Mamiya RZ67pro ii Help

gandalf · May 21, 2013

Hi Guys

I have recently gone ahead a bought a mamiya rz67 proii. I usually shoot 35mm... My experiences with medium format are limited to using the pentax 67 a handful of times.

I genuinely feeling little lost as I have no experience with the mamiya systems.. I have download and read the manual for the mamiya RZ67. And I think I have come to term with the basic functions. The problem is initially when I received the camera I was confused as the when cocked the lever and pressed the shutter the shutter did not go off. So I went ahead and loaded a roll of film thinking maybe the shutter only goes off if the film is loaded. This is not the case. The film has been advanced to 1 but when i click the shutter nothing happens I dont hear the shutter going off..

Is there something very basic I'm missing out? Could someone be kind enough to advise me on where Im going wrong. Would appreciate it immensely.

Thank you

tkamiya · May 21, 2013

There is a round rim around the shutter button. That LOCkS the shutter button. What position is it in? Also, you must remove the darkslide from the back. Did you do that?

gandalf · May 21, 2013

Hi, the shutter button's white dot is parallel to the white line. And yes the dark slide is removed.

tron_ · May 21, 2013

Just a heads up, the shutter will NOT fire if there is not film in the camera unless the switch on the side of the camera is set to the 'M' position.

As far as your predicament, the camera does not fire when the shutter release button is FULLY pressed? If so my guess would be a dead battery.

Try flipping the switch on the side of the camera (the side with the cocking lever) to 'M' and let us know if it fires then.

Good luck!

tron_ · May 21, 2013

Also make sure on the cable release located on the lens, you do not see a red ring at the base of the release mount.

arealitystudios · May 21, 2013

When you look in the waist level finder and you press the button, are there any lights that go on?

When is the last time that the battery has been changed?

Thinking back to when I first purchased my RZ67 I can recall a time when my shutter wouldn't fire and it turned out I had not tightened the lens to the body hard enough. I was afraid of applying to much force to the tightening ring and was being too delicate when attaching the lens. You could be having the same issue.

gandalf · May 21, 2013

tron_ said:
Just a heads up, the shutter will NOT fire if there is not film in the camera unless the switch on the side of the camera is set to the 'M' position.

As far as your predicament, the camera does not fire when the shutter release button is FULLY pressed? If so my guess would be a dead battery.

Try flipping the switch on the side of the camera (the side with the cocking lever) to 'M' and let us know if it fires then.

Good luck!

Hi .. Thank you.. Yup Ive just checked the cable release, theres no red ring. I also just tried switching it to M and tried to fire it, and nothing. Yes shutter button is fully pressed. I'm not sure about the dead battery I did just take it out and put it back in :\\, I dont have a extra one at hand but I'll buy one tomorrow and change the battery and see if that makes a difference. Thank you again

gandalf · May 21, 2013

arealitystudios said:
When you look in the waist level finder and you press the button, are there any lights that go on?

When is the last time that the battery has been changed?

Thinking back to when I first purchased my RZ67 I can recall a time when my shutter wouldn't fire and it turned out I had not tightened the lens to the body hard enough. I was afraid of applying to much force to the tightening ring and was being too delicate when attaching the lens. You could be having the same issue.

Hi
Nope no lights come on, I did just fiddle with the battery. :\\

I have no idea when it was last changed, I literally just bought it from ebay.

I just tried the lens, took it off and popped it back on... And nothing still. Im feeling exactly the same.. I'm being delicate and extra careful with it..

Thank you for posting

tron_ · May 21, 2013

No problem, at all! Sorry my suggestions didn't work, arealitystudios brings up a couple good points as well regarding if there are any lights on when you depress the shutter release button. Edit: just saw your reply saying there are no lights on

I would also try taking the lens and film back off and try to fire the camera on multi-exposure mode (lever flipped to 'M'). This might help narrow down the issue to the body. If it works without a lens or back, then it obviously is the lens or back causing the problem

arealitystudios · May 21, 2013

Yeah, I'm going to echo the suggestion above - switch the lever on the side of the camera to the "M" position and try firing the camera without the back, then try it without then lens, then both. If it doesn't fire with both attached the problem is your body.

If that ends up being the case I'm willing to bet you have a dead battery. If that doesn't fix your problem pay close attention to the locking ring around the shutter release. I know that can be a bit touchy and the white markings have to be aligned (which I know you mentioned they are).

J Rollinger · May 21, 2013

If the RZ67 pro ii is the same as the pro then you dont need a battery to fire the shutter.. Use the manual 400 shutter speed function and fire it.. My RZ67 does that but i have never tried it.. Turn the shutter button ring from white to orange and try it..

tron_ · May 21, 2013

^Good point, I totally forgot there was an option to fire the shutter manually by setting the shutter ring button ring to the orange marking

segedi · May 21, 2013

Can you see through the lens when attached to the camera? I recall when I first got mine and hadn't realized the shutter on the lens was uncocked (as is recommended when storing the lenses). I have a feeling it's the battery, but make sure the lens is cocked as well.

k.hendrik · May 22, 2013

landscapepics · May 22, 2013

Dead battery sounds most likely. If you leave the dark slide in and press the shutter button, then a red light will be visible in the viewfinder to warn you that the dark slide is in. If this red light doesn't come on then your battery is dead.

When the battery is getting weak you don't get a warning in advance, so always carry a spare one.

gandalf · May 22, 2013

tron_ said:
No problem, at all! Sorry my suggestions didn't work, arealitystudios brings up a couple good points as well regarding if there are any lights on when you depress the shutter release button. Edit: just saw your reply saying there are no lights on

I would also try taking the lens and film back off and try to fire the camera on multi-exposure mode (lever flipped to 'M'). This might help narrow down the issue to the body. If it works without a lens or back, then it obviously is the lens or back causing the problem

arealitystudios said:
Yeah, I'm going to echo the suggestion above - switch the lever on the side of the camera to the "M" position and try firing the camera without the back, then try it without then lens, then both. If it doesn't fire with both attached the problem is your body.

If that ends up being the case I'm willing to bet you have a dead battery. If that doesn't fix your problem pay close attention to the locking ring around the shutter release. I know that can be a bit touchy and the white markings have to be aligned (which I know you mentioned they are).

Thanks guys I replaced the battery and now I have a working shutter. Yay. Also feel rather stupid for fretting and not checking battery properly.

Appreciate both your replies lots Thank you for the wealth of knowledge. I know who to bother now if I have another stupid issue.

gandalf · May 22, 2013

J Rollinger said:
If the RZ67 pro ii is the same as the pro then you dont need a battery to fire the shutter.. Use the manual 400 shutter speed function and fire it.. My RZ67 does that but i have never tried it.. Turn the shutter button ring from white to orange and try it..

Awesome! I'll try this once I've tested the film, and get back to you on if it works! Thank you

gandalf · May 22, 2013

segedi said:
Can you see through the lens when attached to the camera? I recall when I first got mine and hadn't realized the shutter on the lens was uncocked (as is recommended when storing the lenses). I have a feeling it's the battery, but make sure the lens is cocked as well.

landscapepics said:
Dead battery sounds most likely. If you leave the dark slide in and press the shutter button, then a red light will be visible in the viewfinder to warn you that the dark slide is in. If this red light doesn't come on then your battery is dead.

When the battery is getting weak you don't get a warning in advance, so always carry a spare one.

It was the battery, thank you guys. I hope its a smooth ride from here. How long does the battery last would you guys say? Theres no on off switch from what I see, so does it save battery automatically if your not using it?

gandalf · May 22, 2013

Will be running my first film through it tomorrow, I hope it goes well. Excited now. Thank you everyone.

tron_ · May 23, 2013

Glad you got the problem sorted out and it was just a simple battery!

Show us the photos when you're done shooting the film

Marc B. · May 25, 2013

How long does the battery last would you guys say?

Many variables.
When continually/consecutively using slower shutter speeds/longer exposures, and/or when shooting with an AE prism or AE chimney attached, or when doing several shots with MLU, and/or extended shooting outdoors in cold weather...I have drained a battery after about 20 rolls of film.
Under normal, [average] shooting scenarios, I easily get 30-40 rolls from one battery.
Always carry a spare battery in your kit bag.

...Theres no on off switch from what I see...

Turning the collar around the shutter button to the 'red' dot is the off switch, 'white' dot is the on switch.

...so does it save battery automatically if your not using it?

No, it won't.

Marc

gandalf · May 29, 2013

Marc B. said:
Many variables.
When continually/consecutively using slower shutter speeds/longer exposures, and/or when shooting with an AE prism or AE chimney attached, or when doing several shots with MLU, and/or extended shooting outdoors in cold weather...I have drained a battery after about 20 rolls of film.
Under normal, [average] shooting scenarios, I easily get 30-40 rolls from one battery.
Always carry a spare battery in your kit bag.

Turning the collar around the shutter button to the 'red' dot is the off switch, 'white' dot is the on switch.

No, it won't.

Marc

Wow 20 rolls. Thats one hella a hungry camera. Safe to say I'll be doing the same and carrying a spare battery/ buying some in bulk.

Ha. I just turned off my camera.. sheesh. Thank you

gandalf · May 29, 2013

tron_ said:
Glad you got the problem sorted out and it was just a simple battery!

Show us the photos when you're done shooting the film

Gotta confess. First roll wasnt great I shot hurriedly in between a beauty shoot I was doing..and ended up with mostly soft /out of focus images. The weight.... Is so hard to get used to. I have a hand grip and I still struggled. I think I need to work on my muscles. Ha. The ones I attached are OK. Still soft.

Double exposure attachment makes my eyes go funny. But I like it.

Mamiya RZ67pro ii Help

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