Pentax 645N

Photo-gear · Nov 7, 2015

Hi, I am considering to purchase a Pentax 645N.

But my concern is the following: in case I have to fix the camera, where could I refer to?

I wrote to Erick Hendrickson and he told me he has no parts.

Does someone have a reference regarding this camera in terms of maintenance?

Pioneer · Nov 7, 2015

If Eric is not able to help then I would touch base with Bellamy at JapanCameraHunter.com. It may take a touch longer (or perhaps not) but he has pretty good contacts in Japan and may be able to locate a repair service for you.

Anything can fail but, all that aside, the Pentax 645 series is pretty robust. I have owned two for quite awhile and neither have hiccuped once.

Photo-gear · Nov 8, 2015

Photo-gear · Nov 8, 2015

Mr Hendrickson confirmed he could also fix the camera. He just doesn't carry the parts.

GRHazelton · Nov 8, 2015

Photo-gear said:
Mr Hendrickson confirmed he could also fix the camera. He just doesn't carry the parts.

As a happy 645n user, I'm glad that Erik can fix it should it need repair. I guess this means that he can get the parts, but doesn't keep them on hand???

Photo-gear · Nov 8, 2015

GRHazelton said:
As a happy 645n user, I'm glad that Erik can fix it should it need repair. I guess this means that he can get the parts, but doesn't keep them on hand???

Unfortunately, he said he has no parts. I also wrote to Japan camera hunter and I have been told that parts are very hard to find.

pentaxuser · Nov 9, 2015

I am puzzled. Is he saying that the only repairs he can do simply involves tightening screws/ cleaning and that any repair that involves changing parts is not possible?

As a lot of repair involves parts it just seem a strange definition of repairs? Are you sure he is saying that he cannot obtain any spares at all?

pentaxusery

Photo-gear · Nov 9, 2015

I wish I knew.
His answer was very short.

mklw1954 · Nov 10, 2015

It's strange that the repair guys are not buying parts cameras. Maybe there are very few or none available, which shows how reliable the cameras are. I have been using a P645 manual focus system for many years without any problems.

pentaxpete · Nov 10, 2015

This news does not bide well for a Lady member of my Club here in UK -- her husband died in his darkroom in 1992 and left some gear including a 'hardly ever used' P645n -- well I kept telling the widow I would check it all out for her over many years but she would not get out camera , then finally a couple of years ago I was round her house photographing her for a local newspaper and she gave me a good enlarger lens and brought out two Pentax Boxes -- inside one was a MINT standard lens and in the other was the P645n body. So I finally got to see it -- it did not work -- when Ii tried to open battery holder it would not come out so I warned her there may be some 'bad news' and she let me take it home . After much trying even with a little WD40 out came battery holder -- all corroded , green and plastic broken -- I cleaned up all the contacts then read online there was a hidden 'Lithium' Battery as well for the 'memory' of the LCD readout that could only be changed by PENTAX -- so I had to give it back and tell her the Bad News -- if only she had let me check it out in 1992 not 2013 I could have saved the corrosion !

Photo-gear · Nov 10, 2015

mklw1954 said:
It's strange that the repair guys are not buying parts cameras. Maybe there are very few or none available, which shows how reliable the cameras are. I have been using a P645 manual focus system for many years without any problems.

I think the auto-focus era doesn't last that long compared to the mechanic camera, and this combined to the fact that the 645N appeared on the market just before the digital cameras, so parts aren't that available.

Photo-gear · Nov 10, 2015

pentaxpete said:
This news does not bide well for a Lady member of my Club here in UK -- her husband died in his darkroom in 1992 and left some gear including a 'hardly ever used' P645n -- well I kept telling the widow I would check it all out for her over many years but she would not get out camera , then finally a couple of years ago I was round her house photographing her for a local newspaper and she gave me a good enlarger lens and brought out two Pentax Boxes -- inside one was a MINT standard lens and in the other was the P645n body. So I finally got to see it -- it did not work -- when Ii tried to open battery holder it would not come out so I warned her there may be some 'bad news' and she let me take it home . After much trying even with a little WD40 out came battery holder -- all corroded , green and plastic broken -- I cleaned up all the contacts then read online there was a hidden 'Lithium' Battery as well for the 'memory' of the LCD readout that could only be changed by PENTAX -- so I had to give it back and tell her the Bad News -- if only she had let me check it out in 1992 not 2013 I could have saved the corrosion !

Amazing how a brand new camera can get out of order without being used...

mklw1954 · Nov 13, 2015

The lithium battery to preserve LCD settings when the AA battery pack is removed was only on the original manual focus Pentax 645, which I have, and not on the 645n or 645nii.

And by the way, the lithium battery can be accessed for checking and replacement simply by using snap ring pliers to remove the battery cover.

Pentax 645N

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