Who am I? Why this site?

My name is Nicolas. I am not a professional repair technician, and this site is not meant to replace a real repair workshop.

I started as an amateur photographer, drawn to film, medium format, and these old mechanical/electronic cameras. This site was born from a simple need: keep a clear record of what I learn while repairing, testing, and documenting vintage gear, mainly around the Mamiya 645 and RZ67 systems.

Portrait of Nicolas — Nicolas - author of Nicos Mamiya's doc

A learning approach

I started like many people do: with cameras sold as "for parts", "defekt", or "junk". You open them, observe, doubt, make mistakes, and eventually understand that old cameras cannot be diagnosed in a single layer.

Why publish these notes?

Valuable information exists, but it is fragmented: service manuals, old forums, videos, workshop notes, and trial-and-error experience. Manuals are essential, but they do not always tell the full reality of bench work.

A careful method

A successful repair on one body does not guarantee the same method will work everywhere. I prefer a slow approach: observe, understand sequence logic, clean only where needed, test, wait, retest, and conclude.

Why Mamiya?

Because these machines are fascinating, robust, and demanding: accessible enough to learn from, yet complex enough to stay genuinely interesting.

What this site is not

a repair service;
a guaranteed repair outcome;
an official Mamiya source;
a certified professional manual.

Caution: opening an old camera can damage it permanently. If your camera has strong sentimental or financial value, a qualified repair technician is often the safest option.

What I hope to contribute

I simply hope these notes help others better understand their cameras, avoid common mistakes, and keep a few great machines alive instead of forgotten in storage.