Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Rapid Load Kit
From: "Stephen Holloway" <hollowst@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:36:52 +0100

>From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
>
>Absolutely not.  These things are almost always found as "NOS".  This was
>one of the great Disasters of Leitz production, as the kit a) answered a
>question no one had asked and b) didn't work worth a damn.  Hence, no one
>bought them.  So, immense quantities of these appear from time to time as
>camera stores clean out their basements (generally, when they are being
>bought out by a chain ... )
>
>I am an M3 freak but the rapid-load kit is just a simple loser.  The nice
>part about the conventional methodology of the M3 is that it is POSITIVE
>loading.  As with LTM cameras, if you keep to the basic M3 technology, you
>KNOW the film is properly loaded.
>
>Back in the early 1960's, this kit was laughed at as the "Never-Load" Kit,
>due to the high frequency of problems with it.
>
>Buy a Never-Load Kit on E-Bay.  Put it on your shelf of Leica Incanabula.
>Continue to load your M3 as the Gnomes of Wetzlar intended.  It works.
>
>Marc
>

Sure the kit works. Have you ever used one? The rapidload kit is no more or 
less 'positive' than an M6 or the standard loading. (Hint - check that the 
rewind knob is spinning). Anyone who has problems with such a simple device 
must have a very short attention span.

The simple fact is that I (and you certainly may have different experiences) 
can load an M3 nearly as fast as an M6 and I can do it while walking (not 
while crossing the road though - that's dangerous kids!). I've also never 
had a misload.

If you think there are problems with the kit then detail the actual defects 
and I'll respond with my experiences.

- --
Stephen Holloway
http://www.deepturtle.com/steve/photos

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