Leica LTM First roll after service is a disaster!

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Steve, what lens are you using. I tend to agree with Beemermark. If you want to test the lens, use a tripod too. Or could be scanner issues.
 
Hari said:
Chris, I never had a problem like you're describing
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Yet.

Why not just do it right? You remind me of my high school students who would put a huge effort into calculating which assignments they could blowoff without failing my class. If they just did the damned work, they'd have done less work in the end and would have gotten better grades.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Just do it right and trim the leader, its not that hard.
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If you are lazy (like me) and want to get away with it, or you can't remember what camera is in your bag when you are grabbing film from the fridge, there is another way.
Use a metrocard/business card and slip it in where the film goes, drop the film in behind it, and pull the card out and you are done. The card guides the corner of the film away from the gate, which is the purpose of the trimming.
In NYC we have lots of unused metrocards laying around at the moment, just make sure to disinfect it first.
 
Thanks for all the replies. It appears that aligning the canister will eliminate all the frame issues and actually may improve the image sharpness as well. That will be determined as soon as I develop the second roll. Here is what the lens looks, like so I'm pretty sure it's affecting the sharpness.

IMG_3263.jpeg


IMG_3267.jpeg
 
On eBay it'd be "Excellent" with "no effect on images".

Good luck!

You probably already know all this but just in case (not trying to be a know it all or jerk!) As far as sharpness, keeping the rewind knob taunt on any camera is going to have a positive effect. With large format we'd double stick tape to the center of the film to prevent it bowing out, especially when shooting down where gravity would want to pull the film away from the holder. There were also numerous vacuum back devices for film and paper, it was standard for pre-laser process cameras.

But most people just stopped down. Technically there is no reason for a 1932 Leica LTM camera to be any less sharp than a 1999 Canon/Nikon/Leica without resorting to anything special or out of the ordinary. With older hazey, scratched up lenses you'll tend to get more flare and glow than overall blurriness. Overall blur is most usually shaking or some gross misalignment (like dropping a camera and bending something).

Use a tripod or stable surface and shoot something that is very measurable like a ruler or newsprint, use a second camera to compare especially if you consider it a sharp, well functioning one. You can even use the same roll of film in both cameras.
 
I've used the CNNY approach for years. Pretty infallible. A regular business card works well too. As for the cable release, just set the shutter on T if you want to look through the lens mount and make sure no sprocket holes are showing.

I have an ABLON copy somewhere, but frankly, wielding a knife to cut the film is more worrisome to me than the possibility of dust motes getting inside the camera.
 
Over the years, I had pre-1950 IIf, IIc, and a '54 IIIf. I used all three rather a lot. I never used anything but standard film cartridges in them, never bothered to trim the leader. I just loaded them carefully and they worked fine.

I don't know what the problem is with your camera... mystifying.

G
 
Nike, I've got one of those ABLON trimmers, but I just use it to
make a V-shape cut to fit various metal cassettes for both
the Nikons (F and F2) and the screw mount and M2.
 
I trim the film for my Zorki1, a Leica II clone. I have a PhotonBox trimmer and it doesn't take that much time. And I think that trimming the leader reduces the stress on the camera pressure plate springs when I load film.



Steve W
 
Steve Ruddy said:
Thanks for all the replies. It appears that aligning the canister will eliminate all the frame issues and actually may improve the image sharpness as well. That will be determined as soon as I develop the second roll. Here is what the lens looks, like so I'm pretty sure it's affecting the sharpness.

IMG_3263.jpeg


IMG_3267.jpeg
Click to expand...

Given the looks of that lens, i'd have no complaints about the image sharpness...
 
Bart Bart said:
On eBay it'd be "Excellent" with "no effect on images".

Good luck!

You probably already know all this but just in case (not trying to be a know it all or jerk!) As far as sharpness, keeping the rewind knob taunt on any camera is going to have a positive effect. With large format we'd double stick tape to the center of the film to prevent it bowing out, especially when shooting down where gravity would want to pull the film away from the holder. There were also numerous vacuum back devices for film and paper, it was standard for pre-laser process cameras.

But most people just stopped down. Technically there is no reason for a 1932 Leica LTM camera to be any less sharp than a 1999 Canon/Nikon/Leica without resorting to anything special or out of the ordinary. With older hazey, scratched up lenses you'll tend to get more flare and glow than overall blurriness. Overall blur is most usually shaking or some gross misalignment (like dropping a camera and bending something).

Use a tripod or stable surface and shoot something that is very measurable like a ruler or newsprint, use a second camera to compare especially if you consider it a sharp, well functioning one. You can even use the same roll of film in both cameras.
Click to expand...

Ha ha no worries, thanks for the reply. I am actually doing what your suggesting now. I set up a tabletop in my studio and am metering a strobe for test shots. I will be testing all f stops, and will be throwing several know performing film cameras in for comparison, as well as my Canon 5D Marl IV digital.
 
A long, long time ago we all used to wind the film on at the last minutes because the bellows might just suck it forward.


I can't see that happening with a Summar although it does have to be pulled forward and so will act like a piston. Perhaps that's how the dust gets in.


Regards, David
 
That lens condition will have zero visible effect, compared to pristine glass. That's nothing of any concern.
 
David Hughes said:
A long, long time ago we all used to wind the film on at the last minutes because the bellows might just suck it forward.


I can't see that happening with a Summar although it does have to be pulled forward and so will act like a piston. Perhaps that's how the dust gets in.


Regards, David
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Yes I agree. I've had some collapsibles vacuum tight.

I'm very prejudiced against zoom lenses on my digitals because of my belief that the zooming action sucks dirty air onto the sensor. We know it does but millions of people continue making pictures in spite of this horror... but I can not force myself to do it!

I actually bit the bullet and learned how to clean my sensors at home but I'm still very conservative about changing lenses, leaving anything uncapped, triple-checking for dust. I even tap lenses upside down so any hanging dust will fall out (like a M16 magazine lol). The reality is that I still get a few spots in the skies of stopped down landscapes and everything else gets hidden in the chaos.
 
Steve Ruddy said:
I set up a tabletop in my studio and am metering a strobe for test shots. I will be testing all f stops, and will be throwing several know performing film cameras in for comparison, as well as my Canon 5D Marl IV digital.
Click to expand...

If you want to check the accuracy of the rangefinder, include a ruler or tape measure in your scene lengthwise away from the camera. Mark a spot, perhaps with some tape where you are placing the focus. If it is off at a given focussing distance, you will be able to determine an accurate number for how much it is off.
 
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