Abrahamsson "Barnack" Winder for LTM

[julio_m]

I would appreciate comments from actual users of the screw mount version - NOT the M version. Thank

you.

[greg j. lorenzo]

I use one with my IIIF. It is a great feature for the Thread Mounts as it really speeds up the film advance process. (i.e. you can get more shots in without have to take the camera away from your eye).

 

Regards,

 

Greg

[raymond_tai]

I have two of them on IIIg and IIIf bodies. Before trying to use the Barnack winder it is very important to get a complete CLA for the body otherwise it will not work. Another caveat is that unlike M bodies which will not fire the shutter until you have completely advanced one revolution the Barnack bodies will trip the shutter even if you haven't 100% followed through. It will take some practice to get it right.

[christopher_a._junker1]

Raymond is 100% correct. I use both the original Leitz Leicavit and the Abrahamsson winder. The Abrahamsson winder is a tighter fit than the Leicavit on both my IIIf and IIIg bodies and is built to last. A great accessory for LTM bodies especially if you are left handed and shoot quickly. Very quick handling, especially if you mount a bright line finder. I have never had a film load or film feed problem using the Abrahamsson winder. The only improvement that could be made is somehow to engineer it so you could use the trigger to rewind the exposed film as well as advance it.

[tom5]

I have one but don't use it as much as I thought I would, mainly because it adds bulk to a

small camera. I have several LTM bodies that the winder will fit, and all have been CLA'ed,

but there is variation in smoothness between the bodies. The best performance is with a Ig -

very smooth. I actually got the winder to use with my If and Ig, with brightline finders. Set

the hyperfocal distance on a 28 or 35 mm lens and click away.

[raymond_tai]

Yeah the Barnack winder is really tempermental like early MS Windows. When I got my first

winder I had both of my IIIf's CLA'd but I could never get smooth operation with the black

dial while it worked perfectly with the red dial. I found a second winder cheap second

hand

and that one wouldn't work right with the black dial either. One day by chance I had that

winder with me at a camera shop and I tried it on the IIIg on display and they worked

perfectly together so I bought the camera!! Funny thing I now have two winders on two

bodies but if I swapped them they would hardly wind at all. While it is true the winder

adds bulk

to a small camera I prefer that because I can hold it steadier perhaps due to the bulk and

the extra gripping surface that is the winding crank under the camera.

[julio_m]

Thank you; you have all been great.

Besides individual body fit, any issues while loading/winding film? Thank you again.

[raymond_tai]

Loading/winding film. No difference in loading but when you attach the winder the pin on

the drive has to mate with the groove on the spool and this may be tricky at first but you'll

get the hang of it. This is the reason for the CLA because unless the gears are all perfectly

smooth that little pin won't be able to turn the spool, unlike turning the advance nob where

you can apply more direct force.

[christopher_a._junker1]

Loading with the Leicavit or Abrahamsson windr is the same as with the standard LTM baseplate. You still need to trim ABLON style. I backwind slightly to tension the film, then knkob wind on and click off the first two frames. Baseplate winder is used for the rest of the roll. Coming to the end of the roll, don't even think about force winding the last frame with the baseplate winder. I've never had a feed problem with either winder.

[francois_gaboury]

Another point is that using the winder brings a nice add-on weight and height to the screwmount making it easier to hold, where I found the winder on an M makes the camera too big (for me). As said, good idea to get a CLA even if you don't plan to use the winder.