Leica LTM Film rewind indicator on IIIF

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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AnthonyM

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I just got a IIIF. I recall reading somewhere that when it is time to rewind the film, you must first push and hold down the shutter release button before you move the little arrow to the R position. Is this true or can you just move the arrow without pushing and holding down the shutter release button. I did not hold it down when I moved the arrow and now I have a problem with the shutter release button. Do you think I damaged it? The shutter release now needs about 4 pounds of pressure to set it off. It gives much resistance and clicks before the shutter goes off.
 
Film rewind on IIIf

Film rewind on IIIf

I have only had my IIIf for a couple of months. I never engaged the shutter release before I went from A to B rewind.
So this has bothered me since I read your thread.
I just tried the following: Without film in camers I moved the selector from A to B and felt no resistance. Then I cocked the shutter and them went from A to B and when I did that the shutter released.
I don't know what this means, but from now on I will do as the manual said and play it safe.
Thanks for the link on the manual
 
I have a IIIf, and thanks to AnthonyM for the user manual Link.

It makes sense to press on the shutter button before moving the little Lever into its Rewind position. Why press the shutter button? Because, very likely reaching the end of the roll you are in "mid-stroke,"having advanced the wind-on knob only partially.

I usually stop at frame #34 or 35. Thus, having NOT advanced & cocked, I can go to Rewind without pressing the shutter button.

Cheers, Mike
 
Hmmmmm intersting. I have a IIIc and just checked my manual (original IIIc manual)...... and it says NOTHING about the shutter release button. I do think there is a presumtion that the shutter is not cocked however since that would be the case at the end of a roll anyway.

Perhaps the IIIf is different in this respect. I do believe that one should follow the manual carefully in any case thanks!!!

Ray
 
I believe this was settled in another thread, but to re-cap, my Leica manual for my IIIf red dial makes no mention of pressing the shutter release before moving the rewind lever. Obviously the manual was changed at some point-I doubt the mechanism was changed from black dial to red dial.
 
Not to challenge any Leica instruction manual, but surely it's common sense to release the shutter so there's no tension anywhere in the mechanism before starting a rewind by moving the lever?
My IIIf seems to do it anyway if I forget and move the lever first, but my thinking is that it's not the way the shutter release was designed to operate.
 
No mention of pressing the shutter button prior to switching the rewind lever to R position in any of the Leica manuals (Lester & Lester, Kisselbach, Mattheson) covering the III series range either.

However I would presume that pressing the shutter button ensures that a partially wound shutter (such as what would happen if a short length of film is still available after the last exposure) would run first before turning the rewind switch. Letting the rewind switch to do that may cause the blinds to stop within the film gate and leave an open gap. Rewinding the film with this open gap, in bright light, and without the cap on would reexpose the film and ruin the frames.

One extra instruction which I did find in one of the above mentioned manuals is to cap the lens before rewinding. No mention why, but I suppose that it's a precaution against rewinding film over a partially opened shutter.

Jay
 
Interesting...


I looked at Anthony's scan of the instruction from the III-f manual, and it clearly states to "press the shutter release before moving the lever to "R" " .


I was leafing through my manual for the III-f Red Dial, printed circa 1955, by Leitz of Canada, and it makes no mention of releasing the shutter; it simply instructs that when the film is spent, to "swing the lever to "R", and wind the film back into the cassette." It does caution to make sure that the front dial is NOT set to "Time", to avoid re-winding across an open shutter.

None of my Barnacks seem to mind not having th shutter button depressed before changing to "rewind", but it doesn't seem like a bad habit to do so...

I wonder why the conflicting instructions in the factory instruction booklets ?


LF
 
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