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

[John Collier <jbcollier@powersurfr.com>]

Hi Anthony,

A very good question and an interesting subject. I have had three M cameras,
two of which I still own. The first two, a M2 and a M4-2, load as smooth as
butter. You do not have flip the back open ever period. Eventually the lure
of a built in meter had me trading my M4-2 for a M6TTL. The M6TTL NEVER
loads without the kink in the leader catching period. You have to open the
back and jiggle it by the upper film guide every time. This is why Leica
gave us a flip open back but I was curious why I only needed it with one
camera. So I opened my M2 and M6TTL and laid them side by side for a careful
examination. The difference was easy to spot. The film guide next to the
upper edge of the film gate has a gradual chamfer on the M2 and a sharp edge
on the TTL. Now I just have to find a suitable material to make a chamfer on
my TTL....

I will keep you posted,

John Collier

> From: "Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>
> 
> Another thread here has raised this question for me.
> 
> When I load my M6, I slide the film down into the body as per Leica's
> instructions, with the tip of the leader just entering between the tines of
> the
> take-up spool.  Now, the manual says that I can just put the base plate back
> on,
> and implies that the base plate will force the film into the correct position
> as
> I close it.  However, in the past I've noticed tremendous resistance to this,
> mainly because (as far as I can tell) most films have a slight crease in the
> leader from where it was positioned until I pulled it out for loading, and
> this
> crease, which bends towards the film plate, causes the film leader to catch on
> the upper edge of the film guide (nearest the viewfinder), preventing the film
> from sliding completely into the gate.  Closing the base plate does not appear
> to help, as the film is pretty effectively blocked in its movement by this
> crease.  My solution is to jiggle the film a little until the crease pops past
> the film guide and the film slides completely into place, then I close the
> base
> plate.
> 
> Is there a more elegant way to accomplish this?  I have hesitated to try
> forcing
> the base plate, since it _really_ resists this, and I don't want to damage the
> camera or damage the film leader.
> 
> 
>