Originally posted by Pentaxke Recently the camera went dead: as far as I can tell the shutter died. He already sent it to Pentax with a quote of 800€. Since you can have this camera for less second hand he declined repair.
Now the question: are their third party repair shops who can handle the Pentax 645?
Are there others?
What was the repair estimate from Pentax? In other words, did they detail what had to be fixed or replaced? By far, the most common issue with the 645 is the power grip. Corrosion on the battery contacts is the #1 problem. Then sometimes itʻs the contact between the grip and the body that needs cleaning. If he knows of anyone else with a 645 that is working, and can just test his with the other power grip....
Has he tried to use the camera manually? By unscrewing the manual winding knob on the bottom of the camera, he can then attach it to the side with the manual winding screw. This manual knob doubles as the shutter release in manual. Does the camera work with manual winding and shutter release? Remember, you can only test the shutter release with film or with the back cover plate on (used when no back is on the camera).
Also, has he checked the power on his lithium battery cell on the bottom of the camera? By taking the power grip off and taking the cell out, you can sort of reboot the camera if itʻs a electronic glitch.
For repairs, have you inquired with keh.com? Bit of a hassle for you because of EU v. US but I canʻt imagine what would cost 800 euros short of a total overhaul of gears, motor, CPU, etc. Iʻve attached the ownerʻs manual for his reference.