FED Cassettes

[Brother Joe]

Hey all,
Having recently acquired a Fed2 with an I26m, I've been happily shooting away.

Via Oleg, I acquired some FED reloadable film cassettes and have found a couple of snags. I'm only on my second attempt with them, but, how do they work, exactly?

There are two buttons that appear to be engaged by the plate under the screw that holds the back on. The body of the canister has a "key" that seems to slide into a bump in the body of the camera to keep it from rolling inside the body. What do the buttons cause to happen when the back is on? When I load it, obviously, they allow me to slide the two cylinders apart to get the spool out.

What makes the design less prone to scratching? From what I can see the film may/can/does come into contact with the outer and possibly the inner cylinder.

The first roll through will be rough; i exposed quite a lot of it fussing aorund with loading the cartridge in the camera, but, thats OK.

The second may not be much better as it was also problematic to load. I'm thinking about getting some normal felt cannisters to reload as well.

I also learned that scotch tape that goes around the spool and hits both sides of the film may be a better way to secure the end of the film to the spool, that seems pretty secure.

Does anyone have any tips to share with the FED cassettes?

Another question: scratching. My last 2 (and first 2 I've processed) were in pretty rough shape. Lots of scratches that aren't looking to me like the camera did it; the pressure plate seems to be in good shape. They're more like swirls or fishhooks that show up on a few frames. I have 3 more to process and I should be a bit better loading the reels, so, I'll see if i have any problems this time.


Last one. The leather FED case isn't such a good fit with a filter and a lens-cap on. I'd rather have something that isn't very bulky, and, easy to extricate the camera from. I tend to carry it around with me when I'm shooting, but, when I'm not doing that, I like to keep it protected in something; Does anybody have a line on a nice small form-fitting case for these, I don't really need a camera bag for how I'm going, I just want something to replace the leather case and be a bit easier to deal with.

Ok, phew..that was long.

J

 

[ZorkiKat]

The tabs on the bottom engage with the cutouts on the locking tabs on the baseplate. When the tabs turn, the cassette tubes are turned and the film slot opens fully, allowing the film to pass freely without obstruction- as opposed to the felt-lip traps in commercial casssettes. That's why they're supposed to make film scratch-free.

Taping the film end to the spool is indeed a more efficient and effective way to secure it. The special cut and clamp method can be tricky to do and may lead to 'accidents' if done incorrectly.

 

[Brother Joe]

I've noticed (again, only twice here..) that it turns a bit tough when tightening the back screws on. That must be the motion of rotating the drum.

I've also noticed that it's tricky to ensure that the outer-drum's divot engages the protruding pin from the film-bay. It's a bit worrysome to know if those three actions have happened:

- Cartridge engages divot/pin
- Back screws engage pins
- cylinders open

I guess I'll find out after I shoot this roll!

J

 

[ZorkiKat]

Try checking the inside surfaces (the ones in contact) for corrosion. Corrosion there causes roughness and tightening. Sand lightly if any corrosion is found.

Overall, those cassettes are more trouble than they're worth. The locking tabs on the cameras may not always have the same specs needed to engage with the cassettes properly.

The common factory cassettes are still best to use.

 

[Al Kaplan]

I'm assuming that they're pretty much the same thing as brass Leica cassettes. Clean them free of any corrosion and coat the surfaces with a little auto wax (you'll still have enough left to wax your car). This will make the surfaces more slippery and keep them from corroding.

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com

 

[fanshaw]

I find that these cassettes work better on some Fed-2 cameras than others, for no apparent reason. It is worth noting that only the cassettes marked 'Fed' will work with Fed cameras. The very similar cassettes made for Zorki cameras, but not labelled as such, will not work.

 

[BrotherJoe]

I finished off and developed rolls from both today. I find one is a bit stiffer so I waxed it a bit and fiddled with it. It's a bit harder to insert into the camera, but, it engages better to open the rolling curtain than the other. Both, however, are marked FED.

I think I'll still pickup a couple of normal reloadable cassettes, but, these do work, they just take a bit more effort.

As far as scratches go; I'll know more as well. I'm taking the first two reloadables as a bit of a learning experience as I expect some scratched negs. I do, however, have 2 Fomapan rolls drying now that I'll be interested to see what shape they're in. I'm hoping that my initial clumsyness in the changing bag was what caused my first few rolls to have some scratches (and wouldn't you know, it's always the shots that you like the most)

I do really enjoy the camera, though. I'm thinking my next purchase may be a Jupiter 12; I see that most folks like them and 35mm would be nice.

I'll try and get some of my shots up, but, honestly, there are so many things I'm working through; exposure, development times, scanning (no printmaking yet...). When I last did this I was a highschool punk just clacking away at whatever I saw and not thinking about it. Input is still good with the low quality work I've done so far.

Thanks

J