Leica LTM Getting really stressed out doing this!

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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loneranger

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I love my leica IIIf, but every time I have to change film, it is like going to hell and back. It is not that it is difficult, not even that it takes a long time, I dont mind that part. But I get stressed out thinking I am going to break the shutter, or film might get stuck in in the little shutter window and then you have to stick your finger in there and fix it and then the stupid T mechanism that has to stay open while you are doing this, all this time advancing and the film getting crunched in the little space, and you cannot even see anything in there.....who came up with this design...it sucks!.
can you actually break the shutter if not careful?
 
Hints: Cut the film properly with good scissors, and use a small flash light to make sure the film catches correctly on the top sprocket of the roller near the take-up spool - you're home free after that.

I think about the worst damage you can cause is broken film bits knocking around inside messing things up.
 
I've ran many many rolls through, sticking my uncouth fingers into the "little window" while using the brilliant T mechanism.

Asking who came up with the design is sort of like saying Shakespeare's work is all cliches...
 
Come on, I also think of myself as a purist, but this is not a human friendly design, I dont care if Mr.Leitz or Mr.Barnak himself designed this. But I still love the camera and in fact, waiting for my second one to arrive in the mail.
aad said:
I've ran many many rolls through, sticking my uncouth fingers into the "little window" while using the brilliant T mechanism.

Asking who came up with the design is sort of like saying Shakespeare's work is all cliches...
Click to expand...
 
David Murphy said:
Hints: Cut the film properly with good scissors, and use a small flash light to make sure the film catches correctly on the top sprocket of the roller near the take-up spool - you're home free after that.
Click to expand...

Exactly. The little scissors on my Swiss Army "executive" knife do the job for me. A good thing about the Barnacks is that one inserts the film cassette and the takeup spool together, ensuring that the film goes in evenly at both ends. I extend the rewind knob and take up the slack. With the sprocket engaging the sprocket holes, winding the film will now cause the rewind knob to rotate. I wind on until the sprocket engages the holes both top and bottom. That only costs one frame, and ensures that everything is definitely correct.

The last time I saw a film chip cause a problem was in 1959. It caused the shutter to hang up. Not a common occurrence, IMO. It was a IIIf.
 
I love your attitude. "This camera is driving me nuts AND I can't wait for my next one to arrive." That's the spirit. I haven't owned a Barnack yet, but I'm thinking about getting one. Some people might think this is crazy, but I find it encouraging.

loneranger said:
Come on, I also think of myself as a purist, but this is not a human friendly design, I dont care if Mr.Leitz or Mr.Barnak himself designed this. But I still love the camera and in fact, waiting for my second one to arrive in the mail.
Click to expand...
 
Relax, it's no big thing.

I just do it. I don't bother cutting the leader anymore. After a bit of practice it comes naturally enough. If I'm in a hurry, I'll do the biz card thing but usually I just unscrew the lens, pop it on T & slide it in. Don't get too worked up about it - these are only cameras and only photographs; when I'm out shooting my IIIf, then I know the world is not depending on me or my pictures and there will still be food on my table at the end of the day :angel:

Have fun. Otherwise, why bother?

William
 
I stopped cutting the leader a while back. Now, I just keep a metro card handy in my wallet (BART or D.C. Metro work fine), and slip it gently behind the shutter curtains. The film slides in easily behind the card, I pull the card out, make sure the sprockets have engaged the film, and off we go! Takes a little practice but is pretty foolproof once you get the routine down.
 
I'm the take-the-lens-off kinda guy and never cut leaders. Just very gently push the edge of the film down so it slides behind the top side of the frame. Some say it might damage the pressure plate springs, I'm not applying any more pressure than the film itself while positioning it so can't see how that should happen.

Now, if only I had three hands to keep all the loose pieces handy! :p
 
Looks like I'm the minority here. I cut leader and always have one barnack-ready roll in a marked can. Actual loading when I'm out shooting is as fast as loading an M2.
 
Huh. I purchased an IIIc a few months ago. It came with a Abalon; I either pre-cut film when I'm going out shooting with it or take it with me and use a knife on my key chain to cut it (usually if I have multiple cameras and am not sure which one I'll load the film in).

Quick and easy to load, never had a problem with it. Maybe I'll cut it freehand some time but this has worked well for me so far.
 
Ok , I guess I just need practice, since everyone else seems to think it is a piece of cake. I had a M2 before, which I found vastly more simple, just because the little back door would open and I could just adjust the film right there. So maybe this is a better design for film flatness or something.
So for the "cutters" among you, you always carry a pair of scissors or a knife, right. What if you are flying!
coelacanth said:
Looks like I'm the minority here. I cut leader and always have one barnack-ready roll in a marked can. Actual loading when I'm out shooting is as fast as loading an M2.
Click to expand...
 
loneranger said:
Ok , I guess I just need practice, since everyone else seems to think it is a piece of cake. I had a M2 before, which I found vastly more simple, just because the little back door would open and I could just adjust the film right there. So maybe this is a better design for film flatness or something.
So for the "cutters" among you, you always carry a pair of scissors or a knife, right. What if you are flying!
Click to expand...

I do this at home. I don't carry scissors for this. I take my Ms for travel but if I were to shoot severals rolls for my IIIf, then I'll prepare everything at home. I just measure 10cm, cut with scissors free-hand. Make sure there are no rough edges. It's super quick once you know the routine. I've done cutting when I was out once with a folding knife. It's easy enough but again, I'd do the prep at home.

Even on a Barnack, you can see and make sure teeth are aligned with holes on the film before you close the bottom plate.
 
Get rid of it ... get something you're more comfortable with and stop trying to convince yourself that you need this camera!

:D
 
What Keith said might be the way to go :p, but try what others and myself said before you make the decision. I personally never felt discouraged (so much so I want to stop using) by this design (not saying it's most practical design!) and love using my IIIf every single roll.
 
Cut the leader according to the diagram on the inside of the bottom plate, and prep a few extra rolls to have in your pocket or kit-bag. I use a pair of curved cuticle scissors ( Revlon, from the drugstore ) like you'd find in a manicure set. These stay in my kit bag too.

I don't like pulling the lens to load film; I've tried it, it works, but none of the Leica literature describe/recommend it, and the Barnack is fiddly enough as-is for loading w/o taking the lens off too...

This is another plug for the Leica ever-ready case around your neck ( I use the bottom half of a IIIg case with a modern wide-strap): it holds the camera body upside down while you're manipulating the spool and cassette for re-loading.

The biggest issue I had with loading my first Barnack was with the take-up spool: the spring tab was so tight, I could not slide the leader under it: the film would just buckle-up. I swapped it with the spool from another Barnack, which loads much more easily.

One caution when trimming the leader: do NOT cut through sprocket-holes (cut in bewteen), and avoid sharp angles in your tab - make a gentle curve. Right-angles / notches / splits can catch on the edge of the film-gate and split the film as you wind it on, causing one part to wind onto the take-up spool, and the other part to get wound into the shutter curtain.
( Had this happen to a black III. )

Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty straight-forward; not necesarily "easy", but easily learnable. Pick a quiet place to practice , away from people & pets... reloading "on your feet" is more challenging, save that for once you've got some comfort with the process.

My desire to use Barnack cameras overcame the loading challenge a long time ago.

Good luck !

Luddite Frank
 
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