Jorge, Sheldon, Skeeter: you were right re MP

[colin jackson]

I feel very foolish. As Red Green says the 3 hardest words for a

man are I WAS WRONG then second YOU WERE RIGHT.

 

I have tried the careful method you have outlined loading the film

and that I used to use before I got sloppy (and for some reason

got away with for so long!) and have not been able to recreate my

problem. (See "MP exposures off centre")

Making sure the film is sitting between the guides snuggly after

advancing a frame to see all is well before closing the door is

seems to be the key in this case. Also that the sprockets are

engaged.

After this I will take all precautions as you suggest.

I still suspect something else is happening here that would

explain why I got away with my drop and close method so long.

But in reality just my stupidity.

Thanks again guys for what was good advice.

[SolaresLarrave]

Colin,

 

The very same thing happened to me a couple of rolls ago: I dropped the film and put the bottom plate on... only to NOT see the rewind knob turn. Opened the camera and, voilà, the sprocket and the film weren't in speaking terms.

 

This one time when I forgot to push the film one little bit into the tulip was enough.

 

Hey, even the most experienced Leica user misloads the camera at times. In fact, the very guy who taught me how to do it, a Leica representative who comes to Central Camera in Chicago, inadvertedly misloaded my camera while showing me how to do it. Sure, opening it and making sure the sprocket and film are engaged saves a lot of aggravation.

 

Glad you didn't need to send the body to NJ. Have fun shooting!

[ronald_moravec1]

The circular device with the cutouts is supposed to located the film bottom edge preventing slipping down.

 

Load with the door open with a used film and make sure everything is working ok.

 

The sprocket holes are supposed to engage automatically, but I always check mine.

[john_shriver]

I suppose this is an advantage of the bottom-loading screwmount Leica and Canon cameras -- it is so obviously tricky to load them that you are forced to concentrate really hard and get it right. (No failures for me over dozens of rolls.)

 

Reminds me of a recent study that obviously dangerous roads are safer, people subconsciously slow down and are more careful. For instance, tight rotaries/circles/roundabouts instead of a traffic light. Give people a better road, and they drive more than proporitionately faster.

[paul_neuthaler]

You wouldn't have made that mistake with a screwmount Leica!

[Tony Rowlett]

See, that's a great reason to switch to digital. That lame old film. It ought to go extinct or something.

[huw_finney]

When loading my M6, I wind 1/2 a stroke with the bottom off, back open just to check all is engaged.

 

Tony, a bad workman blames his tools ;7)

[jorge]

Colin,

 

No need to feel bad. I'm glad it turned to be something so simple. This way you won't be without your camera for three weeks only to have it returned to you with a "nothing wrong" diagnosis.

 

Now, you might want to get the best fix there is for that; a conversion to a M2 removable spool... ;-)

[cameron_sawyer]

On the contrary, the loading mechanism doesn't work with the bottom plate off. So it's useless to wind on with the camera open. Just drop in the film and close it as God and Wetzlar intended. Like with any non-digital camera, you must observe the rewind crank while winding to the first crame. Since giving up the useless attempts to observe the initial wind with the camera open, scores of rolls ago, I have not had a single misload. And I have learned to love the M4 style rapid loading system which seemed so odd at first.

[wmwhee]

I like the rapid loading system of my M7 camera a lot--it sure beats wrestling with film catridge, film leader, and take-spool on Leica screwmount cameras or even fiddling with the take-up spool on early Leica M cameras. I do as Cameron Sawyer does and observe the rewind crank while advancing the film to the first frame. So far the rapid loading system has worked like a charm.