Leica II question

I bought several years ago a Leica (Lufwaffe) copy in working condition.It stood in front of my Lufwaffe book collection. I always wondered if the camera could be used. So the other day I bought rechargable Leica cassette. I think I have figured it out how to load this but would like to hear if any of you can help me make sure I will load it correctly?How many exposures can I expect?Do you have to reload film back into the cassette once the film is exposed?

Thanks in advance Greg

Greg

Your "luftwaffe" must have started out as a Zorki or FED.

Many of these remade cameras don't really work well. Many were made from parts which came from other cameras. The parts may fit, but that does not necessarily mean that they would work right. When these cameras were remade as "Leicas", most of them were made to satisfy cosmetic considerations and likely, function is compromised.

See http://jay.fedka.com for instructions on using and calibrating these cameras.

Buster6X6 said:

I bought several years ago a Leica (Lufwaffe) copy in working condition.It stood in front of my Lufwaffe book collection. I always wondered if the camera could be used. So the other day I bought rechargable Leica cassette. I think I have figured it out how to load this but would like to hear if any of you can help me make sure I will load it correctly?How many exposures can I expect?Do you have to reload film back into the cassette once the film is exposed?

Thanks in advance Greg

Click to expand...

I think I'd try the camera with a regular 35 mm cassette first - this will save you figuring out what to do with the rest of a 30 meter roll if the camera doesn't work! You do of course have to rewind the film back into the cassette after use, the only special thing about the Leica cassette is that it has an inner and an outer part with openings in them. These openings do not coincide when the cassette is closed for handling outside the camera, when you load the camera and turn the lock in the base, this also rotates the two parts of the cassette so that the film is able to emerge from a large slot without touching this and getting scratched. With a Russian camera, there is no knowing whether a Leica cassette will open properly in this way.

One final point: If your camera has been standing around for a long time, be prepared for shutter tapering - this is a fault where the shutter does not open fully until it has traveled part-way across the picture. Shutters are the big problem with all Russian cameras!

Regards,

David

David H. Bebbington said:

With a Russian camera, there is no knowing whether a Leica cassette will open properly in this way.

One final point: If your camera has been standing around for a long time, be prepared for shutter tapering - this is a fault where the shutter does not open fully until it has traveled part-way across the picture. Shutters are the big problem with all Russian cameras!

Regards,

David

Click to expand...

Standard factory cassettes will fit that camera nicely. The Leitz cassettes can be spooled with up to lengths of 1,6 meters to yield 36 exposures.

As far as Leica film magazines are concerned, I could vouch that the the type N cassette would not work with FSU FED or Zorki. The cassette fits with difficultly, if at all, into the film chambers of these cameras, but the baseplate will be difficult to close. The locking tab will not engage properly with the cassette, much less even open it.

The shutters are quite easy to adjust. The calibration can be done without complicated tools and the procedure is easy. Though results will not be 100% perfect, the shutter will be fairly accurate enough for good exposures on BW and colour negative film.

Jay

ZorkiKat said:

Standard factory cassettes will fit that camera nicely.

As far as Leica film magazines are concerned, I could vouch that the the type N cassette would not work with FSU FED or Zorki. The cassette fits with difficultly, if at all, into the film chambers of these cameras, but the baseplate will be difficult to close. The locking tab will not engage properly with the cassette, much less even open it

Jay

Click to expand...

Thanks Jay
Leica cassette fits easy into the body but I am not able to close the bottom 100%.Would the regular film cassette fit? It feel's like the cassette is a bit to long.Also Leica cassette has a letter "Z" printed on the bottom?
Greg

Buster,
Leitz made a couple of cartridges, one for the SM's & one for the M's.
There was a diference of ~2-3mm in length.
Installing the base plate & rotatiing the lever would open & close the cartridge.
It is probable that the FED doesn't have the correct profile to operate it.

David H. Bebbington said:

I think I'd try the camera with a regular 35 mm cassette first - this will save you figuring out what to do with the rest of a 30 meter roll if the camera doesn't work! You do of course have to rewind the film back into the cassette after use, the only special thing about the Leica cassette is that it has an inner and an outer part with openings in them. These openings do not coincide when the cassette is closed for handling outside the camera, when you load the camera and turn the lock in the base, this also rotates the two parts of the cassette so that the film is able to emerge from a large slot without touching this and getting scratched. With a Russian camera, there is no knowing whether a Leica cassette will open properly in this way.

One final point: If your camera has been standing around for a long time, be prepared for shutter tapering - this is a fault where the shutter does not open fully until it has traveled part-way across the picture. Shutters are the big problem with all Russian cameras!

Regards,

David

Click to expand...

Thanks David
I looked at the shutter (even though I don't know how it should look like)It seem's the slot is smaller or bigger when you change setting on top of the camera.Also speed changes slightly.I will try to fit regular cassette and see what happens. Thanks again for your help.
Greg

John Koehrer said:

Buster,
Leitz made a couple of cartridges, one for the SM's & one for the M's.
There was a diference of ~2-3mm in length.
Installing the base plate & rotatiing the lever would open & close the cartridge.
It is probable that the FED doesn't have the correct profile to operate it.

Click to expand...

Hi John
If I start turning process with the little knob it looks like the cassette opens up with closure of the bottom. But cassette is a bit to long maybe a millimeter so the bottom is not closed 100%.At least I am learning to recognize different things about FED's and Leicas.
Thanks for your input.

Greg

Buster6X6 said:

Thanks Jay
Leica cassette fits easy into the body but I am not able to close the bottom 100%.Would the regular film cassette fit? It feel's like the cassette is a bit to long.Also Leica cassette has a letter "Z" printed on the bottom?
Greg

Click to expand...

Hi Greg

Tried the Leitz N cassette with a later Zorki-1 and it fit. The cassette slides in but it doesn't seem to be in the correct orientation. The Zorki's locking tab hook also engages with the cassette's pin to open it, but the slot doesn't open at the place where it's supposed to as in a Leica. And the Zorki isn't able to close the cassette back when the locking tab is opented.

The locking tabs in the Leicas used a notched ring where the cassette's pin can engage and allow it to be moved to and fro for the opening and closing actions. The hook in the Zorki or FED locking tabs can't do that.

The factory cassettes should fit your camera if it's one of the later Zorki. My Zorki from 1949-50 all have difficulty with factory Fuji or Kodak cassettes. The film chambers of cameras from this range are tighter than the latter runs and have protrusions in the shutter crate which often detain the cassette.

The "Z" you found on your cassette (mine also has it) is probably -am guessing here- the same as "Zu" on the Leica baseplates: "closed". That Z should align with the long silver spring on the side of the cassette when it's closed.

Jay

Forget the Leica cassette. Just use a regular roll of 35mm film.

Bill Mitchell said:

Forget the Leica cassette. Just use a regular roll of 35mm film.

Click to expand...

Thank you for all your replies. I think I am going to have Leica cassette to look at as a coverasation piece and use regular cassette to try the camera out. I just would like to see if it works, and what the lens is like.

Greg