Loading a IIIf

[Paul Jenkin]

I suspect that loading a IIIf is very similar to all other screw-mount Leicas but the IIIf is my first screw-mount (I've owned M's before).

What I hadn't realised is that it can sometimes be awkward to get the film to go under the film "gate" so that the sprockets engage with the winder mechanism. I only realised when I'd shot a fair few more than 36 on my roll of film and it took no time to rewind.....:bang:

I checked a couple of videos on YouTube which showed the issue and how to load with the curtain open so you can actually see the film and use a finger to coax it under the gate so that sprockets, top and bottom aren't visible. I will also keep a watchful eye on the rewind crank to see that it's rotating as I advance frames 😱

I will persevere with the camera as it's a beautiful and interestng item but it appears to be a camera that takes time to get used to.

Are there any other "oddities" you folks are aware of that might catch out those unfamiliar on the IIIf??

 

[batterytypehah!]

Never been a problem for me but with modern film you must take a few seconds to cut the leader properly. Plenty of info around the web, and in past threads here.

 

[Livesteamer]

They can be difficult. The reward is that they are small and very capable. I have been carrying a IIIc for the past five years and found a little care in loading is important. Trimming the film leader is a big help. Once I have the film in the camera, I take up the slack on the rewind knob, watching and feeling for the film to engage the sprocket. When I feel the film in the sprocket I will then advance the wind knob just a little and watch to see if the film is moving. If all is well I put the bottom plate on and proceed as normal. I use a Canon take up spool in my pair of IIIc's but I have found not all Canon spools work well in them. I've never had to use the open shutter method but care in loading is important. Good Luck and Enjoy. Joe

 

[furcafe]

I've found that there is no need to keep the shutter open, use an index card, etc. as long as both the film canister & take-up spool are seated properly & there's enough light to see that the bottom sprocket tooth (closest to the top when the loading the body) engages the corresponding hole in the film after manually taking up some of the slack film on the spool. When I got my 1st "Barnack", a IIIc, I loaded & shot several rolls without trimming the leaders & encountered no problems, but have since trimmed them using an ABLON to be on the safe side. Checking the rewind crank is always a good idea!

 

[MISH]

IMHO taking the lens off, holding the shutter open and sticking your finger in there is not only a huge PITA but compleatly unnecessary. If you have the leader cut to correct length, after you drop the film into the camera take up the slack in the film with the rewind knob. This pulls the film up against the teeth. Before putting the baseplate back on I advance the film a couple of times watching closely to make sure the film is advancing. And as always with any film camera I do keep a close watch on the rewind knob when advancing film to make sure it is turning Check out Tom Abrahamsson's video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heMk-4hde9E
and I am sure there are many more good videos out there showing how to do this. Screwmount Leicas are something very special, you have lots of enjoyment ahead of you

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Thanks guys.

Is there a template available that I could carry to use to trim the leader - or isn't the shape / length that critical? Incidentally what's an ABLON? Apologies if this is commoin knowledge - but I'm very new to this style of camera.

 

[mcfingon]

There are some templates out there Paul,
This is one site that explains what an ABLON is and how to cut the leader:
http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page345.htm
My own approach is to use a ticket from a railway turnstile to push the film pressure plate back and use an ordinary film leader.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Ahhh, right....! Thanks again. Looks like I'll be after one of the Ablon thingies or just carry a pair of nail scissors with me and see how it goes.

 

[bucs]

I usually count at least 20 sprocket holes. Then cut away through the middle of film then taper by the end as you reach the 20th hole 🙂

I love my barnacks so much my M3 is already gathering dust. I'm actually considering lettinh go of M3 in favor of a IIIg 😀

Thanks guys.

Is there a template available that I could carry to use to trim the leader - or isn't the shape / length that critical? Incidentally what's an ABLON? Apologies if this is commoin knowledge - but I'm very new to this style of camera.

 

[Robert Lai]

Trim the leader with a Prinz template

Trim the leader with a Prinz template

Ablons are horribly expensive. I use a generic version that was marketed in the US by "Prinz" instead. You can still find them new old stock, in their poly bags with labels attached, on the big auction site for about $10.

Loading a IIIF or IIIG is not difficult at all.
The secret really is to trim the leader. Once the leader is in the take up spool, it is very simple to just drop both film cassette and spool into their respective sockets. And - you're done!

This is the same reason I love the M3 / M2 loading.
I've had too many leaders fall out of the "rapid reload" multislot spools.

 

[Mark Wood]

Not sure whether this is of any use or not but the attached pictures are of the inside and outside of an ABLON template - taken with a flatbed scanner! I'm not sure what size they'll print out but perhaps useful as a guide to making even a simple cardboard template.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Loading a IIIF or IIIG is not difficult at all.
The secret really is to trim the leader.

I'm sure you're right but only once you know the potential pitfalls and have learned the "knack" of how to avoid them. It's like everything else - practice makes perfect 😀

 

[jcb4718]

Trimming the leader works fine. Its not critical: you just have to make sure the film is wound onto the top sprockets (i.e. the sprockets furthest from your eye when the camera is upside down). Equally a card inserted in the back works just as well and is quicker (no cutting of film required). Thin, flexible plastic card works best. You can feel it 'go all the way' as you insert it. Just arrange the film+spool as a cassette and drop it in. In both cases, the 'bottom line' is the rewind knob turning.

 

[Sparrow]

Thanks guys.

Is there a template available that I could carry to use to trim the leader - or isn't the shape / length that critical? Incidentally what's an ABLON? Apologies if this is commoin knowledge - but I'm very new to this style of camera.

... the leader is the same length as the width of my hand, its easy to tear off the extra bit if you get it started at the edge with your fingernails ... get 5mm into the spool, put spool and cassette in the camera, put the bottom cover on without winding the film on, wind and fire two frames with the lens cap on, set the counter to 0, tension the the film with the rewind-knob and wind to frame 1

 

[aperture64]

IIIa, III, IIIf, IIIc. Never cut a leader. Never a problem. Have always used the finger in the open film gate technique.

 

[Luddite Frank]

Trim the leader. Manufacturer's instructions. I think E. Leitz knew what they were talking about. 😉


I take a regular 135 film cassette, and with my left-hand, pinch the tab between my thumb and base of left index-finger, and draw the film out across the palm of my left-hand, until the mouth of the cassette reaches the base of my pinky. That's enough film. (Reverse the arrangement if your are left-handed.)

Then I take a pair of curved cuticle scissors from the drug-store, and extend the factory leader-tab back towards the cassette, turning out towards the edge of the cassette one or two sprocket-holes before the mouth of the cassette.

Try to make smooth, curving cuts, leaving no jagged-edges. Also do not cut through a sprocket-hole. I also try to round the outer-edge, going past the sprocket hole to the edge.

Since many of us are getting film in multi-packs, it is easy to spend 10 minutes ( or less) at the kitchen-table prepping leaders, then wrapping the tails around the cassettes, and popping them back-into the canister, and in your bag they go.

I've tried the "remove the lens, set the shutter on T, and massage the film into place, etc. " and not only have I found it more fiddly, but I've actually dropped lenses in the process. :bang:

Why set yourself up for potential grief ?

As for the ABLON and copy templates, I think they are ridiculously expensive, and more difficult to use than scissors. But that is just my experience / opinion. Perhaps the ALBON is better served in the darkroom, when you can't see what you're doing.

Master trimming the leader and loading per the manufacturer's instructions... once you've got that down, you can experiment with alternative loading techniques... 😉

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you all so much for your generous advice and recommendations. There's clearly a number of options that will get the job done - trim / no trim, lens on / off, bits of card / plastic, poking around with your finger (or not), etc.

Seldom will I ever be in a such a major hurry to load a film, so I will have a go with a variety of techniques, as described in the posts above, and see what works for me.

The one thing that is an "absolute" is that the rewind crank must rotate at the same time that the take-up spool is being loaded with the frame just shot. And why wouldn't that be the case? We just get so used to automatic loading that we occasionally forget the most basic things.

Thanks once again. Paul.

 

[B-9]

Practice makes perfect,

Avoid using these "cheats and tricks"

Youll only get good at shoving cardstock down your pressure plate.. plus how difficult is it to remove your lens, hold the shutter open, remove the bottom, and load a roll while out of the house!? With two hands.... Impossible.

With properly trimmed leaders, and enough experience, loading a barnack is as quick as the next.

 

[Luddite Frank]

I like to leave the bottom plate off after dropping the cassette and spool in, and gently taking-up on the rewind knob, until I see the outer-edge of the film seat on the sprocket, then switch the lever to "wind" , take-up the wind-knob a bit, and if all looks well, then install the bottom-cover, continue winding on the first frame, fire the shutter, then a second blank frame, and I'm good to go.

This method has worked well for me, for a couple hundred rolls of film.

Good luck !

 

[Particular]

My own approach is to use a ticket from a railway turnstile to push the film pressure plate back and use an ordinary film leader.

I've seen a number of youtube films using the card like this, which is different from how I use it. There generally is as much or more bad advice as there is good advice in videos.

I insert the card over the film gate, and also covering the sprocket wheel. I drop the film in between the card and the pressure plate, and push it down. The card prevents the film catching on the film gate. When I use bulk rolled film I don't cut the leader at all. The card leads the film over the sprockets.
I then pull out the card, and put the bottom plate on. The sprockets catch the film securely every time.