Mayima 645e goes dead after a few shots - does not appear to be the battery

FilmNerd

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My 645e has developed an odd problem and I'm curious if anyone has also had this problem and if the only solution is to send it in to a repair shop. I just put in a new battery and after about about 3-8 shots the camera stops working. If I take a photo, the shutter fires and stays open until I take out the battery and put it back in. If I go to take a shot and notice no information in the viewfinder, I know the next shot will result in the shot being taken but the shutter stays open. If I notice no info in the viewfinder and take the battery out and put it back in, all is well. I've tried 3 new batteries and all do the same thing. I'm assuming there is something wrong with the electronics although everything else appears to be working fine. I can live with this, but it can be a pain when the camera is on a tripod (which is often!).

Any suggestions on what I should do or try?

Thanks,

Rich
 

MattKing

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Which type of battery?

The alkaline versions of the PX-28/4LR44 batteries are notorious for going bad when on the shelf.
 
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FilmNerd

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I used two PX-28 (bought new) and a set of 4 LR44 batteries with the same results. Is there a different battery I could use that I'm not aware of?

Thanks,


Rich
 

MattKing

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The silver-oxide versions are better. Have you tried cleaning the battery contacts?
 

wiltw

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The camera will not function without a battery. When you press the shutter release partially, the finder LED display should light up steady in the viewfinder; low battery blinks a shutter speed very slowly; no lights = no battery/dead battery

Since your camera works for a few shots, then quits, it almost sounds as if the battery is being heavily drained and running out of steam. But, since removal and reinsertion seems to reactivate the camera...?
 

gone

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You might want to buy one of those $5 multi meters from someplace like Harbor Freight. Mine has really saved me a lot of guess work knowing exactly what voltage things are. It came w/ a battery already in it (looks all sealed up in there), and 6 years later it's still going strong. Just pull the battery out right away after the camera does it's thing and see what the voltage is. If it's still correct, you've got electronic gremlins.
 
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FilmNerd

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Thanks for the idea of using a multi-meter. I opened a fresh battery that I recently bought and measured the voltage (6.52v). I put i in the camera and it took 8 shots before the problem happened. I took the battery out and checked the voltage and it showed 6.38v. Once I put the battery back in, the camera worked fine for 3 more shots until it happened again. I should point out when this happens the shutter stays open until I remove the battery. I'm guessing there is some gremlin inside that is causing the problem. I will probably send it in for an estimate, but I'm thinking this may be costly to repair.
 

benjiboy

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Paying to have your equipment professionally maintained is part of being a
serious photographer, if you need to come back with pictures, not excuses.
 
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FilmNerd

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I called a few Camera Repair shops today and described the problem. One of them said it sounds like a sticky switch and may not be a big deal to repair.
 
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FilmNerd

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At the suggestion of a friend, I have tried taking one photo every 30 seconds instead of one right after the other. As is turns out, if I take a photo and then wait at least 30 seconds before advancing the film to the next frame, the problem doesn't happen. This is promising as I usually don't take one shot right after the other.

Also, I called Mamiya today and they said they no longer repair this model
 

trythis

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KEH bought all the mamiya parts you might give them a call. Mamiya directed me to KEH, when I called them about my M645.
 
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