Leicavit/Rapidwinder/Motor for M4/M2

[photorat]

Hi, all. I have a M2 and a M4 and would like to get a Leicavit/Rapidwinder/Motor for one of them. What are the realistic options (bearing in mind availability, reliability, expense, etc.)? Which of the two loading systems will be easier to cater to (M2 or M4)? Will Leica's new Leicavit for MP fit either (I'm guessing not)? And where can I get one of Tom A.'s 700 Rapidwinders for the M2? Don't care about authenticity, looks, collectability, etc. I just need to be faster.

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... I have a M2 and a M4 and would like to get a Leicavit/Rapidwinder/Motor for one of them. What are the realistic options (bearing in mind availability, reliability, expense, etc.)? Which of the two loading systems will be easier to cater to (M2 or M4)? Will Leica's new Leicavit for MP fit either (I'm guessing not)? And where can I get one of Tom A.'s 700 Rapidwinders for the M2? Don't care about authenticity, looks, collectability, etc. I just need to be faster.

There are no motor/winder options with the M2/4 and no Leicavit options with the (unmodified) M4. From the M4-2 and onward, yes.

However, Tom Abrahamsson produced a repidwinder for the M2 (not the M2 KS15-4 of the M2-R - same loading as an M4). Contact him for availability or watch eBay and the classifieds here; they show up for sale on occasion.

However, I think you’ll find the rapidwinder/Leicavit will not substantially increase your advance speed over simply ratcheting the normal film advance. But quite frankly, IMHO, if film advance and loading speeds are critical to your work, then perhaps the Leica M system should not be your equipment of choice.

 

[Tom A]

There is no "All In One" Rapidwinder/M-motor/L-vit MP that will work on a M2 and a M4. You would have to modify either the M2 to take a M4P/M6 Rapidwinder or convert the M4 to a M2 type drive (long shaft and convert the film counter to do its thing correctly).
From a cost point of view, a Rapidwinder M2 for your M2 is more costeffective as you would not need any conversion. To do a M4P.M6 conversion of both the M4 and the M2 is not cheap.
The M2 winder is still available, though I am at my last 30-40 housings for it and will not make more of them. The total is 300 "regular" M2 Rapidwinders (sold out) and a total of 100 with the added feature of being able to open the reloadable IXMOO cassettes (of course, this one works with regular film cassettes too).

As for speed of advancing, with the regular advance lever and focussing with your right eye, you can do bursts of 1.5 to 2 frames/second. though with a fair chance of camera shake at lower speeds. With the Rapidwinder you can do 2,5-3 frames/second in short bursts and if you are a left eye shooter it improves your "hit" rate as you dont have to drop the camera from your eye to advance. With the regular advance and left eye focussing, you keep poking yourself in the right eye with the advance lever!

The Rapidwinder/Leicavit MP also adds about 1/2" to the height of the camera and I find that this gives you a better grip, particularly with heavier lenses. The top mount lever adds a "rotating" force to the advance and the camera has a tendency to shift to the left and lose framing. Withe the R-winder/L-vit the movement is more lateral and your right hand serves as a stabilizing force laterally and the fact that the camera is supported in your left hand, also serves to keep it steady vertically.

My personal preference is the Rapidwinder M2 (heck, If I cant be biased, who can!) as it drives through the take-up spool shaft. It is more "direct" in action than the intermediate gear drive of the M4P/M6/MP.

If you want more infomartion about availability,pricing etc - just PM me here on RFf and I will be glad to answer.
Tom

 

[Atom]

I find that the Leicavit increases my advance in certain situation. I bought one several months back for my M6 and it has been a useful tool in capturing shots at a high rate of speed. I can get three frames a second if I want, but often find that I just like the alternative hand positioning.

 

[maddoc]

I have a Rapidwinder for my M4-P and can only emphasize what Tom said. Being a right-eye shooter, the main advance for me is the reduced camera-shake when winding on the film and better handling (better balance) with heavier lenses.

 

[peter_n]

What Gabor said. I use both a Rapidwinder and a Leicavit and the camera does seem to handle better and moves less as you advance the film with your eye at the VF. Both have their different disadvantages too but a winder is well worth having if you're in a situation where a lot is happening really quickly around you.

 

[BillBingham2]

Jeremy,

I owned a Winder-M as it was the only solution many years back. It was great for sports and fast moving stuff but it had a painful (IMHO) problem with the shutter release. If you wanted continuos frames the shutter release bounced up with each one. To me this was a PITA (Pain In The A55).

I got a RapidWinder a few years back and loved it immediately. I'm not sure if it would have had the same problem but the movement that was natural for my using it I never felt it did. Perhaps I've just past my "Machine-Gun" phase. I loved it so much I got a second one for my other body. The standard bottom plates were set aside and did not see the light of day till I sold them a few months back.

Tom is an excellent engineer, thinker and artist. My gut tells me he must be a descendent of Leonardo da Vinci! He thinks through his designs and they LAST for a long time. Tom stands behind his products like no one else I have ever known. If everyone did half as well as he does the world would be a better place. From the descriptions of the guts of each system and seeing the abuse that Toms RapidWinders can take, the RapidWinder wins IMHO hands down.

While you might find a slightly better price, I would by directly from Tom. I believe in supporting the creators of this stuff directly when ever possible. I got my second one from Tom directly even though I could have gotten one for a bit less elsewhere. I sold my winders and Ms some months back to raise money (being out of work sucks) and it was a hard choice of which system to keep. The hardest part of going with the system I chose was the fact that it did not have a RapidWinder option. I'm happy enough with either Leica, CV or Nikkor glass so IMHO the main reason to choose one system over another was almost a wash. There always is the hope that Tom will come out with a RapidWinder S for use Nikon geeks.

Go with Tom and an M2 winder. Pick up a couple of extra spools and have film on them in a baggy in your pocket. Reloading the camera will be as fast as an M6.

B2 (;->

 

[photorat]

Thanks so much, all for the very informative responses! Thrilled to hear there are still some M2 Rapidwinders left. Will definitely consider this option. As the M2 is also my favourite body at the moment, I might even sell the M4 to finance this latest bout of GAS.

Cheers,

Jeremy

 

[bob338]

i recently picked up rapidwinders for my m2 and m6 and use them all the time. i don't do the rapid fire type of shooting, so the fast advance aspect doesn't really help me much. but that lever on the bottom and the added weight make the camera much more stable in slow speed situations.
they are very well built too, i doubt you'll ever need service for it.

bob