Re: [Leica] Getting film into the film gate in M6

["Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>]

Frank writes:

> pressing it in with the palm of my hand,
> fingers extended.

Through the door, you mean, or what?

I've always hesitated to touch the film where it is actually in the film gate,
because of the risk of putting any pressure on the shutter curtain.  I also try
to avoid gumming up the meter contacts with my fingertips.  Usually, if
anything, I try to jiggle the film leader through the door over the drive
sprocket (and thus far from the shutter curtain), until it jumps over the rail
at the top of the gate--but that doesn't seem to work very well.  I haven't
tried advancing the film with the base open, mainly because I'm afraid I'll
reduce the amount of film left at the other end of the roll, and possibly lose a
frame.  It often takes me a good minute or so to load the film.

> ... I haven't got the nack in the new fangled
> auto sticky roller type cameras of keeping the
> film in place up to its little red mark whilst
> closing the back, the cassette tends to rotate
> about its axis leaving a loop of film away from
> the film gate and moving the leader away
> from the mark.

I have to make sure the film (and especially the cassette) is good and flat in
the Nikon before closing it.  Even then, sometimes it takes a second or two for
the camera to catch the leader.  If I want to be really sure, though, I very
lightly touch my finger to the film over the drive sprocket and press the
shutter, which generally locks it in (but this has the same risk of wasting film
as I mentioned above for the same operation on the M6).