Scheider leaf shutter stuck open

[calindustries]

HELP

On a job and one of the schneider lenses I am using with 645DF+ body is acting up. The leaf shutter on the 55mm won't stay open to view. It shoots ok, but the shutter stays closed between shots and when the lens is off the camera. The 80mm LS is working fine. Any pointers on how to get this open???

Thanks,
Craig

[Doug Peterson]

Impossible to know without more details, but sounds like the leaf shutter is kaputt.

Since the Phase One body also has a focal plane shutter as a temporary remedy you can disable the leaf shutter using the custom functions on the body or through the digital back menu and use the lens at a max flash sync of 1/125. [the custom function is labeled "Shutter in M/X" and "Shutter in T/A" and can be set to "Focal Plane Only" rather than "Mixed"]. If you absolutely need fast flash sync then of course this is not a remedy that is helpful, but if you don't need fast flash sync then the lens will work just the same.*

Probably better to contact your dealer than try to get support here, especially as you're in the middle of the shoot. They can step you through the repair process, if indeed one is needed, and can offer troubleshooting steps (cleaning body/lens contacts, firmware reset on body, custom function reset on the body, new batteries off the top of my head) to make sure that is the case. More importantly they can do so over the phone in real time rather than wait for posts/updates here.

*This remedy will only work if the problem is the leaf shutter and not some other electronic or mechanical failure.

[calindustries]

The weird thing is the shutter actually works. It just stays closed between shots. I can shoot and see an image, but just cant focus and compose through the viewfinder. The shutter is closed when the lens is off the body as well. The whole system is a rental through Fotocare. They have been good as far as they are overnighting a new lens to us, but the fact that the shoot is only a 2 day job is, well, you know. We had to revert to canon for any shots that couldn't be shot with the 80 or the 120 we have here. Bummer, as this is not the first time that using this system has given me troubles that just grabbing the Canon and shooting didn't (I've used the same body with Phase branding and IQ backs before and had different issues). I would hope that for this much money that a system costs to buy (or even to rent, like in this case), that you can pick it up and it works. I want to like it, I really do, but it keeps letting me down and in different ways every time...

-C