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Problems loading film

With the M7, you have to remember to turn off the AE mode to 1/1000 sec when reloading film. Otherwise, if your lens cap is on or if the lens is pointing down onto a surface, the camera will try to take a 32 SECOND shot. This is a main cause of why you have to turn the camera on/off between shots when reloading.

Been there, done that.
crazy.gif


Karen
http://www.photoethnography.com
 
But if you have the lens cover on AND you forget to take it off auto, you can, after snapping the shutter, move the dial to 1/1000 and it will immediately close. You don't have to wait 32 seconds.

I do this a lot...
 
Well,
It seems that someone in Solms didn't made it right: in fact I was not aware that they changed the loading system.
If you want my opinion, and I take the risk of being seriously flamed, there was simply one thing still to be improved after M3 loading system and it was done with the M4.
I understand that providing a simple and safe swinged back is simply too much effort for Leica but even my old Nikon F3 had the safety trick to avoid that 32 seconds long exposure while loading the camera.
Come on Leica, it's a 25 years old trick!

ciao
k
 
But Paolo, the contemporary Nikon FE, which was the same size as a Leica, did not. How much effort IS it to turn the dial to 1/1000? Why build in more mechanics when the solution is already in your hands?
 
Having a swingback would compromise the integrity of M bodies. The 1 piece shell with bottom loading makes for a greatly superior body strength. One of Leica's novel demonstrations used to be(still is?) to place an M body, lens throat down and stand on the back of the camera. Total integrity and alignment is retained. Impossible with any other design, including any of the R series bodies. As an owner of both Thread mount and M mount Leicas for the past 30 years, I have never had any problem loading the film, and yes, you can do it with gloves on! It may not be "lightning fast" but anyone who really needs that speed would obviously have 2 or more bodies,
Colin
 
Colin:

Perhaps the R8 cannot handle someone standing on it with the lens objective down, but I did see a Leica rep, place one on it's base and stand on the prism and top plate.

Best Regards:

Gilbert
 
They could just make a little lid on the camera bottom making room eneugh just to slip in the film - like on an aps camera - while some carrier-device-thing takes care of the rest - meantime the guys from Leica could go out and shoot some lovely pictures instead of trying to break M bodies by standing on them
 
While it is not all that difficult, there is a knack to loading film into M4 take-up-spool thingies. If the film-leader protrudes too far there is the risk 36 exp. film will jam at around exp 24. (don’t ask me how I know this) On the other hand if the film leader is not long enough it can slip out of the prongs and not wind on. (please don’t ask me how I know this either)

Once the trick, “of enough-but not to muchâ€, is learned film loading becomes second nature and unproblematic. I had “the M7 on auto film changing†experience for the first time last week. Being quite smart (those who know me, know this is a barefaced lie) I realised what was happing and simply changed the dial to 1/1000 and away we went merrily around to make more photos.

I think I have said this previously but shall bore you further IMHO the M5 take-up-spool is a much better arrangement, and I cannot on the surface of it see any technical reason why this could not have been put into the M4-2 to MP cameras. However, we have inherited the M4 system, which is less than perfect.

At the end of the day these little machines are 1940s camera technology. If you don’t like some of the little quirks of an outmoded camera design. Get a G1 or 2 and deal with all its little electronic quirks. Mechanics I understand, electricity I cannot see.

Lets go out and enjoy our photography, Craig
 
I do agree with Craig that the loose spool of the M2 and M3 is far better than the M4-loading system. Particulary when you use two spools it is faster too, simply attach a spare spool to the film you want to load later on. It never goes wrong.

It is a pity that this old system wasn't reintroduced on the MP, just like it is a pity that you cannot use the old reloadable Leica-cassettes in the new camera's.

regards,

Erik.
 
Erik, You can't use the Leitz reloadable cassettes in the current cameras.?..I could have sworn I'd used them in my M4 and M6(original) Perhaps I'm losing my mind! I have a whole stack of those cassettes loaded with Velvia; what am I going to do? I suppose I could reload them into my Contax cassettes and shoot them in my Contax 1
Colin
 
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