Leitz Minolta CL - not accidently pressing the shutter

jimbobuk

jimbobuk

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Just put some film in my new CL and am going to go and try and shoot some test shots to be sure its all in good shape. Following the manual i was surprised that the film take up seemed to rotate in the opposite way than the film was already curled and coming out of the cartridge.

It all seems to work ok, the shutter button is quite stiff but i just wondered if there were any protections on the shutter not firing whilst in storage/transit.. the olympus 35 RC actually blocks the shutter firing in aperture priority mode if its not found a suitable aperture. I wondered if whilst the film wind lever was against the body, turning off the spot meter cell, the shutter was similarly blocked to avoid you shooting your lens cap.

I guess i'm new to all this and my R-D1 started me off, making me always wind and cock the shutter after every shot.. i've done the same with the film cameras i've got so far but i wonder if the shutter has no protection if i may not be better advised to wind the film on only before about to shoot, that way the shutter cannot fire whilst being carried.

Beyond that any links/tips to actually shooting with the CLs spot metering (a first for my cameras so far) would be appreciated.. i've got a rough idea what to do, we'll see how things turn out 😉

CHeers

Jim
 
Thanks.. having just finished a film and with it empty again i was able to verify this myself. A shame that.. but its stiffness should stop most problems. If possible perhaps NOT cocking the shutter and winding on the film when leaving it for long times would be a good idea for ultimate protection.

Having just used it on a walk about i was very happy with the fact that it fitted into my coat pocket. The proof will be in the pictures i took.. i do wish there was something similar sized with a digital back 🙂 The R-D1 is close but its quite big really next to the CL.

Anyways thanks.
 
jimbobuk said:
Just put some film in my new CL and am going to go and try and shoot some test shots to be sure its all in good shape. Following the manual i was surprised that the film take up seemed to rotate in the opposite way than the film was already curled and coming out of the cartridge.
Click to expand...
This is typical of better 35's, Jim, not at all unusual. Have fun with that great little camera! 🙂
 
I am utterly amazed at my Cl. I had it DAG'd and the meter and exposures are right on. Fit's in your pocket, takes great pics, not that expensive. I can't understand why all cameras don't have a vertical shutter speed dial???? It is so natural.

On a button lock, I do have a few pics of the back of my lens cap, the inside of my pocket and briefcase.

I was just going to start a thread on film loading. I have a scanned manual that I really can't see teh pics in.

My question is: Do you "lay the film" across the back of the camera and slide it under one of the catches OR do you curl it back under one of the catches so teh leader is pointed back towards the film canister?
 
anselwannab said:
I am utterly amazed at my Cl. I had it DAG'd and the meter and exposures are right on. Fit's in your pocket, takes great pics, not that expensive. I can't understand why all cameras don't have a vertical shutter speed dial???? It is so natural.

On a button lock, I do have a few pics of the back of my lens cap, the inside of my pocket and briefcase.

I was just going to start a thread on film loading. I have a scanned manual that I really can't see teh pics in.

My question is: Do you "lay the film" across the back of the camera and slide it under one of the catches OR do you curl it back under one of the catches so teh leader is pointed back towards the film canister?
Click to expand...

You do neither. You hold the film canister in your right hand, fit the film leader into the slot on the winding spool and then fold the film over the back of the camera and place the canister in its final position. Damn! this is hard to explain. I will post a picture in a few minutes if the web site is working.
 
Thats what i did Andrew.. I've got the manual here though and thats what it said to do.. i was just a bit surprised when using the film advance lever took the film the other way round the spool than i was expecting.

So i just inserted it into the slot.. the manual says..

"Push the film leader obliquely from above over one of the lugs of the take-up spool"

It quotes an image at that time.. actually staring at it now i'm getting a bit worried but a closer look shows the extended end of the film HAS to be at the bottom.. i guess thats the only way you would successfully wind the film back into the cartridge (something i definitely did whilst rewinding the film today. Its just the actual image showing the insertion of the film to match the sentence above its not clear.. infact at a glance over here at the moment it almost looked like the film was being inserted backwards as the key defining shape of the cartridge is covered up by the persons hand...

Slightly off topic but i take it you are ok to reload film in daylight.. i've tried to do it in a darkened room so far, and haven't needed to do it in the "field"..

Yes i am clueless at this.. but i'm learning 🙂
 
YEp, I just loaded it wrong. I think I've been doing it right. The way she is holding the film and the camera it makes it look like there is no other way to do it. I just seemed the last time I was starting it that the other way would provide a better hold on the film as I wound it. If you lay it across and stick it under, as the spool turns back towards the film canister, it starts to make an "S" shape with the film leader, seeming to me to make it less likely to slip out. So much for thinking.

I found a website a while ago that had all the pages as jpgs. I put them all into a word document. Didn't want to post it since; the quality wasn't great, Not only don't I own the manual and its rights, I don't own the jpgs rights, and i used my companies computer and Word program to make it.
 
jimbobuk said:
It all seems to work ok, the shutter button is quite stiff but i just wondered if there were any protections on the shutter not firing whilst in storage/transit..
Click to expand...

I can't remember that I ever accidentally pushed the shutter button, and I use my CL with a SoftRelease. I often accidentally tripped the shutter on my M2, though. The M2 is much bigger and 9 out of 10 times I tripped the shutter when taking the camera out of a pocket or a bag. The CL is so small it never gave me "trouble" like that. 🙂


I guess i'm new to all this and my R-D1 started me off, making me always wind and cock the shutter after every shot.. i've done the same with the film cameras i've got so far but i wonder if the shutter has no protection if i may not be better advised to wind the film on only before about to shoot, that way the shutter cannot fire whilst being carried.
Click to expand...

I always wind and cock after every shot. I did so on my CL and I do so on my R-D1. I rather sometimes have a blank frame than a missed shot.


Beyond that any links/tips to actually shooting with the CLs spot metering (a first for my cameras so far) would be appreciated.. i've got a rough idea what to do, we'll see how things turn out 😉
Click to expand...

No tips, really. I just let the CL decide. I found that its meter is very accurate in both available light and available darkness.
 
I've never had my CL's shutter tripped accidently, but I do keep it in a camera
bag that has those foam seperators.
 
re: the meter

the spot is probably close to the size of the rangefinder patch (maybe a bit bigger), so i just move that around the scene and note the readings...then "average" it. really though...just pointing it at the subject, and metering straight on the framed composition normally works fine too. so you have a bit more control if you want it in weird lighting situations, or you can just use it as if it were averaging (within reason). i don't think i ever got a shot that was unusable based on the cl meter.
 
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