SchwinnParamount
Member
Hmmm. Well then. The sprocket isn't the issue after all. I guess it comes down to the film take up spool requiring 2 of the three prongs to bend film around them before they have enough purchase to pull the film. With all other take up spools (every other camera brand that I've ever owned) the leader is jammed into a small slot with a sprocket immediately at the entrance to the slot and attached to the spool. That creates a far superior connection between leader and spool. IN the case of the Leica, the sprocket is a separate mechanism adjacent to the take up spool. True, they both turn at the same time but for some reason, on the Leica, the sprocket isn't as active in pushing film forward as the spool pulls it at the same time. But I'm not a mechanical engineer so all I can do is speculate that the coupling between distinct sprocket and spool is weaker on the Leica than on every other camera. The bottom line is that loading film on every other camera is dead simple and never fails for me. On the Leica, I have to waste precious seconds insuring that it is loaded correctly.
It is possible that the camera back flap thing needs to be firmly engaged to push the film down onto the sprocket before the film is reliably taken up. It may be that I am not aggressive enough in pushing that thing into place before cranking
It is possible that the camera back flap thing needs to be firmly engaged to push the film down onto the sprocket before the film is reliably taken up. It may be that I am not aggressive enough in pushing that thing into place before cranking