Most difficult 35mm camera to load

LiamG · Jul 31, 2013

My F5 always seems really hard to load when I'm missing shots trying to jam the film in under that little tooth in a rush. Any camera is hard to load when you are really tired and sick from energy drinks teetering on top of a 12 foot ladder.

agnosticnikon · Jul 31, 2013

Jeff Kubach said:
I can't load film in my digital camera.

Jeff

You're not holding your mouth right! Your tongue should be slightly coming out of the right corner of your mouth. This helps me when I load 4x5 holders too.

Andrew K · Aug 1, 2013

Widelux

got to make sure you feed film under the right places....

Jesper · Aug 1, 2013

Early Soviet Leica copies are very hard to load. I have a FED I with a serial below 3000 and it takes at least 5 minutes but more often longer to load properly.

John_Nikon_F · Aug 1, 2013

LiamG said:
My F5 always seems really hard to load when I'm missing shots trying to jam the film in under that little tooth in a rush. Any camera is hard to load when you are really tired and sick from energy drinks teetering on top of a 12 foot ladder.

That is my one complaint about the F5. The tooth is rather annoying to deal with.

-J

Terry Christian · Aug 1, 2013

Jeff Kubach said:
I can't load film in my digital camera.

You have to take the batteries out first.

GRHazelton · Aug 1, 2013

My Vitessa L is a PITA to load, or perhaps I haven't learned how to swear properly in German. Between not dropping the removeable back - what sort of idiot idea is that? - resetting the film counter on the front of the body, and sliding the back on without snagging the film somehow, I can spend several "happy" minutes admiring the camera's superb fit and finish. But once loaded the camera is a marvel.

My easiest camera to load? Probably my ancient Praktica LTL. Hinged back, put the cassette in its well, extend the film tongue under a little protrusion near the sprocket and up to a dot. Wind the film, a bent wire bail catches the film and you're ready to go. For hand loaded film, no real need to trim a tongue as the wire bail will catch a crude diagonal cut. A wonderful system. Fit and finish of the camera? Only as much as needed, but it is one tough customer. Still working after maybe 40 years of hard use, bouncing off the sidewalk, and no servicing.

Two diverse examples of German engineering.

Francis in VT · Aug 1, 2013

I used an M-3 for a wedding.
I rewound a film and loaded a new film while I was driving from the church to the reception hall.
No problems. I can also load an old bottom feeder as long as the film is trimmed.

Francis in VT

selmslie · Aug 2, 2013

My Leica is marginally slower to load than my Zeiss Icon but that is part of its charm.

I have made the mistake of not watching the rewind crank - once with each camera, never again.

Dali · Aug 2, 2013

Jesper said:
Early Soviet Leica copies are very hard to load. I have a FED I with a serial below 3000 and it takes at least 5 minutes but more often longer to load properly.

Maybe the body is out of shape, the body shell being rather soft? My prewar FED 1 is not worse than my postwar Zorki-Zorki in this matter. They are anyway not really quick loading cameras!

Dali · Aug 2, 2013

GRHazelton said:
My easiest camera to load? Probably my ancient Praktica LTL. Hinged back, put the cassette in its well, extend the film tongue under a little protrusion near the sprocket and up to a dot. Wind the film, a bent wire bail catches the film and you're ready to go. For hand loaded film, no real need to trim a tongue as the wire bail will catch a crude diagonal cut. A wonderful system. Fit and finish of the camera? Only as much as needed, but it is one tough customer. Still working after maybe 40 years of hard use, bouncing off the sidewalk, and no servicing.

I have the same exsperience than you. My Praktica never let me down. These are very underrated cameras IMO.

GRHazelton · Aug 2, 2013

Dali said:
I have the same exsperience than you. My Praktica never let me down. These are very underrated cameras IMO.

Hear, hear! They are a bit agricultural, but they have the best implementation of stop down metering I've ever seen. And the f1.8 that came on mine is very sharp, and will focus down to about one foot.

culturesponge · Aug 2, 2013

Momikon - film loading terror from Budapest!

Due to the wife's Hungarian ancestry & perhaps also in response to my rapid accumulation of mid-late 1950's British cameras - the Mrs purchased a circa 1954-56 pre-communist invasion Budapest manufactured Mom Momikon 1, it's a minute 35mm format rangefinder, with a blue coated Ymmar f3.5 50mm lens, 24x32 with 45 frames per roll and a baseplate that ejects off when you need to load or unload.

Despite being familiar(ish) with many camera formats, the camera was really tricky to load & the take up spindle seemed to be from another camera: first roll was approx 50 frames in before realizing the end (of the strip) was never coming, second attempt the film was re-loaded by a Leica specialist, but was fogged perhaps when unloading. finally, on the third attempt the camera stopped advancing film around frame 44 & the film was unloaded in a changing bag.

frankly the fogged & hazy images were not worth the effort & it's now just a display camera right next to an Agfa Clack & Clibo

might try again after it has had a full service

best
alex

budrichard · Aug 4, 2013

ANY M series Leica!
I have M3. M6 and two M7's, having had the M3 for decades, the M6 for over 15 years and the pair of M7's about 10 years and the M7's still are difficult to load and one must verify that the rewind knob is indeed moving or start again.-Dick

Vilk · Aug 4, 2013

My friend, watching me reload my M at an Arab Spring demo, base plate gracefully between my teeth--

"By the time you reload this thing the revolution is over."

Peltigera · Aug 5, 2013

My Contaflex. The camera is too heavy to hold steady one handed, I need somewhere to put the back/base, that damn take-up spool keeps dropping out. It is a piece of cake at home on a table, but not out and about.

Katie · Aug 5, 2013

My nikonos is a royal pain to load!

BlueWind · Aug 29, 2013

Early Zorki and FED cameras are much easier to load that the FSU fixed lens Junost camera. Despite the hinged back, one needs three hands (or at least more than ten fingers) and an accurate low-distance vision to attach the film leader to the take-up spool.
I always end using adhesive tape...

sepiareverb · Aug 29, 2013

For difficult to load: the Leica CL and the screwmounts, and then the Rollei 35's. For easy: the M bodies with the M4 and later style take-up spool. I'm so used to loading an M that I find all 35's with an opening back like a Nikon difficult now.

KenS · Aug 29, 2013

The old bottom-loading Leica M's. I still have my old Leica 'tail-end Charlie' for trimming/cutting the end of the leader when loading from bulk roll. I too, lost a significant number of 'first-on-the-roll' exposures over the years. I might still hesitate using these 'olden goldens' again.

Ken

IloveTLRs · Aug 30, 2013

vpwphoto said:
Lieca's...
I wonder how many got away from HCB while re-loading?

Dead Link Removed

mopar_guy · Aug 31, 2013

IloveTLRs said:
Dead Link Removed

Wonderful story. Thanks for posting that link.

cliveh · Aug 31, 2013

mopar_guy said:
Wonderful story. Thanks for posting that link.

I have seen this before, but am always interested to read again. Thanks.

MattKing · Aug 31, 2013

Nikonos - under water.

Mainecoonmaniac · Aug 31, 2013

Is it the "Armpit F"

John_Nikon_F said:
Nikon bodies are easy to load. Even the F with its non-hinged removable back. Just loaded up the FT3 with a roll of Velvia. Took all of 10 seconds from start to finish.

The early Leicas and other copies are kind of a pain...

-J

My old photo professor shot with one in Vietnam. To load film, you too the back off then stuck it under your arm so you won't loose it in the field. Hence it's called the "Armpit F"

Most difficult 35mm camera to load

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency