Loading Leica Cassettes...So Darn Neat!

So I decided to get serious about loading some 20 exposure rolls for my M4. Kentmere 200, reminds me of the grain of Plus-X back in the day. Not sure it IS like the old stuff but it's a really nice film stock (in XTOL, should try D-76 and Microdol-X).

Anyway back to the Leica cassettes, just amazed at the design of the things. I bet these would cost $300 (US) to make today.

Just relaxing to load using an old Watson 100 loader, that allows you to close the cassette after winding, so you don't have to turn off the lights.

I have a Leica bench top winder requires you to work in the dark. Pain to do.

I have several cassettes, but recently found 10 more, a professional had used with 2 M2 cameras that are beat up bad.

I bet these cassettes have accumulated a hundred rolls each, at least. OR MORE!

Nice to be able to hide out, from the constant stream of #$@%%$&! of the arena of current events.

Brass Age! Nice

I like those cassettes and use them routinely. Took me a minute to realize the pointy end of the ABLON is for cutting the leader correctly for spool insertion and allows the easy removal of the leftover bit of film . Most of the knockoff ABLON's don't have this added feature. As you probably know, but I'll mention anyway because I mess this up still, the ltm cassettes (FILCA) won't open in the non-ltm bodies. I see many of those for sale often but not too many of the IXMOO's for the M bodies. Sounds like you have plenty IXMOO's. With one or two cassettes I have to keep a bit of pressure on the watson knob used to close the cassette because friction on the spool can cause the cassette to close during normal winding. The cassettes can suffer a bit from age and use.

A like these also, both the IXMOO and FILCA depending on the camera.

I'm not 100% happy with the Watson loader, as the mechanism to open/close the cartridge is somewhat fiddly.

Saganich said:

I like those cassettes and use them routinely. Took me a minute to realize the pointy end of the ABLON is for cutting the leader correctly for spool insertion and allows the easy removal of the leftover bit of film . Most of the knockoff ABLON's don't have this added feature. As you probably know, but I'll mention anyway because I mess this up still, the ltm cassettes (FILCA) won't open in the non-ltm bodies. I see many of those for sale often but not too many of the IXMOO's for the M bodies. Sounds like you have plenty IXMOO's. With one or two cassettes I have to keep a bit of pressure on the watson knob used to close the cassette because friction on the spool can cause the cassette to close during normal winding. The cassettes can suffer a bit from age and use.

Click to expand...

Yep, the best feature of the system is the way that the "pointy end" of the trimmed film fixes so easily to the cassette spool. In 1923 when Leitz Co. was developing the cameras there wasn't a roll of Scotch tape.

And yes I just lay my left hand over the knob on the Watson, to keep the cassette still.

I still want to know what the "slit" in the genuine Leica ABLON is for. Only thing I can think of is for tearing off a piece of film????

Saganich said:

I like those cassettes and use them routinely. Took me a minute to realize the pointy end of the ABLON is for cutting the leader correctly for spool insertion and allows the easy removal of the leftover bit of film . Most of the knockoff ABLON's don't have this added feature. As you probably know, but I'll mention anyway because I mess this up still, the ltm cassettes (FILCA) won't open in the non-ltm bodies. I see many of those for sale often but not too many of the IXMOO's for the M bodies. Sounds like you have plenty IXMOO's. With one or two cassettes I have to keep a bit of pressure on the watson knob used to close the cassette because friction on the spool can cause the cassette to close during normal winding. The cassettes can suffer a bit from age and use.

Click to expand...

Will the IXMOO work in a Nikon F?

I use these a lot, since I only shoot black and white film, and turned to bulk loading to save money. I was buying them, often in mixed lots, and have two (that I consider FILCA) that are like the one in the middle, between the 'IXMOO' on the left, and the more normal 'FILCA' on the right. Once one of them came in a lot marked 'IXMOO', probably based on the chrome knob, and the fact that the outer shell says 'Ernst Leitz Wetzlar' and 'Germany' on the bottom. The inner shell, though, is shorter, just like an IXMOO. It will fit in the IXMOO outer shell, and for a while I thought someone had swapped parts, but obviously a FILCA inner shell won't fit in an IXMOO outer, so they should have caught their error. I have heard that there were several generations of these but I don't have the whole story.

mshchem said:

Will the IXMOO work in a Nikon F?

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I don't think so, but Nikon made something that is similar. I just googled 'nikon reloadable film cassette' and found 2 for sale, but they were 379 SEK each.....

mshchem said:

Yep, the best feature of the system is the way that the "pointy end" of the trimmed film fixes so easily to the cassette spool.

Click to expand...

It's a smart little design. A set of rollers allow the film in but wedge when pulled back. I had to take one apart to get a piece of old film out. I thought for a second it would be impossible to reassemble, but it wasn't difficult. I don't advise taking one apart, though.

I only have Filca spools and would like at least one that would work in my M3. I load them in the dark. Making the pointy end is a bit of a pain.

But it's amazing how well thought-out it is. It's genuinely impossible for it to scratch film. If you care for it, it'll last a thousand years.

There are spools for Nikon F2's (I have some) and I believe spools for Nikon F and the S models are different and won't work in the F2.

mshchem said:

I still want to know what the "slit" in the genuine Leica ABLON is for. Only thing I can think of is for tearing off a piece of film????

Click to expand...

I use the slit to position the film end from the bulk loader for the pointy trim so you don't have to expose more than necessary.

According to 1933 handbook, there were 4 versions, known as A (old), B (groove), C (labyrinth), and D (velvet). The D version didn't have an open/close mechanism, but a velvet slot like conventional cassettes and so can be used in other cameras I suppose. The B version is same as the FILCA. The A and C, and D versions are rare apparently.

Saganich said:

I use the slit to position the film end from the bulk loader for the pointy trim so you don't have to expose more than necessary.

According to 1933 handbook, there were 4 versions, known as A (old), B (groove), C (labyrinth), and D (velvet). The D version didn't have an open/close mechanism, but a velvet slot like conventional cassettes and so can be used in other cameras I suppose. The B version is same as the FILCA. The A and C, and D versions are rare apparently.

Click to expand...

One of my FILCA's is different. It doesn't have any text at the bottom, whereas the others say 'Ernst Leitz Wetzlar' and 'Germany'. It is actually the one on the right in the picture I posted. But it does have the groove that aligns the shells and seems to be like the others.

Saganich said:

use the slit to position the film end from the bulk loader for the pointy trim so you don't have to expose more than necessary.

Click to expand...

Yes, that makes sense!