R2A: irregular space between frames

[luiman]

I use about a year a Bessa R2A, acquired from Cameraquest. I am very happy. The only problem is that the space between the frames is not regular: it can sometimes be very broad or very narrow. This makes it a little difficult to scan film in my Plustek 7400. Can someone kindly tell me if it is a problem of my camera or if it is a common drawback of Bessa? This problem can be solved? The only camera in my possession which does the same is a Konica S2 ...
Thanks,
Luigi

 

[Tom A]

Most cameras has a bit irregular spacing - usually depending on the length of the roll. A miniscule difference quietly will magnify along the roll.
This said, it can also be in the camera. Some of my M's are wider spaced than others, a couple of my Nikon S3's have fractionally wider space. The worst ones are the ones that put a sprocket hole in the middle of the "spacer" - when you cut the negatives, you have to cut through a sprocket hole and then trim the edges as they wont go into a file page without jamming!!
I have found that if you use the Triggerwinder for the Bessa, it can give slightly uneven spacing too. I suspect that it can be adjusted, but wonder if it is worth the trouble. On the Nikon Coolscan 5000 it works in 95% of the cases, sometimes you have to "toggle" it a bit to move it in place though.
If you wind on too fast or hard, you can cause a clutch slip with most advances (M.Nikkor, Bessa) and shift the spacing too.

 

[luiman]

Thanks a lot of comprehensive explanations and examples. I also suspect that the difference can be adjusted, but I wonder if it's worth. I feel the problem because Plustek 7400 contains six frames, thus avoiding the black border often I have to reposition some frames. Obviously, in an enlarger the problem does not exist because it has to place every single frame. I will try to vary the pressure on the lever to see if the spacing change or not. I raised the issue because it is the first time I noticed irregular spacing, after using many cameras. Or maybe I do not remember ...
Kind regards
Luigi
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