just dumb!

FrankS

FrankS

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I went out this Sunday afternoon, just me, my IIIf, J8, and 135 Hektor, when I should have stayed home to work on writing my students' report cards. I shot some trees, some barns, and a church, all in strong afternoon sidelight. They could be good shots, some of them anyway, but I'll never see them. I didn't load the film properly and it came off the take-up spool and didn't advance! To be fair, this was my first roll and it was in a bottom-loader, not the easiest thing in the world to do right the first time. I know the trick about watching the film rewind knob turn as you advance the film, but this was a new camera, a Leica, and I wasn't sure if it should rotate. I did try turning the rewind knob to feel the resistance of the film and it would not turn, so I thought things were good, that is, until I got to frame # 29 on a roll of 24. Oh well, live and learn!

Unfortunately there was one shot that I really regret losing. Last Thursday, Nov. 11, a teaching collegue who served in Afgahnistan wore his uniform to school and lead the Remembrance Day service. I asked him to stand by a window while I took a photo of him. He was holding a white rose, one of 3 that he brought in as a remembrance of 3 lost Canadian soldiers there.
 
Frank,

Man, that hurts! I feel for you - I think we've all been there a time or two. I've even done the 'forget to remove the lens cap' thing once or twice - had my subject notice it - after shooting for a couple of hours. Urg.

Did some family portraits the last time we were all able to get together at the holidays. Me, the 'family photographer' toted a huge bag of stuff up to Chicago, took an hour to set up - and promptly under-exposed every single neg. Bad. As in 'ruined.' Why? Using bounce flash, and in my step-mother's house, the ceiling was one of those 'vaulted' ceiling - went up two floors in the living room. Nothing to 'bounce' off of. ARGH! To this day, I overexpose flash pictures - can't make myself believe I'm getting enough flash.

Took some GREAT fireworks photos a few years back - with a rangefinder - and had left a red #25 filter on the camera from an earlier foray in B&W. Got some great RED fireworks. Sigh.

Sorry, man. Sounds like the one that got away in your case really hurt.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Last night I developed a roll of Tri-X with some good snaps on it. Film came out near blank! When I back checked all the processing steps and I found out that my bottle of XTol expired in March... opps. Sticking to Rodinal from now on.

Stu 🙂
 
Just very recently, I shot a friends gallery showing, and I handed the Vivitar ES to her, asking her to rewind the film, as I grabbed an SLR, with a more potent flash. Imagine my surprise later, when in the presence of the whole art crowd, when I opened the rangefinder, to see that the film was still in mid-roll. I think I closed it in time.....

Kiron Kid
 
Frank, a few days back I described my method of loading a Leica III bottom loader on the Leica Users Group (LUG) that prevents unfortunate mishaps such as yours.

Once you have the take-up spool and the cassette seated, use the rewind knob to take up the slack and tighten the film in the cassette..... carefully! As the film tightens, watch that the sproket teeth engage the holes in the film. At this point, advance the film about 1/2 frame to ensure that the film is being taken up by the spool. (Some advance a full frame) Once you've confirmed that the film is advancing properly, close the bottom and complete the frame advance. Another frame advanced while watching the rewind knob to see that it's moving and you're in business.

I hope I'm not insulting you by describing this and it's easier to do than it is to explain. For whatever reason, the bottom-loading Leicas and similar cameras give people fits. I'm sure that's one reason why the Contax/Kiev models found favor with some.

FWIW, I've had film fail to take up with hinged-back cameras. That takes real talent! 🙂

Hope this helps.

Walker
 
Yep, that really bites.
I did the exact same thing with the Zorki 2 weeks ago. Had some nice shots of Capitol Lake with the Fall foilage, all gold and red. Blanked it, didn't take up.
Life mistakes makes us smarter -- I hope ~ ; - )
 
Yep, been there too. The occasion that sticks in memory was the time in 1981 I tried one of those long 72-exp rolls of Ilford HP5 that was briefly on the market then, in a Leica M2. I drove 60 miles out to some interesting geological formations and shot up a storm. I started to smell a rat after the frame counter had made two full rotations and then some... The thin film was so limber it had not caught properly on the sproket teeth, and I had no exposures at all. 🙁
 
Russ said:
Just very recently, I shot a friends gallery showing, and I handed the Vivitar ES to her, asking her to rewind the film, as I grabbed an SLR, with a more potent flash. Imagine my surprise later, when in the presence of the whole art crowd, when I opened the rangefinder, to see that the film was still in mid-roll. I think I closed it in time.....

Kiron Kid
Click to expand...

I once had some Fuji slide film in an SLR, and in haste to change and start shooting again, opened the back without rewinding the film. :bang: Seeing the film there I immediately closed the back. Surprisingly, even those frames exposed to the direct rays of the sun had some image on them. What anti-halation backing that film had! Hope your experience is close to that.
 
Yesterday I took about 8 shots with the lens cap on. The result is about the same as shooting without film. I guess we all have those days...

Wim
 
Well that is why they put the flip-up back on the M3 and later Leica's. Here is a trick for Leica Screw-Mount newbies that I do:

Take the lens off, load the camera, use "B" to make sure the film lines up and is transporting through the camera. Even using the rewind indicator, there can still be doubt that the sprockets caught. I had that problem on my Canon 7 once: missed the sprockets, jammed in the take-up, but pulled the rewind knob just enough on the first 5 shots not to be noticed. When you get the hang of it, you can quit doing this trick.

I saw this on Stephen Gandy's RF usergroup list. It may be slow, but works. Got to admit, that flip-open back makes things easier. Having a spare take-up spool and prethreading it also makes it easier.

BUT: The very worst camera that I have had with loading jams is the Vitessa with its removable back and Plunger wind. It has a little film-wind indicator at the bottom that you had better use.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Frank, I feel for you and like everyone else, I've been there. The first time I shot with a borrowed M3 I shot a roll of air. And it happened again just a few months ago with my Olympus XA. Now how can you mess up loading an XA?? I dunno, but I shot another roll of air.

Gene
 
Gene said:
Frank, I feel for you and like everyone else, I've been there. The first time I shot with a borrowed M3 I shot a roll of air. And it happened again just a few months ago with my Olympus XA. Now how can you mess up loading an XA?? I dunno, but I shot another roll of air.

Gene
Click to expand...

Air film? Can it be handled in daylight, or does it require complete darkness too? I feel for you Gene. We all do it.

Russ
 
Gene said:
LOL, Russ! I think air film is the best match for shooting air guitar shots, eh?

Gene
Click to expand...

Now your thinking. I never thought of that. I'll have to try that one. Hey, what do you think of your Canon GIII QL-17?

Russ
 
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