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

[Bill Satterfield <cwsat@istate.net>]

I would not want to buy one of your used cameras

Mxsmanic wrote:

> 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).