Loading a Leica

osprey48 · Oct 21, 2014

Although I've been enjoying using my Leica M6 for the lsat 3 years or so, I'm still having trouble loading the thing. I often have to open it up again after loading a new film to re-connect it to the spindle, and thus losing the first few frames. Sometimes it works fine, so I know its not a fault. What has prompted me to have a moan about this now, is that today I tried to rewind what I thought was a completed film which I'd been using for a month or so,but it jammed. I opened it up only to discover that it had never spooled forward in the first place but had scrunched up.
Is it just me, or has anyone else had problems loading a Leica? The manual said something along the lines of 'the easiest loading method of any camera'. Not in my hands it isn't!

darkosaric · Oct 21, 2014

Never had single problem with mine M6.

Just search in youtube "loading Leica M".

Gunfleet · Oct 21, 2014

I've had an m6 for a month or so. I can loaf it but not quickly. I find making sure the tongue is through both sides of the spool then making sure the sprockets are pulling the film holes properly works well. It doesn't bother me if i use a couple of frames at the beginning to ensure its properly engage. The leica is very good at getting 38 frames anyway!

Gunfleet · Oct 21, 2014

Load not loaf. Blooming predictive text

ruby.monkey · Oct 21, 2014

Fold about 1/4" of the film over before loading, and hold the film firmly against the sprockets for the first stroke before shutting the back.

Better yet, trade your camera for an M2 or M3 and never have to worry again.

Xmas · Oct 21, 2014

It is not fumble proof

a) the base plate diagram is wrong ie is only for use @ -5C! At more normal temperature you need to take the film leader through the petals until it reaches the chassis at the end! The user manual says this in better English.
b) then you put your thumb on the sprocket shaft tooth pinning (impaling) the film and then wind the rewind knob device until the film in the cassette is tight, still with the film pinned to the sprocket shaft. Close the door. Attach the baseplate. And only then wind on and fire the blank frames. Checking that the rewind on knob counter turns.
c) this only works first time 19 out of 20 YMMV

Sold mine and use M2s with Quick Load kits better success % again YMMV.

Xmas · Oct 21, 2014

ruby.monkey said:
Fold about 1/4" of the film over before loading, and hold the film firmly against the sprockets for the first stroke before shutting the back.

Better yet, trade your camera for an M2 or M3 and never have to worry again.

the first two are no nos the last two easier! Barnacks easy as well.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 21, 2014

Never ever had any trouble whatever with any of the bottom loaders, back loaders, sheet film, slicing 828 from 120, etc. Just read the manual, use your head, be patient.

Pioneer · Oct 21, 2014

Actually I have never experienced a problem with the M6. Here are some things I look for.

1. Before you start do you ensure the little lever on the front is raised to the "A" (for Advance) setting? This should happen as soon as you wind on with the lever but may not in your case.
2. When you advance the lever, before you load your film, do the teeth on the sprocket wheels, just visible on the take up side with the flap open, revolve?
3. If they do, do you ensure that the film sprocket openings are engaging fully with these sprockets before you close things up?
4. If so, is the tongue of film inserted fully between the "tulip" openings in the take up spool?
5. If so, do you give the film one advance with the lever to ensure the film is winding up on the take up spool properly before you re-install the bottom?
6. If so, once it is all back together does the rewind knob/lever turn when you advance the film? If not the first stroke, at least by the second stroke of the lever.

If all these things are happening, and the rewind knob/lever is turning everytime you advance your film with the lever, then all is working properly. If not, then there is some problem that may require service by a technician.

snapguy · Oct 21, 2014

M2r

I loved my Leica M2R but hated having to try to load the thing, especially in a hurry. And photojournalists are in a hurry a lot. Many photojournalists "back in the day" would use a Nikon F or two and carry an M Leica over one shoulder, with 21mm wide angle lens that they didn't use too much. This meant they did not have to reload the Leica in a hurry most of the time. And the Leitz 21mm was a honey.

ciniframe · Oct 21, 2014

Xmas said:
It is not fumble proof

a) the base plate diagram is wrong ie is only for use @ -5C! At more normal temperature you need to take the film leader through the petals until it reaches the chassis at the end! The user manual says this in better English.
b) then you put your thumb on the sprocket shaft tooth pinning (impaling) the film and then wind the rewind knob device until the film in the cassette is tight, still with the film pinned to the sprocket shaft. Close the door. Attach the baseplate. And only then wind on and fire the blank frames. Checking that the rewind on knob counter turns.
c) this only works first time 19 out of 20 YMMV

Sold mine and use M2s with Quick Load kits better success % again YMMV.

What he said. I've always done this with my M4-2 and never had a problem. Also for what it is worth, I'm never in a hurry. I sit down and take my time. Way back when, in Chicago I could load my OM-1 on a dead run, now I'm too old and fat to run....still got the same OM-1 though.

Ah, almost forgot. There could be something wrong with your take up spindle. This happened to me when I recovered my my M with an Aki-Ashi covering and to make it easier to scrape off the old vulcanite I removed one of the little screws on the front. When I did that a piece of metal fell out of the take up chamber and although I tried to put it back right the take up spindle stopped turning and film just got mashed up in the camera. The camera needed service for slow speeds anyway so when Youxin serviced the camera he fixed my blunder too.

summicron1 · Oct 21, 2014

hmm. not sure what the problem is. That has the same load system as the M4, which I've never had a mis-load with.

The take-up prongs ARE turning when you wind the camera, right? When you say the film bunched up, that can only happen if the film is not winding on to the prongs but the drive gear is pushing it. Make sure the film goes between the prongs, not around them. Make sure it pokes all the way through them.

Put the film in, pull the leader through so it pokes out the other side of the petal, make sure the film is all the way in and engaged with the drive sprocket.

Close and wind. Wind smartly, not slowly -- I read somewhere that makes the petal tongs grab the film more securely. In any event, after the first pull, rewind the crank until you feel tension, then wind again and make sure the rewind crank is going backwards. If it is (should be a full turn) then you're good, no mis-load, no bunching up.

I had an M2 quick load kit i put into my M3 and could never get the damn thing to work. But the folks saying a traditionally loading M2 or 3, or a screw mount camera, is sure, are right. Never ever had one of those mis-load.

but the m6 shouldn't either.

Gerald C Koch · Oct 21, 2014

ruby.monkey said:
Fold about 1/4" of the film over before loading, and hold the film firmly against the sprockets for the first stroke before shutting the back.

+1

Gerald C Koch · Oct 21, 2014

ruby.monkey said:
Fold about 1/4" of the film over before loading, and hold the film firmly against the sprockets for the first stroke before shutting the back.

+1

Good advice for any 35mm camera. You can usually hear when the film pops off the advance spool. So listen carefully when advancing the first few frames. You can also watch the rewind knob to see if it is turning. However, on some cameras his is not possible.

250swb · Oct 22, 2014

There is only one thing you need to do, after putting the bottom back on tighten the film with the rewind crank and when you are advancing the film to the first frame look to see if your rewind crank is rotating. This should apply to any manual loading 35mm camera.

Steve

NJH · Oct 22, 2014

I just make sure the film is pushed all the way up and is engaging on the sprockets this seems to be the main thing to look for and is the achilles heel of the design as I find 50+% of the time I have to poke my finger in there or drag up on the film to make sure its on the sprockets. Similarly poke at it where it is lead into the spindle before winding again to make sure its all the way up and on the sprockets. Once the back door is swung down it will hold the film there on the sprockets. Everything else I do as in the manual and must be 25+ now without a misload on my M6. I did open the back once on the 0 frame thinking I had a misload but it was fine, must have been the altitude as I was half way up a mountain at the time and out of breath. Last roll of Neopan 400 got me 39 frames as well which is nice.

osprey48 · Oct 22, 2014

Well, thank you so much for all that advice. The cause may be that I haven't been engaging the sprockets with the film holes, thinking that the wind spindle would do the job on its own. I also thought that maybe the cause was that I was pushing the film leader too far into the petals, making it tougher to turn,but that wouldn't now seem the case. I'll put all this info into my next loading attempt. Thanks all of you.

Xmas · Oct 22, 2014

ruby.monkey said:
Fold about 1/4" of the film over before loading, and hold the film firmly against the sprockets for the first stroke before shutting the back.

Better yet, trade your camera for an M2 or M3 and never have to worry again.

Two strikes and you are out:

i) folding the film risks shutter damage when you rewind or when the temperature is cold. The M shutters are very reliable buy don't like ingestion of foreign objects.

ii) The petals are crimped on to the film by the device on the base plate so winding on before mating the base plate is not recommended

Please read the use manual - web rumor is again speculative.

Pioneer · Oct 22, 2014

Xmas said:
Two strikes and you are out:

i) folding the film risks shutter damage when you rewind or when the temperature is cold. The M shutters are very reliable buy don't like ingestion of foreign objects.

ii) The petals are crimped on to the film by the device on the base plate so winding on before mating the base plate is not recommended

Please read the use manual - web rumor is again speculative.

+1

I never fold, just feed it all the way through the tulip, make sure the sprocket teeth are engaging the film, fold the door shut and flip the lever. The rewind knob almost always starts turning backwards immediately. Occasionally it doesn't start until the second wind on, usually when I am using 24 exposure rolls of film. The M6 and M7 seems to be the only Leica s I have owned that load as quickly as my ZI. Never owned any M4s but they should work as easily.

Loading a Leica

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