Leica LTM IXMOO and FILCAS for dummies

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Jerevan

Jerevan

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I think I am going sort of nuts ...

I bought two cassettes to be able to load film from a roll, mostly as a project for when I get my '34 III up and running again.

Number 1 is marked "Ernst Leitz GmbH Wetzlar Germany" and has a small pin on the bottom.

Number 2 is marked "Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Germany", has no pin on the bottom and the casing is a few mm higher.

After a fair amount of fiddling where none of the cassettes would not fit into any M or LTM camera with the bottom plate locked, I figured out that the inner spool must have been switched between the two.

Number 2 (non-GmbH) does not go into the M camera (M4-P).

So can I assume number 2 is a FILCA, while the other one is an IXMOO?

What stumps me though, is that they both go in the various cameras, in one specific position - closed - whereas none of the two go in any camera while in the open position.

How should they work, actually? Pictures and explanations are very welcome!
 
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IXMOOs will fit any leica (Barnacks and Ms) up to early M6s (not the M5)
Filcas are for almost all Barnacks (not the super early ones)
that is, if they are working as they should
 
Thanks,

I figured out which one is which, and I have now loaded a scrap film in the IXMOO cassette and put it into the III.

After a bit of fiddling again, I realised the not very obvious thing: you have to move the pin to the 6 o'clock position to be able to get the bottom plate on!

Now the IXMOO seems to work.

EDIT: I thought the cassette needed to be open while putting it into the camera, not realising that it the film passes through the slit while being closed - it is a bit more precision in this construction compared to a usual cartridge. Hence the consternation. :D
 
the baseplate does the opening work, pushing the casette lock when put in place, then the rotation of the baseplate lock opens the cassette
 
I got it to work with both cassettes, but suffered a mishap - some film lodged itself somewhere in one of the cameras, will have to send it out sooner than I expected for a session in "the shop".

All in all - a lot of new ways to screw up. :D
 
It adds a few more steps on top of using a modern cassette with a spacer. But if you want the authentic experience of using those lovely old brass cassettes, and a lighter and smoother film advance, you've just got to grasp the nettle...
 
Everybody nowadays should glue a "cassette-stabilizer" into the center of the baseplate lock on the inside of the baseplate of the old barnacks, made from carton or thin plastic. This will press up the modern casettes a bit so that there will be no perforations visible in the film gate. The modern cassettes are in fact a little bit too short for the old barnacks.

Check this by loading some film and by looking into the film gate from the front (remove the lens) with the shutter opened at "Z".

NB. In my view IXMOO's with a chrome button are "modern cassettes" too.

Erik.

24264259556_922be7c600_n.jpg
 
I have taken out the screw and reversed the small plate under the home-made washer shown above Erik, as a sort of remedy to the sprocket-riding film. It has worked in some of my cameras.
 
Good tip to look through the film gate for results of film loading changes Erik. My approach to a spacer is to use a 2mm thickness coin the same diameter as the outside of the film cassette. Then I can swap for the "proper" cassette instantly, as long as I don't lose all my spacers... here shown in a Fed 2
fed_spacer.jpg
 
I see, McFingon, but my solution is more "definitive" I think, takes only a few minutes to install and will work for many years. All my barnack bottomplates have this, also the Leicavits and SCNOO's.

Erik.
 
HI,

FWIW, this old fool thinks one at the top and one at the bottom is needed. Here's why:-

Old%20%26%20New%20Cassettes-L.jpg


The difference in height between the containers is about 4½mm.

Regards, David
 
David Hughes said:
The difference in height between the containers is about 4½mm.

Regards, David
Click to expand...

I have 3 Leica I, 2 Leica II and 1 Leica III and on all of them only a stabilizer on the bottomplate is needed. Not the cassette, but the length of the spool is relevant.

You can always check with an open shutter if perforations are visible in the filmgate.

Erik.
 
Taking your advice Erik about looking through the film gate with the lens off, and also in noting what David Hughes said about cassette height and film centering, I ruled some lines on some exposed film and loaded a modern cassette, a FILCA and an IXMOO into my Leica III 1933 model one after the other. I was surprised to see that the best centering of the film in the guide rails was with the IXMOO. The FILCA was pushing the film too high and gave me tighter winding. The modern cassette was fine with a 2mm spacer underneath the cassette. It seems that the Leica III has a smaller film chamber than the IIIc and IIIf, which makes sense as the external body is a little smaller. I didn't see any over-lifting of the modern cassette David, but gravity tends to hold it down I suppose.
 
sanmich said:
IXMOOs will fit any leica (Barnacks and Ms) up to early M6s (not the M5)
Filcas are for almost all Barnacks (not the super early ones)
that is, if they are working as they should
Click to expand...

Just saw this post from sanmich. Leica III must be included in "super early" category.
 
The FILCA works in my '34 Leica III. Super early may indicate those cameras that used the KASAM cassettes (before 32?).
 
I have a Leica I that accepts only FILCA's, but the part that causes that is easy to change for a newer part. Then it will accept the newer cassettes too. I like it however this way.

This was aready done by Vith in 1940:

24099299320_16736eff2d.jpg



Erik.
 
Jerevan said:
The FILCA works in my '34 Leica III. Super early may indicate those cameras that used the KASAM cassettes (before 32?).
Click to expand...

Hi,

The KASAM was the reloadable cassette like a modern one with velvet light seals. In the 1931 catalogue the usual reloadable cassette is shown as FILCA but there's also KASWO which was two additional FILCA's when ordering a new camera...

I've also seen the KASAM's called "Agfa Cassettes" but that's from memory so beware. EDIT: and in Fritz Vith's 1933 book there's the name the "velvet magazine" and a new one on me called the "labyrinth magazine" which cannot be reloaded. Wallace Heaton's catalogue for 1939 calls them cassettes for the Contax but patrones for the Leica..

Confusing isn't the word, is it?

Regards, David
 
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