Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]- --On Monday, March 11, 2002 6:02 PM -0800 Jim Brick <jim@brick.org> wrote: > At 08:11 PM 3/11/2002 -0500, Rolfe Tessem wrote: > >> Amazingly, the basket never seemed necessary with the M2 or M3. Maybe >> people just got dumber over the ensuing 20 years. > > > Rolf. Ever look inside an M2 or M3? > > Pretty hard to use a basket with an M2 or M3. They have a removable spool > that you have to hook the film into which guarantees that the film will > align properly. > > Leica got rid of the removable spool (for obvious reasons) and provided a > way of loading film without the possibility of dropping and losing a key > part. Something that those "dumb" M2 and M3 owners frequently did. > > The basket is simply a way of making loading easier and faster. If you > think it is for dummies, remove it and throw it away. Jim, On reflection, my initial response may have been a little intemperate, but it was certainly not directed at you or anyone personally. But yes, I've looked inside an M2 and M3 probably thousands of times as I've reloaded them. And the fact that you have hooked the film into the takeup spool and reinserted it into the body does NOT insure that you've reloaded them properly. You still have to use your fingers and slide the film up onto the sprockets and advance the film for a partial stroke to be sure that the takeup is working. If you have ever used an M2 or M3, all you have to do when loading an M4 or M6 is load them the same way. And if you have a Rapidwinder, you won't need the basket to help. The problem is that if you know what you are doing and know enough to slide the film up onto the sprockets, the basket actually gets in the way. If it is misaligned with the tulip, it can delay the reloading while you get that sorted out and move on. Maybe someone should publish a book: "Leica Baskets for Dummies". - -- Rolfe Tessem rolfe@ldp.com Lucky Duck Productions, Inc. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html