Advice

[zdenek]

Hi all!

 

I noticed, more or less by chance, that the pictures on the negatives often are

not positioned symmetrically between the perforations. This is not dependent on

film brand. Sometimes the bottom of the picture lines up with the upper ridge

of lower perforation. Did you observe something like that? Is this feature the

reason to get my camera (MP) serviced? Thanks.

 

Zdenek

[jtdnyc]

Years ago I had the same situation. The problem turned out to be the inconsistent way I was loading the film into the camera, rather than any defect in the film or camera itself.

 

Are you following the loading directions to the letter? I know people often suggest various techniques for avoiding misloads, but I have found the best technique is to do exactly what Leica recommends.

[james mitchell dc]

I had this problem with a Nikon F5, but never with a Leica M. As Jonathan said, consistent loading is the key to avoiding this.

[dan flanders]

In any camera with a removable take-up spool there is the possibility that the spool is not firmly seated, causing the film to run on a slight diagonal to the gate. Be sure that the spool is all the way in and that the perforations align properly with the sprockets.

[rjm photo]

With any Leica I own, M or IIIF, I always make certain both takeup spool and film container are pushed in fully as well as I make sure I can see (even with the IIIF) that the take up sprockets have engaged the film leader before I attach the back. This works with my other brand rangefinder cameras as well as SLRs (up to but not including the Nikon F4s - where you draw the leader up to a certain point, shut the back and the camera does the rest).

 

I have never had misaligned frames and I always get maximum amount of exposures on the roll, most of the time one extra.

[zdenek]

Thank you all for responses. Next time I will be more careful about loading the film. I would like to find that the fault is on my side, not my camera. :)

 

Zdenek

[pc_b]

Hi Zdenek,

be calm, no sending in of your MP is required. Heck, even Henry the Master misloaded

from time to time as some of his pictures show!

 

Going the by the (Leica-)letter is a good piece of advice from Jonathan. But they've

ommitted trick number 122 (see below).

 

Contrary to your (new version of a ?) MP, all my Leicas load the roll/cartrigde a bit too

deep into the body so my negs regularly

show about half as much safety margin on the sky side than on the bottom side (speaking

in terms of the negative picture). But no 'negs with holes in them' so far (in 6 years).

 

You, however, seem to load the film not deep enough into the

camera.

 

That's why I'm quite sure Leica loading trick no. 122 will help: after having pulled out

enough

of the leader to get it nicely between the sprockets of the take-up spool, press the

cartridge

with one of your fingers gently towards the rewind mechanism whilst rocking the rewind

knob

(in

extended position) back and forth.

You may feel that in maybe 30% of all loadings the cartridge will move another 50th

of an inch (0.5mm) further into the camera. This will make all the difference and get the

'grass out of the film

sprockets'!

 

...then finish loading as prescribed by Leica....

 

Cheers, Pete