7 format, i don't want to buy another 6x7 camera such us RB which is similar or Pentax so it is another camera and i need to buy another lens and back or Mamiya 7II and it is costing a lot as well, so i will keep using it until i can handle its cons, i was thinking to go for 6x9 format if i can find if it will be less weight and easier handle and if i want i can add a 6x6-6x7 mask to it and i can use it more than my RZ, i didn't face that problem of the OP, but if i can remember clearly, once i was shooting with RZ and the film counter didn't move and i found later that i forgot it on M mode [Multi-exposure i think], turned it back to normal and it works, really needs time to figure out how to use it.

marduk · Mar 2, 2011

Corto, did you sort out your issue? I'm having a similar problem with my new RZ67 Pro and 65mm RB lens. I'm attaching the lens when mirror is in down position and the lens shutter is cocked, of course. With RM lever at M position, the camera will fire with lens removed. With lens installed, it will just click, both emergency shutter and with battery installed (in the latter case it's not giving me the orange or red light). I suppose something is wrong with the lens, or it won't fire on this particular body. Maybe the shutter cocking pins don't catch. Note I don't have a T switch on my lens. BTW, to know if the mirror-up socket is in the *out* position?

Note: yesterday I was able to fire the first shot if I release the lens shutter, then cock the lens when mounted onto the body and then press release button. The problem was only with successive shots. It looks like I can't fire a single shot successfully anymore. The camera just clicks. Besides, sometimes it would jam after the click and to workaround this I have to remove the lens. At the moment I remove the lens the mirror jumps up. This all seems to me that the problem is in the lens. Maybe it's stuck in the mirror up mode?

raccou · Mar 3, 2011

Maybe the connection to a cable release on the lens isn't fully retracted. I know I had trouble with that once and it wasn't the first thing I thought of.

marduk · Mar 3, 2011

Well, I guess the shutter cocking pins are too tight on my lens. I saw a youtube video where a man cocked and released shutter on the lens removed from the camera body easily, with his fingertips.
On my lens, the pins turn really right. Besides, the fact that mirror sometimes triggers but gets stuck suggests there's a problem with engaging lens shutter. I will go to a local shop during the weekend that has other RB lenses and RB body to confirm my guess.

Mamiya RZ67 - Problem with successive shots

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