Just got a Leica iiif and Canon 50mm f1.8

Shaggysk8 · Feb 24, 2010

So any one any experience with these and well, have I done a good thing...hahaha

Xmas · Feb 24, 2010

Well you will probably need a clip on lens hood, and certaintly to carry dinky scissors to trim the film leaders.

Noel

2F/2F · Feb 24, 2010

The need for scissors is in absolutely no way a certainty. What a PITA! Just throw a business card or similar "device" over the sprockets, and the film will slip over them easily. I can load one of these cameras cleanly in under a minute, and so can anyone else (without the shakes ).

mhcfires · Feb 24, 2010

2F/2F said:
The need for scissors is in absolutely no way a certainty. What a PITA! Just throw a business card or similar "device" over the sprockets, and the film will slip over them easily. I can load one of these cameras cleanly in under a minute, and so can anyone else (without the shakes ).

Without the shakes? Hah! The best thing about my M2 is the back door which makes loading it so much easier. I have finally mastered loading the IIIa and IIIf. They are a PITA, I do carry a pair of round-nosed baby scissors in my bag to aid in loading. The business card never worked that well for me. (too clumsy, I guess) Sometimes I feel about as coordinated as a three-legged giraffe with a trick knee.

ken472 · Feb 24, 2010

I had a IIIf with a Canon 35mm lens and a 50mm Summitar for several years and loved it. In a weak moment I traded them for some Nikon gear. Somedays I wish I had the Leica back. I do love my Nikons though. The posts about newly acquired Leicas always make me nostalgic.
P.S. I never had trouble loading mine.

leicarfcam · Feb 24, 2010

2F/2F said:
The need for scissors is in absolutely no way a certainty. What a PITA! Just throw a business card or similar "device" over the sprockets, and the film will slip over them easily. I can load one of these cameras cleanly in under a minute, and so can anyone else (without the shakes ).

My average loading time the book way is under 15 seconds.. Using other methods just slows me down..

I use FILCA brass cassettes pre-loaded and cut before leaving home..

leicarfcam · Feb 24, 2010

Shaggysk8 said:
So any one any experience with these and well, have I done a good thing...hahaha

Both camera and lens are excellent quality.

If you bulk load you should find some FILCA cassettes..

I'd also get a 35mm lens and maybe the 90mm f/4 Elmar lens and a VIOOH or Imarect finder.. The 135mm Hektor or Elmar are nice lens if you want a little extra reach..

The ultimate setup though is the IIIf with 21mm f/4 CV lens

IloveTLRs · Feb 24, 2010

A IIIf and Canon 50/1.8 was my first intro to Leica. They make a nice combination.

I've shot over 150 rolls with 4 different screw-mount cameras and while loading can be a PITA, once you're used to it, it's not that bad. You just need to be careful and take your time. I usually carry around a small pair of scissors - if you don't want to, cut your leaders before you leave home. Or if you don't have any (like on an airplane), you can always rip the film with your teeth - I've done this on a number of occasions. I wouldn't recommend it (I had no choice) since bits of film can get lodged in the camera and cause headaches (more on that below.)

Once the film is loaded and the bottom cover put on, make sure the film is tight by turning the rewind lever until there is some tension felt. Then advance the film, and make sure the rewind knob is turning. If it isn't, chances are the film is not loaded properly. I've lost a few films by not checking this.

Personally, I don't agree with cutting corners in loading these cameras. They can and will jam if not loaded properly. Once I had a piece of film break off and lodge itself in the film chamber, imprinting itself on every frame, ruining the film. Another time it took over 30 minutes to dig a piece of film out of the film chamber. Fishing around in a camera without an opening back can be a real exercise in patience.

Despite all this, screw-mount Leicas are my favorite. They are very high quality and very compact.

Ronald Moravec · Feb 24, 2010

Trim back 21 sprocket holes and do it right. Leave on hole top and bottom showing when you load. no more.

The card and pushing film up on T mode will get you into trouble eventually.

2F/2F · Feb 25, 2010

leicarfcam said:
My average loading time the book way is under 15 seconds.. Using other methods just slows me down..

I use FILCA brass cassettes pre-loaded and cut before leaving home..

I call bull$hit. I am sure you have not timed it every time you do it in actual use, and then averaged the times.

Plus, I say that it's physically impossible to open the bottom, get the film out, get the spool out, insert the new leader into the spool, load the film cassette and spool, put the bottom back on, and advance the first few frames in under 15 seconds. You can't even do that with an SLR.

You need to mark and stow your exposed film as well, lest ye forget what the hell it is and what to do with it, or lose it. I can spend 15 seconds just trying to open and close my pockets!

I do agree that if you are going to trim your leaders, you should do it at home, not in "the field".

2F/2F · Feb 25, 2010

Ronald Moravec said:
The card...will get you into trouble eventually.

I have loaded IDK how many rolls (hundreds, at the very least) in my Leica IIIs, and the only thing that has ever got me "into trouble" with the cameras was once accidentally loading a 24-frame roll instead of a 36-frame roll, and ripping through the sprockets when I tried to quickly advance to shot 25 while shooting a lot in succession. A little piece of film edge got jammed in the gears and the camera went OOC until I could get home, open it up, and remove the jam. The card is 100% safe, and I don't see how it couldn't be. It is just a piece of paper placed over the sprockets so that they don't grab.

By all means, cut your leaders...but do it at home. My only beef was with the statement that the OP must "certainly" carry a pair of scissors when using the camera.

blind_sparks · Feb 25, 2010

The screw mount Leicas are amazing when it comes to build quality. I have no experience with the Canon lenses, but find my 5cm Summitar to be optically pleasing and have a nice "glow".

I'll go ahead and disagree with the need to trim the leader or shove a card into the camera set to T. Certainly they may be good steps to take to ensure proper loading every time when you first start, but I've never had trouble loading film with factory cut leaders. I simply give the loading spool an anti-clockwise twist when I'm inserting it into the body so that that film clears the wind-on sprockets. Works well, I've never had jams or broken pieces. Just my experience.

The FILCA cassettes might be nice. I bulk load, but use generic KALT cassettes. My images are slightly exposed over the sprocket holes by about 1mm on the bottom of the negs, which means the film rides high in the camera. Probably because of the KALTs, maybe the FILCA cassettes work better. Never bothered be though.

Happy shooting!

blind_sparks · Feb 25, 2010

Make that clockwise =P. It's late haha.

Trask · Feb 25, 2010

Interesting comment about the paper card covering the sprockets. That isn't a problem with my IIIa. I always put the card over the opening into the lens chamber, so that the leading horizontal edge of the film, as it is being slid down into place, doesn't catch on the edge of the opening into the lens chamber and not proceed down into the slot meant to accommodate the film. That would result in the holes being part of the exposure.

Not that the great ones didn't have these same issues! At a show of Cartier-Bresson's photos I saw last year in Paris, several had sprocket holes running down the side, for it seems HCB was just as human as the rest of us when it came to getting film into an SM Leica.

Shaggysk8 · Feb 25, 2010

Thank you for all the advice, I have one more question I need an stepup ring for the lens, 40mm to what ever 49mm would be nice does any one know where I can get one? I have had a look and all I can find is 40.5mm

Paul

Xmas · Feb 25, 2010

That is the snag with the Canon lenses it is more difficult to get filters, the low profile Canon filters are rare but not that expensive.

The Canon hood is a slip on and clamp and you can get these as well, it will accept series filters.

The Canon thread may not be the normal pitch even if you get a step ring, the one I have wont thread on Canon lenses.

Getting back to the flame war, 22 holes may be better then 21, and the long leader is what the camera was designed to accept, other methods are more at risk, e.g. a shard of film can damage the shutter, the shutter is pretty reliable otherwise. If you fly a lot you will loose scissors frequently. Trimming the film with teeth is well exposed, the author of this does not use PET film.

Leica sold a template to trim the film correctly ABLON from memory, but with care scissors are ok, if you don't cut through sprocket holes. Kodak only stopped the long leader in '71 or '72, from memory.

Lastly the early Leicas were made before the DIN standard for cassettes was published, and will accept longer cassettes (up to 2mm) e.g. FILCAs, normal commercial cassettes can drop in the camera, if the film is not held in the pressure rails by the pressure plate, as some of HCB have, irrespective of how you load them, FILCAs are ok though.

HCB was actually very good at handling cameras, shows in his photos as well.

Some people inset a spring to keep the cassette in place, I never bother it does not happen often, foreign objects in a Leica are exposed.

Hope you enjoy your wee camera.

Noel

John Koehrer · Feb 25, 2010

In your search for adapter rings, the Canon uses 40mm screw-in filters and 42mm clamp-on hoods.
You may be able to find a 42->49 or 42>Series Vl adapter more easily.

FWIW I have both a 42>S6 adapter and a Canon S-42 hood available. The hood is a clamp-on & the front section unscrews to hold S6 filters.

Shaggysk8 · Feb 27, 2010

ok well today I tried loading my camera with film, did the first thing wrong I got a nic in the film and well........but its all ok I then used a knife to cut the end and it loaded well, I loaded my own cassette as well using an old Kodak one, I just cut the old film off leaving a tab so I can take a new bit of film on to it, and then rewind the film in, worked well.

So I loaded 13 shots on wasted the first three then shot the rest, the camera is amazing I found the focusing easy and composing good its a fast little camera to use even though its totally manual.

The only thing I found odd is in the view finder you can see the end of the lens and when I put my adapter ring on to take it from 40mm to 49mm I will lose a few more mill but I think thats ok, I guess there is no work around so I am stuck with it.

Thank you for all your help.

One last thing, are the sprockets just on the one side?

Kind Regards
Paul

leicarfcam · Feb 27, 2010

If you plan to keep the Leica you should watch eBay or other sites for FILCA Leica brass cassettes. No felt light trap to scratch negatives..and they load easy..

mhcfires · Feb 27, 2010

Glad you are enjoying your new camera.

I finally snagged a few FILCA cassettes, they are really cool, I like the way they load. I am actually getting better at loading my IIIa and IIIf. It's a good feeling to know that I have done it right for a change. The M2 is easier because of the back door, but I am getting more used to the III loading. Now to get some more cassettes for these cameras, and some IXOOM's for the M2.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Feb 27, 2010

Canon lens and Leica
It has a arabian quality.
As you know , at Saudi Arabia , young people buy a new rolls royce , go to a service , remove the engine and put a chevy engine instead of it. And they race at the desert with them with camels.
Find a 100 dollar and buy a Hektor and it is cheap and even a Leica S2 cant beat it.

Cheers ,

Umut

Shaggysk8 · Feb 28, 2010

But the canon is very sharp and has a very nice look.

Paul

IloveTLRs · Mar 2, 2010

Canon screw mount lenses are EXCELLENT. I shot Kodak E100VS with a Canon 50/1.8 and they had a wonderful vintage quality to them, and were nicely saturated. The 50/1.8 (black barrel) is particularly susceptible to hazing - 7 out of 10 examples I've seen had it. They can be cleaned however, and aren't too expensive for the results you get. They can also easily be taken apart

For discussions like "Which lens/camera goes with my jacket/pants/drapes?" head over to the rangefinder forum :rolleyes:

Xmas · Mar 2, 2010

The Canon rfdr lenses were competitive with Nikon and Leitz at the time.

The black f/1.8 5cm is a medium contrast so really nice with B&W or a M8, the only problem is the filter size and thread pitch, but you can get filters and hoods, if you search.

Mine fogs, this pre-valence may be higher % than 70%... It makes the lens expensive, as you need it cleaned promptly.

The 35mm and 28mm Canons in LTM are also nice, and again comparable with the other two manufacturers contemporaries.

The availability of CV LTMs and value of Yen seems to have increased all the prices.

Lots of people cannot go to another site.

Noel

Just got a Leica iiif and Canon 50mm f1.8

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