Mamiya RZ67 Proii help

[ernrocks99]

I just received my RZ67 Proii from KEH today. All the excitement of shooting with it today has been dashed!

It will only let me fire the camera when the shutter dial is set to RBL. I have the Sekor Z 110 2.8 lens on the camera so I have no idea why this is. The battery is fine, I have tried both backs I have and the same issue occurs. When I press the shutter release the unit just beeps. No warning lights just the beeping. The battery is fine, the backs seem to be fine, the lens "seems" to be fine. I have no clue what else could be causing this. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Ernest

 

[Oren Grad]

Just in case, here's the relevant troubleshooting section from the instruction manual:

When the shutter can not be released

1. Has the film been completely advanced to the first frame? Have
all the exposures already been made (10 with 120, 20 with 220)?

2. Has the Cocking Lever been advanced as far as it will go?

3. Has the Dark Slide been removed?

4. Have you locked the Shutter Release Button and forgotten?

5. Is there a battery in the Battery Chamber? Is the battery still good?

6. Is the "T" lever of the lens on "N"?

7. Is the camera speed dial on RBL and a RZ lens is on camera?

8. Is the camera speed dial on AEF and the AE Finder and a RZ lens
is not attached?

9. Have you used the mirror-up mode and red ring on the collar is
still visible after removing the cable release?

• In the case of examples 1-3, an orange lamp will illuminate in the
viewfinder if an error has been made.

 

[Charles Wass]

The manual explains how to release the shutter when the lens is not fitted to the camera. That would be a useful check on the shutter. It seems that you have the manual, but if not it can be found at http://butkus.org/chinon.

It appears that the camera thinks the attached lens is the RB type, which indicates a failure of communication between the two. I do not know how the two lens types are distinguished by the camera, but it could be via the electrical contacts. Are the latter undamaged and clean?

I have never encountered the beep, but generally when there is a malfunction the red LED in the viewfinder will still illuminate.

 

[polyglot]

Is the beep after one minute? If so, my guess is that you don't have the cable release socket on the lens screwed all the way in, i.e. some red ring is probably showing. That means the lens is waiting for a cable release to trip it, and the body beeps after a minute if you don't trip the lens.

Put a cable release on the lens, screw it in real tight, and then remove it - you should see the silver ring that it screws into retract fully into the lens.

PS the above assumes the mirror goes up when you trip the body. If not, then it's a different problem. Maybe bad contacts on the lens mount. Do you have another lens to test with?

 

[Charles Wass]

Oren Grad, disregard my above point about the camera distinguishing the lenses, as some research shows, it cannot do that, hence the RBL setting on the shutter speed dial.

Polyglot's reasoning points to the most likely cause.

 

[ernrocks99]

The beep is instantaneous. I detached the lens and it still only beeps when I try to fire the camera. I spoke with Mamiya USA service center and they suggested to try another lens. I only have the one so I am going to try and find another localy before sending the body and lens back to KEH (with a heavy heart)

 

[eunkefer]

What you describe is symptom when the lens not cocked, twist the two cocking pins at rear of lens counter clockwise so they are at the green dots (cocked).

 

[polyglot]

Yes, the lens should be cocked when installed. You can tell it's cocked because you can see through it - if the shutter is closed then it's not cocked.

 

[jstout]

Long shot, don't have an RZ lens (or body) to look at,... can you clean the contacts with a pencil eraser and an alcohol-wetted Q-tip? Could be a faulty electrical contact. If the camera doesn't recognize the lens, this could be a possiblilty.

 

[CatLABS]

lens shutter is not cocked. Take lens off and twist the two long pins counter clockwise . You will feel resistance (green dot, red dot). wind and ye shall be fine
The lens shutter might be open even if not cocked all the way.

 

[ernrocks99]

Thanks for the replies. The lens was cocked as I could see through it. I sent it back to KEH last week and have heard nothing from them so far so who knows.