Re: Leica M Film Loading Confirmation
- From: Tony Polson <tp@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 13:36:01 +0100
michael.j.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
>Thanks, Chris! Tried it again and its working fine. Any harm in
>crimping the film leader to make it hold more securely in the take-up
>spool?
There is nothing to be gained from crimping the film, and there is a
distinct possibility that you will actually cause a problem, because
the crimp will allow the film to slip out of the take-up spool.
Once you have learned to use the loading system, you will find it is
one of the fastest and most reliable systems there is. Here are a few
pointers:
1. Make sure the film leader is long enough to go fully into
the take-up spool. Too short and it may slip out. Too long and you
cannot be 100% sure that it will engage properly on the sprocket
wheel. [You can lengthen the leader with the canister still in the
camera but to shorten it you need to take the film out again.]
2. Ensure that you keep the leader and canister straight when
inserting it into the camera. On the M1-M6 models this is easy to do.
You gently push the film in straight with both thumbs and the canister
follows. [The friction caused by the DX contacts in the M7 mean that
you have to push the canister too.]
3. Ensure that the canister is fully home, then (gently) align the
film with the chromed film rails and (gently) align the perforations
with the sprocket. This is the most important aspect, because the
film *must* lie within the outer rails and the *must* be located
properly on the sprocket, otherwise the film can tear.
4. Gently close the back and refit the base. Very gently rotate the
rewind crank clockwise to take up slack - turn it too far and you will
mess up all your good work so far, so you must be gentle.
5. Wind on to position "1", releasing the shutter as you go and making
sure that the rewind crank rotates counter-clockwise each time you
wind the film. That's it. [Yes, it is supposed to move. It will
only stay still if you forget to take up the slack as in 4. above.]
Once you have learnt this routine, it becomes second nature, and film
loading can be done very quickly indeed. I have only had one problem
with loading film and that was when I did not take the necessary care
at stage 3. above.
Unloading is extremely rapid; with the M1-M6 models, after rewinding,
the film just drops out. [With the M7 you have to pull the film
canister out back because the DX contacts offer more than enough
friction to hold it in.]
The advice I have given might seem complex, but the reality is very
simple - and quick, once you have done it a few times.
The only 35mm cameras I have ever used that have had quicker loading
than the Leica M bodies are those with systems similar to the Canon QL
system. You insert the canister, extract the correct length of
leader, and close the back. However, in my experience, those systems
can still cause film loading problems whereas the Leica M system, used
carefully, is very reliable indeed.
Enjoy your M4.
;-)
.
- References:
- Leica M Film Loading Confirmation
- From: michael . j . hoffman
- Re: Leica M Film Loading Confirmation
- From: Chris Loffredo
- Re: Leica M Film Loading Confirmation
- From: michael . j . hoffman
- Leica M Film Loading Confirmation
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