Film Loading

I've had problems with loading film in my M6 (bought in 1995 or so) on and off

since I've owned it. In the past, though, if I was hyper-vigilent about

putting some tension on the rewind crank and making sure it turned with each

film advance, I was okay. Still, I'd say there were at least 5 or 6 occassions

when I "shot" an entire roll that never loaded. I'd always assumed it was some

form of manual dexterity/technique issue on my part, although I've never run

into similar issues with other cameras.

 

Recently, however, it's come to the point where I can't get the film to load,

period. The leader routined slips off the spool, no matter how I preposition

it. I guess I'm finally ready to suspect a defect, although the mechanism

strikes me as so simple it still strikes me as unlikely.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions? Recently I had to leave the Leica behind and use,

in it's stead, a disposable Kodak camera because there wasn't time to grab

anything else. Sadly, I found it liberating to be shooting with the additional

confidence that the disposable afforded me, i.e., no wondering "I really,

really hope the film loaded."

 

Thanks in advance,

Al

I have found that there are two vital steps to getting the film to load every time:

1. When you feed the leader to sit across the pick up spool tabs make certain that the bottom edge of the film is right down into the bottom groove of the camera base. (Check by ensuring the film top edce is paralell with the camera base)

2. Close the rear flap and hold it shut whilst you wind on.

 

I now have no trouible.

Make sure you have enough leader going through the take-up spool. When I've had film slip

off the take-up spool numerous times, I put just a little bend in the end of the leader, not a

crip, just a slight bend, about a 1/4" down.

You might already be doing this, but here it is anyway:

<ol>

<li>Put the film leader all the way through the take up reel so that some of the leader

protrudes through the other side

<li>As you wind the film slowly, make sure the sproket holes line up with the sprokets in

the back. If not, use your thumb to gently guide the film to align with the sprokets.

<li>Wind it all the way (i.e. fully cocked)

<li> take up the tension with the rewind lever

<li> close up and wind a couple of shots, watching the rewind lever to make sure it's

turning.

</ol>

Don't forget it's not the take-up spool that pulls the film through the camera, it's the sprockets.

Make sure the sprocket is engaged in the film perforation before you close the back and you'll have no more trouble.

Usually you will find that the leader has a kink in it which often prevents it laying on the upper guide properly when you load, and this prevents the film perforation engaging on the sprocket.

geoff - are you just reading off this from some online aritcles? there isn't any sprockets i can see in my m6. my Nikon f100 does those "teeth" clearly in view.

 

asher gave a good step-by-step instruction.

m, look at the right side with the back open...

M, like Ken said, right side with the back open, on the lower side you'll see the sprockets.

 

Albert, the best way to master this is practice. Pick a roll of film to do this several times, but by no means kink or fold or bend the leader, because the bent tip may cause damage to the curtains when you rewind it. Hence, extend the leader well into the prongs, be generous, make sure the film holes engage in the sprocket's teeth, and close the camera.

 

Practice with a roll of film. Load, close the camera, shoot and advance. If the rewind knob turns, you did it right. Again, keep in mind the sprockets.

 

In case you care to know... I had this happen to me a lot during my first months of Leica ownership. I was pissed because I didn't know if it was my fault or the camera's. One day I spoke to a Leica representative during a Photography Fair at Central Camera, in Chicago, and he gave me a hands on demonstration of the loading process and it was so simple I felt stupid. However, once back at home, I repeated his steps (drop roll, extend leader, insert in tulip and make it so that a few milimiters go to the other side, make sure the holes and teeth coincide, turn rewind knob or advance film a bit to tense film, close camera).

 

Practice makes the master, Albert... and you won't misload again. I went as far as to practice in the dark, just for the heck of it (I was bored), and never had a misload again.

Don't over-think this, when I did I was getting 50% mis-loads, when I just put the film in made sure the film was roughtly in the gate, close the back, put the bottom on and then wind on a couple of times while watching the re-wind lever, it worked nearly 99% of the time.

 

I found that if I followed Asher's step 2 this usually caused me to screw up. You don't have to worry about aligning the sprockets as the plastic thing on the bottom plate takes care of that. Just make sure that the film is roughly in place.

 

Also, don't have the leader protrude too far into the tulip. Make sure it's in there and not all the way through.

I make a small W with the film leader and put the last bit all the way through the tulip. I make sure the film holes are lined up with the advancing roll sprockets. I close it up and don't accept that the job is done until I see the take up reel move as I advance the frames. I have never had a misload this way. It's not really possible if all that is done.

 

What I mean to say is that if you confirm that the take up reel is moving when you advance the film, you do not have to worry about having committed loading errors.

IMHO the most important step is after you close the camera, tension slightly the rewind know/lever, and as you click off the shots up to your first frame OBSERVE the rewind knob rotating. If it doesn't, you need re-engage the film. The few occasions in the last 35 years I've been in such a hurry that I forgot to check, seems to have been the times I was shooting blanks.

thank you all for pointing me the right spot to look for sprockets. i never looked at my camera that closely and it is good to know how it actually works.

m - No I wasn't reading from a web site, that's how I load my M7. It's true I don't have an M6, but I don't think there's a difference in the film transport.

 

Ron - You DO have to worry about aligning the sprockets as frequently the kink in the film leader stops the film going up far enough to lay on the sprockets.

Geoff, your precaution is the same as mine; I used a IIf for years and it had a prong on the bottom plate to align the film that was head and shoulders better than the IIIc. So when I went to the M6 I also had problems until I made sure the film was flat and engaged the sprockets before I start shooting. You can't depend on the film to align itself!

Geoff,

 

I don't dispute that you're method doesn't work. But the Leica loading system is designed to self-guide to a certain extent.

 

As long as the film is laying approximately within the upper and lower guides the sprockets will naturally engage because of the plastic 'plunger' attached to the baseplate. Of course the kink in the film has to be worked around to make sure that the film is actually between the guides.

 

When I started shooting with M's some suggested winding on before putting the baseplate back on to ensure that the sprockets had engaged. I had a high number of foul ups using this technique.

 

I don't put a 'W' in the film leader, I roughly place the film between the guides, I let the 'plunger' place the film, I tension the film with the rewind wheel and then watch the rewind wheel turn on wind-on. I haven't had a misload problem in years ...

 

YMMV

I'll just reiterate what someone else said

"close up and wind a couple of shots, watching the rewind lever to make sure it's turning"

 

You get into this habit with older cameras. If there is a mechanical something I can watch (and there usually is with mechanical cameras) watch and verify that the film is winding.

Funny you should mention LTM's Dan.

 

When I first got my IIIc I read about film loading from Stephen Gandy's site, I was horrified. Set the camera to the T setting, fire the shutter, take the lens off, use your fingers to align the film, make sure it winds on .... geez what an operation.

 

I thought to myself 'the engineers at Leitz were smart and would know that most people wouldn't follow too complex a loading procedure.'

 

So, I trimmed the leader, stuck it into the take-up spool, put it in the camera, put the baseplate back on, fired the shutter, wound-on (watched the rewind knob) ... I've never had a mis-load. This has worked on my III, IIIc and IIIf.

<if I was hyper-vigilent about putting some tension on the rewind crank and making sure it turned with each film advance, I was okay. Still, I'd say there were at least 5 or 6 occassions when I "shot" an entire roll that never loaded>

 

There is no need to watch it turn on every film advance. Equally you can't ignore it for an entire film. Just do what you are meant to do which is watch it turn whilst winding on for the first couple of frame advances only then forget about it!

I've owned several copies of the M6 dating from the earliest Wetzlar versions and one of the things I loved most about the camera was how easy it was to load. Follow the diagram imprinted on the chassis, slap the baseplate on and wind. I've never had a misload over thousands of rolls. One possibility I can think of is some kind of problem with the film travel path in your unit causing more friction on the leader than normal, preventing it from loading correctly. The other thing is, I don't know how it's possible to shoot a misloaded roll, as there should be a very distinct tension difference in the winding mechanism when comparing an empty camera to a properly loaded one. Maybe it's time for a trip to service?

For a visual cue, I leave the little rewind knob in the "up" position while I wind on the 2 'leader' frames. This reminds me to watch it. If it doesn't move, I've got a problem. If it's moving, I fold it back into place and I'm set.

Leica has had less than 40 years to develope their loading system. Just give them a little more time, and it'll be perfected. Meanwhile, be prepared to miss a few good shots.

There is a film folding technique that is guaranteed to work.

 

Also, check that your rewind crank actually turns when you wind the film lever.

Wai-Leong Lee, Sep 20, 2007; 10:27 p.m.<P>check that your rewind crank actually turns when you wind the film lever.<P>AMEN to that, Mr. Lee! It's important on all cameras, but Leicas are prime offenders.

"It's important on all cameras, but Leicas are prime offenders."<p> Not the Leica but the bloke behind it!

Mr. Gadge has the right idea, but everybody is forgetting one thing...

 

If the rewind knob isn't absolutely smooth in its action, such as a sticky rewind shaft from congealed lubricant or grit; the backpressure to the loading will cause the film tip to ever so slightly, pull back from the quick load "tulip".

 

Clean & relub the rewind knob mechanism. It can also make for a smoother feel during the advance stroke. Gus