Mamiya/Sekor Super Deluxe

[Stevopedia]

Hello everyone,

This Christmas I got a beautiful. mid-'60s vintage Mamiya/Sekor Super Deluxe from a relative. I was extremely excited to get it, but what was the first thing I (accidentally) did when I got it?

Cock the shutter, then press the self-timer. :bang:

Now I've got a beautiful vintage non-working rangefinder (the shutter doesn't trip). Can anyone help me? I'm willing to send it to someone/pay for the repair.

Super Deluxe info: http://herron.50megs.com/rangefinder.htm (scroll most of the way down) I have the f2 version, by the way.

[dmr]

Hello everyone,

Hewwo. :)

This Christmas I got a beautiful. mid-'60s vintage Mamiya/Sekor Super Deluxe from a relative. I was extremely excited to get it, but what was the first thing I (accidentally) did when I got it?

I think I'm the only one here who admits to regularly using one, and unfortunately I've had the one apart all the way to the focusing helix, shutter workings, etc.

Now I've got a beautiful vintage non-working rangefinder (the shutter doesn't trip). Can anyone help me? I'm willing to send it to someone/pay for the repair.

I'm not in the camera repair business. :) However, I'll help you on line as much as I can.

This camera has a shutter which is very similar to the one in the Canon GIII which has a well-known problem with sticking after it has not been used for a while, and also a well-known problem of having the self-timer interfere with the operation of the shutter.

Two avenues of suggestion here for you to follow:

1. If you think the self timer is causing the shutter to malfunction, remove it. In my not so humble opinion, the self-timer is a value-subtracted feature and about as useful as the proverbial screen door on the submarine. I can testify that the camera works fine without it. It's just a little crescent shaped thingy that comes out easily.

2. If the shutter sticks, try the Ronsonol trick. Just a wee bit of Ronsonol on a Q-tip applied to the shutter blades. You can access these by unscrewing the front lens element. The whole thing unscrews quite easily, actually.

You have a very good camera! The lens rivals some of the best lenses of that vintage and in many cases outperforms the excellent Canon lens on the GIII. (I have both the SD and the GIII.)

If you need specific parts, I have many of them. The one I use is a frankencamera made of parts from two of them. Unfortunately the extra shutter assembly is totally unusable. It was bent, physically damaged, by an impact which was obvious once it was disassembled.

I hope this helps. Good luck with getting it going again, it's a very good user camera. I have many shots from the SD in my gallery, some going back to the 1970s, and some recent ones on my blog.

[bmattock]

I have a Super Deluxe in 1.5. I also have a f/2 that had a frozen shutter. Never got it going, even with the usual Ronsonol trick.

[Stevopedia]

Thanks for the info, dmr.

I've never seen the inside of a camera, though, so I have no idea what I'd be doing...

Also, it may help to know that the film advance acts like the shutter is cocked, but the shutter release feels like it isn't (you can push it all the way down and nothing happens.) It very well could be the self-timer, but I really have no way of knowing.

[dmr]

Thanks for the info, dmr.

You're very welcome. :)

Also, it may help to know that the film advance acts like the shutter is cocked, but the shutter release feels like it isn't (you can push it all the way down and nothing happens.) It very well could be the self-timer, but I really have no way of knowing.

Ok, this rings a bell!

Let me see if I can explain ...

When you advance the film, it pulls this straight gear thing that moves sideways and turns a small round gear on the shutter assembly. I think you can see this if you pull the bottom plate off.

On the one I first tried to get going, but had to give up on because the front plate of the shutter assembly was bent, it acted sometimes like you described, meaning the film advance felt like it cocked the shutter, but it would not fire.

I really forget what I did to adjust this, this was over 2 years ago, but the problem was that it was ALMOST turning that gear enough, but not truly enough sometimes. It was easy to test this by moving that flat gear thing a wee bit more and getting that final click from the shutter. Then the shutter would fire correctly.

Hope this can help you.

[CLE-RF]

Hi,

I'm looking for a bit more detailed info on how to get to the shutter blades.

I own a 1.7 Super Deluxe that has the sticky blades and will be putting it up for sale, but would like to get the shutter going before I do!

Thnx 4 any time & effort

[CLE-RF]

Link is HERE (http://cgi.ebay.nl/Vintage-Mamiya-Super-Deluxe-35mm-Rangefinder-1-1-5_W0QQitemZ200242365359QQihZ010QQcategoryZ15234QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)


This is a camera with work, but the price is right it seems!

[dmr]

Hi,

Hewwo. :)

I'm looking for a bit more detailed info on how to get to the shutter blades.

You can actually get to the shutter blades without doing any major surgery.

The entire front lens group comes out quite easily in one piece. Don't do what may look intuitive and unscrew the front lens ring with a spanner. Instead, grip the very front silver ring and turn counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise). The entire front lens group will then come out and you'll have access to the front shutter blades. You can then take a Q-tip with Ronsonol on it and let it seep into the shutter blades.

If you need to get to the actual clockwork part of the shutter, it's behind the aperture ring and it does require you to tear down the front of the camera. HINT: Mark the position of the wiper assembly for the exposure resistor!

Hope this helps. :)

[CLE-RF]

hm. could be the silver ring assembly was once greased with the same sticky stuff, it won't budge. I have tried the rubber mat trick, but to no avail.

Just to make sure: counter clockwise when FACING the lens right? Not with the camera directed for shooting. This is the same direction a filter unscrews, so adding a filter to increase grip is no option...

I've added a few drops of Dukes extra refined lighter fluid (naphta) to loosen up the ring, will try again in an hour or so...

Any advice greatly appreciated, as before!

[dmr]

with the same sticky stuff, it won't budge.

If it's stuck, it will be stuck at the threaded part, which is way behind the silver part you see just in front of the shutter speed ring. If the speed ring rotates smoothly, you can be sure it's not sticking there. The threaded part is much smaller than the front of the lens assembly and screws directly into the housing of the shutter assembly.

Just to make sure: counter clockwise when FACING the lens right? Not with the camera directed for shooting. This is the same direction a filter unscrews, so adding a filter to increase grip is no option...

You are correct. It's a standard right-hand thread. Leftie-loosie, righty-tighty.

Any advice greatly appreciated, as before!

If it absolutely will not budge, you can remove the very front lens element by taking off the front threaded ring with a lens spanner. Behind the front lens element there's a larger smooth slanted surface that might give you a better grip. It's part of the whole thing that unscrews. In a worst case you could drill (think Dremel, not Black and Decker) two very small holes into this surface so you could turn it with a lens spanner.

Hope this helps. :)

[Stevopedia]

By the way, I still need my Super-Deluxe fixed, but being a poor high school student I probably don't have the skills, tools, and experience to "DIY" it.

Is there someone out there who I could ship it to for repairs? And maybe a battery?

EDIT: Reading back over your first post, dmr, how do I get to the self-timer crescent bit, and how do I get it out?

[spyder2000]

The self time gear train has interfered with more cameras than you know. Because they are rarely used, the lubricant on this gear train dries and sticks more often than any other system in the shutter.

Before sending it away, this is what I would do. All steps should be performed gently, without forcing anything.

Your goal is to get the self timer gear train to start running and continue to run until the shutter is tripped. If you are successful, do not touch the self timer again until the shutter is serviced.

If I understand you correctly, you cocked the camera, set the self timer, and pressed the shutter release. If not, stop. Don't to any of this. First, try to gently rock the self timer lever back and forth and listen for any gear train noises. Then gently apply pressure on the self timer arm in the direction movement would occur if it were not stuck. If you begin to hear the gears buzz, even a little, keep this gentle pressure on until the lever moves to the end of its travel and the shutter trips or the lever stops. In any case do not force it! Gentle is the word. Again, all you are trying to do is to get the gear train to run just enough to stop interfering with the shutter gear train.

As long as you force nothing, this procedure will not make you camera more difficult nor expensive to repair. I've done this probably a hundred times and am successful maybe half of the time.

[dmr]

Is there someone out there who I could ship it to for repairs? And maybe a battery?

I think Essex Camera in New Jersey, US, still repairs these.

As for a battery, any of the work-arounds for the old 625 mercury cell will work for this camera. I use a plain off the shelf "wrong" generic 625 and it's more than close enough for color negative film.

I finally got a "real" light meter and the SD agrees within 1/2 stop of the meter in both daylight and room light with the "wrong" 625 in the camera.

EDIT: Reading back over your first post, dmr, how do I get to the self-timer crescent bit, and how do I get it out?

You will need to remove the front lens group, the next few rings (3 small screws, IIRC) and the cover to the shutter assembly. I haven't done this since 2005, so I kind of forget some of the details, but the one tricky part is to be sure to mark the position of the one assembly that has the variable resistance part for the meter. If you don't mark this and re-assemble in the same position, the meter will be off calibration.

Next time I do something like this I will be sure to take photos of the process.