Mamiya RZ67 repair & common faults
Excellent coverageThe Mamiya RZ67 is a professional medium format SLR built from 1982, shooting 6x7cm frames through a bellows focusing system and interchangeable film backs. Unlike its mechanical predecessor the RB67, its lens shutters are electronically triggered, so the whole camera depends on a healthy battery to fire at all.
Electronically triggered leaf shutter in each lens · Bellows focusing · Interchangeable roto film backs with dark slide interlock · 6V lithium battery · Mirror lock via electromagnet
Common Mamiya RZ67 faults
Mamiya RZ67 shutter won't fire
On the RZ67 the shutter release is electronic, not mechanical, so a flat or corroded battery is the single most common cause of a dead shutter. Check the battery is fresh and seated before assuming a fault. If a new battery makes no difference, the release electromagnet or its contacts in the body or lens are the likely culprit, and that's a proper bench job.
Mamiya RZ67 mirror stuck up
The RZ67 uses an electromagnet to hold and release the mirror, and the mirror return mechanism relies on ageing foam bumpers and springs that harden or perish with time. A mirror that stays up after firing usually points to worn damping foam or a sluggish return spring rather than the electromagnet itself. It's a mechanical wear issue, common on cameras of this age.
Mamiya RZ67 film back leaking light
Fogged or streaked frames on the RZ67 usually trace to the film back rather than the body, since the backs seal against the body with foam and a dark slide interlock that both degrade with age. Confirm the dark slide is fully seated and the back is latched before use. Persistent fogging after that points to perished light seals inside the back.
Mamiya RZ67 lens won't cock or wind on
Each RZ67 lens carries its own shutter, which couples to the body's wind mechanism through a drive pin, and a lens that won't cock or a body that won't wind on usually means that coupling has slipped, jammed, or worn. It can also follow a lens being removed mid-cycle. Confirm the mode dial and back are correctly seated first.
Mamiya RZ67 meter prism not reading
The metered prism finder for the RZ67 runs on its own battery and CdS cell, separate from the body's shutter power, so a dead or blank meter readout often just means that cell needs replacing. If a fresh battery doesn't restore it, the CdS cell or its wiring inside the prism has likely failed, ageing components on a finder this old.
Mamiya RZ67 bellows light leak
Focusing on the RZ67 moves the whole lens standard on a bellows rather than a helicoid, and that bellows material can crack or pinhole with age, letting light onto the film especially at longer extensions. Unexplained streaks or fogging that vary with focus distance point here rather than the film back. It's a material failure, not a mechanical fault.
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Try it now ›Scatto is a reference tool for people who service film cameras. It explains mechanisms and quotes service data, but it cannot see your camera at the bench, so verify anything load-bearing before you act on it.