Leotax LTM Leotax F - take-up spool replacement

[Daimon]

Got myself Leotax F - after cleaning inside of rangefinder/viewfinder windows looks to be in a perfect working condition.

There's one thing I missed - it was sold without any take up spool 🙁

Any cheap compatible replacements? Something from Soviet cameras? I got Leotax for 70$, don't want to pay the same amount for take up spool 🙂

 

[Coldkennels]

There's one thing I missed - it was sold without any take up spool 🙁

Any cheap compatible replacements? Something from Soviet cameras? I got Leotax for 70$, don't want to pay the same amount for take up spool 🙂

My T2L has film in it at the mo so I can't check, but I believe the spool is interchangeable with a Leica - so anything that works with a Leica should work in the Leotax.

If I remember, I'll come back to this thread once the weather improves and I can finally finish the 6 ISO roll I put in the Leotax a week or two ago!

 

[mconnealy]

The spools I had for my Leica and FED cameras did not work with my Leotax Elite. I got a couple of the Canon spools with the pop-up handle which work well.

 

[dexdog]

I agree with the use of the pop-up Canon spools, they work well in my Leotax F

 

[Daimon]

Found some photo of actual Leotax F with spool and it looks to be longer than standard Barnack spools



Camera itself is also higher than standard Leica. Don't have a Leica but here's comparison with Zorki 1 (should be same size as Leica II)



Just checked prices for Canon LTM spools mentioned above and it looks that spool itself costs more than I paid for Leotax 😀

 

[Coldkennels]

Found some photo of actual Leotax F with spool and it looks to be longer than standard Barnack spools

The Leotax spool has a pop-up/pull-out section like the Canon spool shown above, that's why it seems bigger.

 

[mconnealy]

The problem with the Leica spool was that the inside diameter was too small to go over the fitting in the camera.

 

[Daimon]

The Leotax spool has a pop-up/pull-out section like the Canon spool shown above, that's why it seems bigger.

Got it. So basically as long as it fits properly with internal diameter I should be fine because it's exactly the same height? Or maybe leotax spools are actually longer?

 

[mconnealy]

I am using the Canon spools in both the Leotax and the Leica IIIa.

 

[Coldkennels]

Okay, finally finished the film in my Leotax T2L Elite, so here's some testing for you with some removable spools I have lying around, @Daimon:

• Canon IIIa spool (like the one shown above): Fits and works fine. The sprung pop-up centre makes fitting the baseplate annoying, though.
• Leica spool (from a Ic): fits and works fine. No issues.
• FED spool (from a FED 2): Does NOT fit. It slides onto the shaft in the camera, but not far enough for the film to locate properly or for the baseplate to go on. A FED 1 spool might work, based on the Zorkis - but good luck finding one that's specifically from that era.
• Zorki 1 spool: fits and works fine. No issues.
• Later Zorki spool (tested from a Zorki 4 and Zorki 5): Does NOT fit. At first, it looked like they fit, but something felt a bit off, so I tested it out with a dead roll of film, and the spool doesn't push far in enough for the sprocket holes to locate properly. Identifiable compared to the original Zorki spool by having a longer flat spring to grip the film (it runs almost the whole way around), a tooth that snags on a sprocket, a different design of "nub", and a much smaller flange. Internal diameter is 0.1mm narrower than other spools (11.2mm instead of 11.3mm), but it narrows even more further inside the shaft, which I can only assume is the problem. You may be able to make one work with some careful leader placement, but I wouldn't go through the hassle, personally.

Based on this, I think an early Zorki spool is probably your cheapest bet. Here's a photo of the two side-by-side so you know what to look for:


The Zorki 1 spool is on the left, the Zorki 5 one is on the right. You can see the flat spring on my Zorki spool is pretty knackered (hence the tape underneath!), but it works.

 

[Daimon]

Thx! I have late Zorki 1 (version e) and it also uses spool like the right one from the photo - checked and it does not fit into Leotax. It looks to be different design - those spools have a lug system which makes them much narrower deeper in the spool.

I ordered Zorki/Fed spool which looks like the one on left but actually is a collapsible one. Will update once it arrives

 

[Coldkennels]

Thx! I have late Zorki 1 (version e) and it also uses spool like the right one from the photo - checked and it does not fit into Leotax. It looks to be different design - those spools have a lug system which makes them much narrower deeper in the spool.

I just checked - my Zorki is a 1d, so you only just missed the window for the compatible take-up spool. Unlucky!

I think the redesigned spool of the later Zorkis is a big improvement in a few ways - namely the fact the spool isn't so reliant on flat spring tension to hold the film in place and the way it engages with the camera. The changes were probably made to simplify production and reduce the need for such tight tolerances, but for the end user - especially after 70-odd years of use - it's quite the noticeable difference. It's just a shame that broke compatibility with earlier cameras (and ones from other manufacturers).

I ordered Zorki/Fed spool which looks like the one on left but actually is a collapsible one. Will update once it arrives

Interesting - I've never seen a "collapsible" FED/Zorki spool. Can you post a picture?

Also, while this is getting away from the Leotax, I'm curious about something: what style of baseplate does your Zorki 1 have? I was surprised to find that the dedicated Zorki cassettes can't be used in my Zorki 1 as it's missing the mechanism to open and close them (as shown on the Zorki 5's baseplate on the left). Really annoying.

 

[Daimon]

Here's spool I ordered. I live in Poland so shipping from Ukraine is a bit less problematic - though still problematic considering situation there.

Metal COLLAPSIBLE Take-up spool for postwar FED-1, FED-2, FED-3 #2 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Metal COLLAPSIBLE Take-up spool for postwar FED-1, FED-2, FED-3 #2 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Here's my Zorki bottom plate and spool

 

[Coldkennels]

Here's spool I ordered. I live in Poland so shipping from Ukraine is a bit less problematic - though still problematic considering situation there.

Hm, that's an interesting one. I've seen that hooked-style leader catch on FED take up spools before, but not one with an extending end before.

I'll be surprised if it fits the Leotax if it's designed for the post-war FEDs, though.

And yeah, your Zorki has the same baseplate as mine. Considering the 5 came out in '58 and my Zorki was made in '51, I wonder when they changed the baseplate to accommodate the cassettes? My guess would be with the introduction of the removable back on the Zorki 3, as the cassette is based on the Contax one - and so is that removable back.

 

[Daimon]

Ok so Soviet spools arrived. Offer was cheap and described as various designs so ordered 2.

Two completely designs indeed




The one with larger opening (left) fits Leotax F. I haven't checked tension but it goes inside the camera.