Please help with M6.

[chancellor]

Just received this gorgeous piece of Leica M6 and 35 f/2 ASPH with a flash. I LOVE IT! I need some help (sorry, maybe a dumb newbie question): I loaded the film, following the instructions, did the first frame and now the lever isn't advancing the film - kind of stuck. Do you think I loaded the film incorrectly or am I doing something wrong? Many thanks!

[Ergo]

Did you release the shutter button? [ press it ]

[Mackinaw]

Hard to say. Try rewinding the film and see if that frees up the advance.

Jim Bielecki

[chancellor]

Ergo, I did

[chancellor]

Jim, will do, thanks.

[Brian Sweeney]

Joe Chan has Leica manuals available for download.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/joechan...camanuals.html

Free of charge, not for resale. He re-entered much of the text, much nicer than a raw scan.

[MCTuomey]

Rewind the film and reload it. I find on my M6 that I have to be fairly sure the top edge of the film strip is aligned with the sprocket nibs. If the film strip rides low when I load, then it won't self-align and won't advance. I'm not talking obsessive alignment here, but just enough care to keep the strip from sliding downward. Hope this makes sense and helps. WIth a very small amount of practice you'll get it.

Oh yeah, fire off a few frames to get beyond what likely was exposed from your misstep.

[chancellor]

Brian, thanks for the help. I have the manual before my eyes and followed the steps correctly, I think. Thanks for the link anyway.

Jim, just did and it functions perfect. One more dumb question (first week on the forum, no dumb questions count against the inquisitive idiots, right?): how do I know that the film is still in place, i.e. loaded, or if it dropped off because of the rewind? Thanks.

[chancellor]

Mike, thanks for the help. I'm just trying to determine if the film is still "loaded" or the lever dropped off. The counter is incrementing, is that a clue?

[Mackinaw]

Not sure what you mean by the "lever dropping off."

Open the back and see if the film leader is still visible or in the cartridge. Either reload the existing roll or put in a new roll of film.

Jim Bielecki

[chancellor]

What I meant to say is that: it's possible that the film is still loaded and I didn't rewind it all the way. I apologize if not making sense. After being digital and SLR for years, it's a bit challenging going back to classic. I do love the feel of the camera.

[chancellor]

OK folks, took the film out. Tried to load another one and taking shots while the camera open, but it doesn't look that I'm doing it right, because it's not advancing the film. Once again, sorry about the dumb question, but I'm just trying to get my arms around this new-to-me technology. If the question(s) are too dumb, just ignore 'em - I'll find my way around.

Thanks a lot.

[Ergo]

Try it with back open and bottom on.

[Brian Sweeney]

With no film in the camera: is everthing moving as you advance the film? Take-up reel, sprockets? It should all move along like normal; put your finger ion the sprockets to give a "LITTLE" pressure on it. Advance the lever, do they still want to move? If it is stuck in the rewind position, there will be problems.

EDIT: Try this following Ergo's suggestion of back open and bottom on.

[MCTuomey]

Chance, be sure that the film's sprocket holes are aligning with the sprocket nibs. You can check this by keeping the back open. If the strip's top edge isn't aligning so that the sprocket holes and nibs mate up, the film will not advance.

The film counter can advance without the film advancing, so it's no proof things are aligned. Once you've got it right you'll learn that the advance lever feels a certain way when the film is loaded right. One way to test is to load the film, take the obligatory two shutter releases, and then see if winding the rewind crank produces tension. If it does, then the film is loaded correctly.

Good luck!

[chancellor]

Ergo and Brian, thanks a lot. Tried both suggestions, everything seems to be fine. Perhaps the film loading is my problem... The film needs to "fit" into one of those three "openings"? And if yes, going over the it or under?

Many thanks.

[chancellor]

Mike, much appreciated!

[Brian Sweeney]

This is where my M3 with the removable film spool is so much easier! Thread it outside of the camera, and drop it in. If you are talking about the take up spool, the film needs to be snugly in one of those slots. (Guys, help me out!) Once in the camera, with back open, the film's sprocket holds need to go over those gears on the spindle and into the take up spool.

Good News: Your camera sounds fine; does not seem to be stuck in rewind.

[Avotius]

show us your camera!

[SolaresLarrave]

Alright, Chance, here's the drill.

1) Grab a roll of film and pull the lead out some 4 inches.

2) Drop film in film chamber as indicated in the diagram (make sure the long end points to where the bottom plate goes. Do this with the camera back open as well.

3) When you drop in the film, also make sure the extended lead goes into the body.

4) The tip of the lead should go in between the prongs of the take-up spool. If you need to make it go "behind", do it, but in essence, it goes between two of the three prongs.

5) Gently push film canister into body. Help film fit in the film chamber with the tip of your finger. The goal is that the sprocket wheel engages the film perforations. This is the real way in which Leica cameras pull film. The take-up spool only collects it, it will not pull it. The teeth in the sprocket do it.

6) Once the film perforations have engaged with the sprocket's teeth, if you want to ensure work, tug, very gently, the film advance lever. If the sprocket wheel moves and pulls the film out of the canister, you're set to go.

7) Close back of camera.

8) Place bottom plate in place.

9) Advance film. If the Film Rewind crank moves every time you advance the film with the lever, you have been successful at loading your camera.

10) If it does not move, remove bottom plate, lift back and check.

11) In case you want to remove film and reinsert it, make sure it falls freely out of the camera. Otherwise, move the film rewind lever (which is the little lever on the front of the camera, next to the tiny "R") to the right (camera facing you), and then rewind film back in the canister, very carefully, so as not to get it all into the canister.

12) Remove film.

13) Go back to step 1.

It takes time to get it right... but, more than time, it takes a little practice. I took a roll of film and made it my "practice" roll, so I loaded my camera with it, and later I opened the camera with that film in just to see it go all the way. Yes, you wreck a roll, but you also learn how to load the camera without a hitch.

Good luck!

[chancellor]

Brian, got it, trying it out. This is my third film going to the garbage can.

Avotius, one step at the time. As soon as I'm done with the problems for dummies, i.e. me, I'll take some photos and publish, most likely - tomorrow.

Francisco, i grabbed it tightly and ...

Old joke about the dead programmer, who was found dead in the shower. The directions on the shampoo bottle said: lather, rinse, repeat

[wtl]

chancellor,

the real "clue" for the film to catch on properly is to watch the rewind knob on top of the camera and see if it turns while you wind the film. The properly catched on film should drag the knob to turn. You might have to slightly tighten the rewind knob in the begining just to be sure that the film is "tensioned". But if you are afraid to do so, just let the film to waste a few frames in the beginning and "evetually" this knob will turn. If it doesn't, then you know the film is not catching on.

[Brian Sweeney]

How many Programmers does it take to change a light bulb? None, it's a Hardware Problem.

Don't throw the rolls into the trash; rewind them by hand back into the cartridge and try again. Practice makes Perfect.

As bad as this seems, a Voigtlander Vitessa is worse.

Signing off. Good Luck. Will check back tomorrow. Post if you get it., Post a shot of the camera on the Camera and Coffee thread.

[erikhaugsby]

Originally Posted by Brian Sweeney

This is where my M3 with the removable film spool is so much easier! Thread it outside of the camera, and drop it in.

Yeah, sometimes these "Easy-Load" devices for the M4+ sound a whole lot more complicated than the M3/2.

Dunno if its just me, but physically taking the spool out of my M2 is a lot easier than fidgiting with dropping the film in oh-so-correctly in anything newer...

[SolaresLarrave]

To must of us, the idea of "easy" in "easy load" suggests "mindless" or "quick", but the Easy Load in the Leica gear is, surprisingly enough, very easy. We're simply falling prey to our own expectations of "easy."

Chance, pick up one of those rolls of film you threw away. If the film lead is still out, sit down and practice. Better yet, download the Leica M6TTL manual from THIS WEBSITE (JOE CHAN'S) and follow the directions in the resulting PDF download.

I've also posted some detailed directions in the previous page.

Again... good luck!