Leica FILCA and IXMOO Reloadable Film Cassettes

This is not a discussion thread as such, but rather a thread to record relevant information to identify the Leica FILCA and IXMOO reloadable cassettes from each other.

The enclosed images shows how to easily identify the two types from each other:
The FILCA is a little taller than the IXMOO (picture 1) - which shows that the body of the FILCA is 2 millimetres taller than the IXMOO (46mm vs 44mm). The last two on the right hand side are IXMOO:


IXMOO and FILCA are most easily identified from each other when looking at the bottom, where the FILCA will say "Ernst Leitz Wetzlar", the IXMOO will say "Ernst Leitz GmbH Wetzlar" (picture 2 below):


FILCAs will only fit into a Barnack Leica and is the older system of the two. IXMOO will fit into both Barnack Leicas as well as Leica M's up to the early Leica M6 models.
Later Leica M6's and newer M's will not have the indent in the bottom plate lock that is required to open/close a IXMOO as seen in picture 3 below:

Bottom plate that will not open a IXMOO from later Leica M6 is shown on top, bottom plate from an M2 with the required opening indent is shown below.
Newer M6's can be made to accommodate the IXMOO cassettes if you replace the bottom plate with one from an earlier M with the same film-loading system as the M6 - for example from an MDa, M4, M4-2, M4P.
I don't know if newer M's (M6 TTL, M7, MP) can be made to uses IXMOO's the same way.

Here is a picture from 1935 Leica and FED Cameras. Edited by Voronov (in Russian). The book is based on Leica Handbuch by Fritz Vith.

"
Fig. 9. Types of Leica cassettes: A - "old" or "spring" cassette (no longer produced), Б - "grooved?" cassette, Ц - "labyrinth?" cassette (no longer produced), Д - "slotted?" cassette. Soviet cameras use cassette types Б for "Pioneer" and Д for FED.
"
Earlier in the text:
"Cassette type Ц had a major drawback: it could not be loaded using ready spools in daylight"

This is interesting because other types could apparently be loaded with film that was sold on compatible spools.
And here's a page from Agfa Photographic Materials for Professional Use (1941)

The previous page says:
"
Each of the films is furnished in an improved
Agfa cartridge for the LEICA camera; all
negative films are available also in the day-
light-loading spool for the CONTAX
camera and in a 20-exposure Leica cartridge.
Four of the films are supplied in daylight-
loading cartridges to fit the new Agfa Memo
camera . Darkroom loadings in various
lengths are also available in several of
the films as noted in the table on page 45.
"

In this Agfa ad not the reloadable Leica cassettes are referred to.
But instead with "Leica cartridge" the standard Type 135 cassette is meant.

The Memo cassette was not "daylight loading". As cassette it could be put in light into the camera as the type 135 cassette.
It could not be daylight-reloaded.

Agfa offered different true daylight loading films for type 135 cassettes, but seemingly not for the USA.

Is the FILCA cartridge the one that should be used in the Leica IIIC? In my IIIC, the film slips down a bit (I think) and I get some of the film image area to overlap with the sprocket holes. But recently, I have wondered if I am not loading it properly. I do cut the tongue as shown in the diagram in the base plate. I am using commercial film in normal 135 cartridges. Should I put a weak spring under the cartridge or a washer?

Romanko said:

This is interesting because other types could apparently be loaded with film that was sold on compatible spools.

Click to expand...

Yes, you could at one time buy (1) bulk film for darkroom loading into the FILCA or other reloadable cassette, (2) pre-cut lengths of film for darkroom loading into the FILCA, (3) sealed spools of film for daylight loading into the FILCA, and (4) Self-contained disposable cassettes (a new innovation!). Of these, only (1) and (4) have survived, and of course nearly everyone now uses (4). I've never seen an example of (3), but their use is described on p8 of this manual:

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_iiia.pdf

It looks like they were wrapped in paper - you broke the seal once the spool was inserted into the FILCA and pulled out a paper strip until you came to the film leader. I wonder when these were last made, if any have survived intact, and whether they were compatible with any other manufacturer's reloadable cassettes?

Kodachromeguy said:

Is the FILCA cartridge the one that should be used in the Leica IIIC? In my IIIC, the film slips down a bit (I think) and I get some of the film image area to overlap with the sprocket holes. But recently, I have wondered if I am not loading it properly. I do cut the tongue as shown in the diagram in the base plate. I am using commercial film in normal 135 cartridges. Should I put a weak spring under the cartridge or a washer?

Click to expand...

The FILCA is correct for the IIIc and is a little longer than a modern cassette or (as above) the IXMOO, which should help. But you need to make sure that the corner of the leader is pushed as far up into the clip on the take-up spool as it will go. The clip is pretty tight, and it's worth checking there's nothing blocking it, like a fragment of film. Also make sure both the take-up spool and the cassette are seated correctly. I think the best loading instructions are in the IIIf manual, p28-32, and I trim my film leader to the profile shown there, with about the same number of unpaired sprocket holes:

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_if_iif_iiif.pdf

I've used a IIIa and IIIc with modern disposable cassettes without running into this issue, but it does seem to happen from time to time even to very experienced Leica photographers - there are apparently some Cartier-Bresson negatives showing sprocket holes! I suppose the metal 'pusher' extending from the baseplate in later models (as shown in the IIIf manual above) is intended to help with this sort of problem. Of course, after 70 or 80 years your camera might also need a service if this happens all the time - I've seen things like weak pressure plate springs suggested as possible causes of the problem.