[jnmullins]

I just got back from a trip to Alaska and while I was there, my 645 decided it no longer wants to consistently wind the film on to the next frame. The shutter fires fine, but I either have to remove and reinstall the battery pack several times until it finally decides to wind or to use a pair of pliers to manually wind on to the next frame. Batteries were brand new Energizer Lithium AAs that I put in a week or two before I left and the backup battery was replaced at the same time. It did the same thing with both my 45-85mm and 200mm lenses.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have another 645 body that can be a donor if surgery is required.

[Jonathan Mac]

The only thing I can think of other than an electronic or mechanical failure is that maybe the 645 doesn't like lithium batteries. I have an old Minolta compact film camera which takes AAs but has a warning note not to use lithiums (I don't know why).

[Silent Street]

I noticed in your text that you had lithium AA batteries installed. It is a well known trait that lithium batteries have a very steep and sudden end-of-life curve that can leave anything from cameras to motor drives in limbo when they die very suddenly. That means even though the battery indicator may show half-full, there is far less than that available on tap and failure is not far away. Replacing them with new lithium batteries may not necessarily clear the problem. The best solution is to use high capacity rechargeable batteries (e.g. Eneloop) or equivalent AA alkaline batteries, even if at a significant weight penalty over lithium.

[yurihuta]

Have you tried raising the battery contact tabs in the battery pack and the ones in the camera body (that the battery holder makes contact with)?
I have a 645n body that I raised the contacts on that solved a similar issue.
Perhaps over time these contacts become compressed and give intermittent power?

[Alex645]

my 645 decided it no longer wants to consistendddtly wind the film on to the next frame. The shutter fires fine, but I either have to remove and reinstall the battery pack several times until it finally decides to wind or to use a pair of pliers to manually wind on to the next frame.

If the shutter is firing but the film is not winding, it's not a power issue. I use lithium AA and if anything, they've been much better than alkalines.

Although what you describe has never happened to me, I had a student that had this problem and it turned out the gears were worn on his 645. But that doesn't make sense for you if you can manually wind the film. BTW: On the bottom of the 645 is a round knob that you can unscrew by hand or with a coin. This knob can then be inserted into the side of your camera for manual firing and film advancing.

I love the 645, but the electronics on it seem easily affected by electromagnetic fields. I'm not an engineer, but after 30 years and hundreds of rolls, I've been frustrated by the occasional "ghost in the machine". In Hawaii where the earth's crust is thin, and thus volcanic activity and magnetic-rich iron content red soil, I've had "anomalies" on active and dormant volcanoes (Maui and the Big Island). Alaska is on the "ring of fire" and also closer to the magnetic pole.

Years ago when I managed a photo lab, Noritsu would send us solar storm forecasts from Japan because their processors were affected during high solar activity and we'd have days where all kinds of anomalies would prevent us from reliably producing prints in an hour.

Now that you're home, have you run a test roll and does it still have the problem?

[jnmullins]

I have replaced the batteries with new Energizer alkalines and swapped over my spare battery compartment/grip, with no luck. After some additional testing, it appears that my battery holder may be flaky - my multimeter only reads 5-6 volts from it, with an occasional 8-9 volts; it should read about 9 volts (6x1.5v). A 9V battery held in contact with the terminals makes the camera work a little better in that I only have to turn the power switch on and off once or twice for it to wind the film.

Any other ideas - would the remote battery pack maybe work? Or is it time to upgrade to a 645N?

Thanks again.

The winder knob is missing from this body and my old one that stopped working too.