Heads up: Prinz cutting template (ABLON alternative) for 9 USD (US only)

If one "only" needs a template for cutting the leader for LTM-cameras, then the Prinz templates from this source are an enormous bargain.
Now, if one has to have an ABLON (think IXMOO-spool-triangle-cutting-in-the-dark), it is really getting expensive these days. The "record" on Ebay recently was an ABLON that sold in/from Australia, going for over 200 AUD... yikes! Plus-minus 100 USD (more plus than minus, actually) seems to be the going rate...

Greetings, Ljós
 
I checked it out and he had 10 left and I ordered one. I am using one right now on four rolls. Also purchased a small Swiss pocket knife and works beautifully.
There maybe 9 left.
Joe
 
tbh, you really don't need an Ablon or similar to cut leaders and grab tails for M cameras. I have a couple of Ablons and while I used them initially, I found it was just as quick,if not more so, to just freehand the leader. The tail that catches in the spools is an easy triangle cut and doesn't have to be precise, two snips of the scissors and off you go.
 
newsgrunt said:
tbh, you really don't need an Ablon or similar to cut leaders and grab tails for M cameras. I have a couple of Ablons and while I used them initially, I found it was just as quick,if not more so, to just freehand the leader. The tail that catches in the spools is an easy triangle cut and doesn't have to be precise, two snips of the scissors and off you go.
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The ABLON was used to cut leaders for the screw mount Leicas. The M-series don't need leader modification to feed properly..
 
Since Leitz came up with the first really successful 35mm camera, I would wonder why the default shape of the 35mm film leader is not correct for old LTM cameras. It was actually Kodak that first marketed preloaded cassettes, I think, and their Retina cameras were not bottom loaders, so didn't need the long tongue. I wonder if Kodak designed the film leader the way they did just to spite Leitz?
Or was the leader originally cut longer, and changed at a later date?

Cheers,
Dez
 
To the best of my memory, all Kodak film had long leaders through the early 1960's. I can remember the change to the shorter leader, but can't remember the exact year.

My guess is that there were two reasons for the change to the shorter leader. First, the newer 35mm SLR cameras with hinged backs did not need the longer leader. Second, the shorter leader allowed Kodak to get more 35mm rolls out of each of the huge master rolls of film, and thus increased Kodak's profits.
 
That's a pity. It was so much more fun to think there was skulduggery when in reality it was just the manufacturers' realizing that only fanatics such as RFFers still worried about having leaders that would work with old bottom-loaders.

Cheers,
Dez
 
yossarian123 said:
I could be wrong, looks like the prinz version is missing the triangular part at the top (for loading into a FILCA/IXMOO cassette).
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You are absolutely right, this part is missing. For the purpose of loading FILCA/IXMOO the Prinz template is not the one to get.

Greetings, Ljós
 
Ljós said:
You are absolutely right, this part is missing. For the purpose of loading FILCA/IXMOO the Prinz template is not the one to get.

Greetings, Ljós
Click to expand...
Not a triangular-guide, but this dovetail-like end works well for cutting the inserts for leica cassettes...
 
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