Re: [Leica] Re: Loading the film

[InfinityDT@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/27/99 5:50:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
alex@zetetic.co.uk writes:

<< I sympathise, we've been using Leica's for a similar amount of time and
 film, and my experience is similar to yours. I think it is to do with the
 amount of curl the film has. FP4 drops in fine, but Acupan 200 gets snagged,
 for example. The cassette won't drop in fully because it gets caught on the
 left (looking down) side of the film rail, as if the rail on the cassette
 side is a bit too long, so whatever clever stuff you do on the take up
 spool, the film won't load. The curlier films get caught, others don't. I
 think there's a knack of dropping the cassette down at the same time as you
 pull the film across which will become automatic with experience. In the
 meantime I check that the film is aligned and over the film rail on the
 cassette side, then it always works. (I don't mean to sound smug about it as
 I still haven't become fluent with it under pressure of time or the
 expectant gaze of photographees!)
 
 Alex
 
  >>
Folks, folks: just pick up an ABLON film-trimming template (or take a pair of 
little scissors and double the length of the leader).  It takes about 10 
seconds for each roll.  Just do up the night before however many rolls you're 
planning to shoot. Anyone who shoots LTM *has* to do this.  The M6 is an M4 
on the inside, and in 1967 the leaders were *longer*.  Try one roll, you'll 
see that any brand will load like a dream.

DT