IXMOO questions

[sanmich]

Just bought another 15 IXMOOS. I think I'm done (maybe overdone?).
If I was sure that bulk film will always be available, I think I would consider sending my MP to have the chamber machined to accept IXMOOs...

 

[johannielscom]

Last week sold my last batch of 15 IXMOO's (Hi Michael!😀)

Think all in all I sold 50 of em to fellow RFF members. I have 5 left and while that is a lot less than the 25 I expected to have, I mainly shoot the Ricoh GXR-M and the Leica II these days so the IXMOO's where without work anyway.


In case anybody knows what they are, I'd be interested in some KASAM's.

They are metal cassettes made by Leitz, but have no spring and are felt-lined. There's a small metal disk to their top end. They were made for early Leica I and Leica II camera's.

I'm still using them (got 5 of them) and feel they're very good!

 

[sanmich]

Last week sold my last batch of 15 IXMOO's (Hi Michael!😀)

Think all in all I sold 50 of em to fellow RFF members. I have 5 left and while that is a lot less than the 25 I expected to have, I mainly shoot the Ricoh GXR-M and the Leica II these days so the IXMOO's where without work anyway.


In case anybody knows what they are, I'd be interested in some KASAM's.

They are metal cassettes made by Leitz, but have no spring and are felt-lined. There's a small metal disk to their top end. They were made for early Leica I and Leica II camera's.

I'm still using them (got 5 of them) and feel they're very good!

Hey Johan 🙂
I'm waiting for the postman 😉
Just out of curiosity, why the KASAM and not the FILCA?
Won't the FILCA work in your II ?

 

[sanmich]

I notice that among the last batch of IXMOOs I have received, a few of them have a black knob, not the usual chrome one.

 

[johannielscom]

Hey Johan 🙂
I'm waiting for the postman 😉
Just out of curiosity, why the KASAM and not the FILCA?
Won't the FILCA work in your II ?

Hi michael,

Saw this only just now!

My Leica II is an early one and the base plate does not have the upward-pointy thingy that opens the FILCA, or the base plate lock that rotates the FILCA open.

The KASAM does not have a rotating cylinder like the FILCA, instead it has a felt light trap. So far, I haven't had any scratches on my negatives. Fingers crossed!

Happy shooting!

 

[sanmich]

Hi michael,

Saw this only just now!

My Leica II is an early one and the base plate does not have the upward-pointy thingy that opens the FILCA, or the base plate lock that rotates the FILCA open.

The KASAM does not have a rotating cylinder like the FILCA, instead it has a felt light trap. So far, I haven't had any scratches on my negatives. Fingers crossed!

Happy shooting!

Hey Johan
Impressive. How early?

 

[Tom A]

I notice that among the last batch of IXMOOs I have received, a few of them have a black knob, not the usual chrome one.

The black knob inicates that they are for screw-mount Leicas. Unfortunately, they dont work on M's.

 

[sanmich]

The black knob inicates that they are for screw-mount Leicas. Unfortunately, they dont work on M's.

Tom,
fortunately, they do.. 🙂
These are not FILCAs, but real IXMOOs with dark knobs.
Only three of them...

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

Tom: I made careful measurements: it is possible to use Filca casettes in M2/3 and 4 if you grind down the black knob, you need to grind about 3mm. it will open BUT the film will travel not in the filmgroove of the body. That is a NoNo for me. Luckily we had here in Finland a guy who was quitting with leicas and he sold 50pcs IXMOO`s I had 6 of them for €40,- not bad price at all, ( that was 6,6 euros per piece). I have now 36 IXMOO`s good for 2 100ft bulk loading or half a can of DXX 5222...

 

[Tom A]

As you say - The Filca's can be ground down to fit - but the film is skewed in the camera. Too much trouble and a fair chance that it could jam with the M's lock.
I have just realized that however trouble some IXMOO's can be to load - they are nothing like the Tessina cassettes! Only 41 cm of film and it will jam at the slightest provocation. The felt traps are very stiff. I have found that the easiest way is simply to remove the traps - and accept some flare!
I have 400 ft of XX to load too - takes a good evening to get it done. You sound a bit like a scrap dealer with 1/2 dozen IXMOO's in the pocket, clanking and rattling about.

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

I really wish leica would take up producing the IXMOO`s again, when they are located again in Wetzlar, All the goodies back in production... maybe NOT THE Focomats I and II... hehe

 

[sanmich]

I really wish leica would take up producing the IXMOO`s again, when they are located again in Wetzlar, All the goodies back in production... maybe NOT THE Focomats I and II... hehe

the trouble is: there is now so much leica gear that is not compatible anymore with the IXMOO:
M6, M7, MP, motor-M...
(I did retrofit my M6 with an M2 baseplate to make it work though)

 

[Tom A]

Earlier M6's had an IXMOO compatible baseplate. Leica would even switch the later ones with flat disc to old style for a while (probably did run out eventually).
As for remaking the IXMOO's in the original form would be very costly - they would end up costing $100's each. There are still IXMOO's out there - but you have to search for them. I would like to see a "regular" shape film cassette with a Nikon cassette type of inner/outer shell and some kind of non - felt trap opening - and that would be compatible with later M6's/MP's. The Nikon cassette has a much simpler loading system - none of that trying to fish out a leader through two different slots! It is OK if you are only doing a few - but I often do 70 of them at one go!
One thing with the IXMOO that is amazing is that they keep on working. Biggest problem you encounter is bent locking springs and thats about it. The Nikon cassettes are more fragile = the disc on top that controls the lock spring is prone to come off and virtually impossible to put bad in place.

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

Another possibility would be to have NO CASSETTE AT ALL... Just black leader paper/Plastic that would cancel out all light and tight packing of the film. The spool end of the backing paper would have a glue to keep the film taut on the spool side, after loading the film into film chamber, the winding mechanism should be strong enought to loosen the glue joint and let the film pass the pressure plate . I don/t know how the automatic loading systems like in Nikon F5 or hassy XPan would work, but I am sure it would work just fine on M film leicas.

 

[Tom A]

In the early days of 35mm film, a variation of their system was used. You got your film , on a spool< wrapped in light tight paper. When you unwrapped it a band of black paper surrounded the core of film and a sleeve covered the leader. You loaded your cassette (FILCA most likely) and peeled of the leader cover, shoot the film and rewound it. Problem was that you had to have more FILCA's to reload!

 

[Tom A]

Early "press pack". Kodak black and white film - expired in 1931.The film is wrapped in a dark green heavy paper (black inside). Spool is made from wood with two metal flanges at the top and bottom. The tin can would hold 3-4 of these packages. The speed of the film was probably 25/32 iOS in 1931 - I extrapolated (actually guessed) age and speed information. Loaded it and shot it a t0.5/1 iso - developed it in Rodinal. Did get printable images - not pretty as the emulsion had started to come off the backing and it was quite grainy - and fogged!