[Leica] Re: misloading with the rapidwinder

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

At 08:12 AM 6/19/00 -0400, Sal DiMarco,Jr. wrote:
>Lug Nuts,
>    With all this talk of using or not using the "basket," as anyone thought
>of asking the manufacturer?
>    After all, he is on the LUG...and should know best......
>    Any sage words of advice.....THOMAS........
>
>Cheers,
>Sal DiMarco, Jr.
>


I repeat.

Question:

Why is the basket on the Leica base plate?

Answer:

To make sure the film is pushed over the sprocket so the sprocket and
sprocket holes line up.

Question:

Does the film know whether there is a Rapidwinder attached or just a Leica
base plate?

Answer:

The film doesn't know diddly!

Question:

If I always manually push my film so that the sprocket holes line up with
the sprocket, do I need the basket?

Answer:

No.

Question:

Then why should I have the basket on whichever base plate I use if I always
visually check that the sprocket and holes line up?

Answer:

Because when loading film in the dark, you cannot see if the film is
aligned properly AND THE BASKET WILL THEN PUSH THE FILM UP TO THE PROPER
ALIGNMENT POSITION and "guarantee" proper film loading.

Jeez folks!!! This is the simplest logic in existence. The basket was put
there simply to "help" insure that the film gets aligned over the sprocket.
If you ALWAYS visually see that the film is pushed all the way up and
aligned over the sprocket, well... you can probably do without the basket.
But on the chance that you cannot guarantee that the film is properly
aligned, then the basket PERFORMS A VALUABLE SERVICE. The very "reason" it
was placed there in the first place.

If the basket is never needed, why in hell does Leica continue to supply it
AND the machined post on which it resides?

Because most folks simply pull the film across, stick the tongue through
the take-up slot and put on the base plate. In this case, the basket is
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY because that is how the film gets pushed up and
aligned over the sprocket.

If nothing pushes it up, what happens? Quite often the sprocket will rip
out holes in the film and the film will go nowhere. Sometimes the film will
work its way up and become aligned. Plus other scenarios. Why take a
chance. Use the damn basket simply for the reason it was put there in the
first place. To "help" avoid the "possibility" of misloading your film.

Again, the reason it is still supplied in M cameras is because it still
performs a valuable service. It prevents you from misloading on the
occasion (perhaps rare for some of you, but not rare to many) that the film
is not manually aligned (by you) in the camera.

Question:

So as a corollary, what harm can the basket cause?

Answer:

None. Other than finding these conversations really inane!

Jim (think of it as film loading insurance) Brick