[Rense]

After some sessions with my Pentax 67 it's getting quite annoying: the mirror stucking in the up position after almost every shot.
I tried a new battery, have the battery in my pocket while shooting to keep it warm.....

Any one of you having a clue what the problem could be? And what is more important: how to resolve it?

Thanks!

[JohnX]

Is there a foam 'bumper' that stops the mirror hitting (whatever) when it flips up? If so, the foam goes sticky over time and would need replacing. Common problem with SLR's of all makes.

[Rense]

Is there a foam 'bumper' that stops the mirror hitting (whatever) when it flips up? If so, the foam goes sticky over time and would need replacing. Common problem with SLR's of all makes.

Thanks John. Except for this: taking the battery out brings the mirror back in the original position.... I can't see the foam playing a role in that....

[tuco]

There is no foam on a 67 for that to be the problem. That's a new problem I've never heard of before, Rense.

See if you can manually trip the mirror. Fix the camera so you can take a shot with no film in it. Take the lens and Prism off if you're using one. Put it in that special mode between X and 1/1000th and press the shutter.

Looking at the lens mount at the 9:00 O'clock position is the aperture lever that moved down. Push it up manually. The mirror should fall. If not, maybe there is some linkage problem with the camera.

[desertscape]

I had this problem on my first Asahi 6x7 and only by removing the battery could I drop the mirror. I ended up sending to Pentax for a fix. Of course Pentax will no longer work this camera, so a suggestion would be to send to Eric Hendrickson (hope I spelled his name right). He is in the U.S. though. This failure is not that unusual with well used 6x7s and 67s.

[MysteryOnion]

Over time the electro-magnet in the camera (located deep under the release button) will need to be degaussed as the core will start to hold the shutter longer than it should as the rest of the system continues on its cycle. The latent shutter messes up the mirror cycle.

A good shop should know how to check for that and while you are at it, they should inspect any foam that may start to get a little tacky.

[Rense]

Over time the electro-magnet in the camera (located deep under the release button) will need to be degaussed as the core will start to hold the shutter longer than it should as the rest of the system continues on its cycle. The latent shutter messes up the mirror cycle.

A good shop should know how to check for that and while you are at it, they should inspect any foam that may start to get a little tacky.

Thanks a lot, and thanks for your PM too!! Much appreciated!

[paulusje]

Thanks a lot, and thanks for your PM too!! Much appreciated!

Rense, I think I may be having this exact same issue. Especially for the slower speeds like 1/30s .
Did you fix this yourself or did you send it off to a repair guy in Nederland?

[Silent Street]

Interesting comments relating to foam as a mirror stop/damper; none that I can see relating to the mirror on my 67.

[MysteryOnion]

Mirror damper is located on the lens release side... see image


Only one is needed as the other side has other means of dampening.


The other less known spot is just under the side/front panels...


In two example I own, the foam strip is hanging just over and too close to the mirror trip action.

[Silent Street]

Just as I expected: the insides of a 6x7 / 67 resemble something from Wallace & Gromit. And seemingly no need for a drop of oil now and then...

[MysteryOnion]

For future reference.

Also another cause of the hang mirror is failure to activate magnet prior to mirror going up... just had that happen while cleaning gunk out of an old 1st version 6X7 and I smushed the contact leaf and the magnet would not turn on. This also means that it is vulnerable to old foam debris and dust collecting.



Above: The red circle would be the first place to look.
The green circle would be the other.