Leica LTM Reccomendation a leader trimmer for me.

[wlewisiii]

Taught myself to do it without trimming. Took a bit of practice, but what doesn't? After awhile it wasn't that big of a deal but I do still avoid barnacks if possible.

 

[Coldkennels]

Let Stephen (@CameraQuest) know so he can remove it from his web site 🙂.

I suspect this is why Stephen still thinks the Contax is an easier camera to load and use than a Leica III; I'd also give up on the Leicas if I was going through that rigmarole instead of loading them how they were designed to be used.

 

[Godfrey]

I don't bother to trim the leader. It takes just a couple of seconds more time to load the camera without trimming the leader, once you figure out how to do it correctly, and saves fussing with the leader at loading time entirely.

G

 

[titrisol]

I suspect this is why Stephen still thinks the Contax is an easier camera to load and use than a Leica III; I'd also give up on the Leicas if I was going through that rigmarole instead of loading them how they were designed to be used.

The Contax is way more advanced than the Barnacks, even in their Kiev flavor
and the glass is at least on par if not better

 

[Godfrey]

Having had both: Both Contax and Barnack are marvelous cameras. The Contax shutter is more fragile and more susceptible to needing frequent tuning and repair; the Barnacks are more durable and simpler to repair. Both work very well, and the differences between Leitz and Zeiss optics are, to me, different takes on how to create pleasing images, neither better than the other ... unless I'm in the business of shooting test targets. 😉

G

 

[Jbennett68]

I use one like the one from freestyle linked above. Can’t remember where I got it, but it looks exactly the same. It works great with my pocket knife and gives me a nicer more consistent result. Not that that’s necessary, I just like it.

Incidentally which SLC store did you find the IIIf in?

Acme Camera.

 

[Coldkennels]

The Contax is way more advanced than the Barnacks, even in their Kiev flavor
and the glass is at least on par if not better

On paper, they're more advanced. In reality, I find the Contax design considerably more of a pain in the ass to use in multiple ways.

And one big benefit of using the Leica is that you can adapt Contax lenses to it easily with an Amedeo adapter and get the best of both worlds. Can't go the other way around, though!

 

[titrisol]

On paper, they're more advanced. In reality, I find the Contax design considerably more of a pain in the ass to use in multiple ways.

And one big benefit of using the Leica is that you can adapt Contax lenses to it easily with an Amedeo adapter and get the best of both worlds. Can't go the other way around, though!

I though it was only about the Barnacks (screw mount)
I couldnt afford a Contax so I got a Kiev4. Nice camera, great optics; easy to load; heavy
Got a Leica IIIf, 2 VFs instead of 1; and 2 separate dials for speeds; more difficult to load; lighter though
both are excellent engineering from the past; quasi-obsolete today but the Kiev was more of my style

The M leicas are a different story

 

[Jbennett68]

Check this out:

Arista 35mm Film Cutting Guide - Large

Place film inside the guide and use scissors to trim around edge for a perfect leader when bulk loading 35mm film.

www.freestylephoto.com

Is it "affordable" because someone left the word "Leica" out?

A friend bought that Arista guide and it works well. He uses a single blade instead of scissors to make the cut.

Thank you. I ordered that one assuming it’s more durable that the 3d printed ones. Thank you.

 

[maddoc]

I just use scissors to trim the leader, a friend used his teeth.

 

[lynnb]

I use the business card method (same as Particular’s post #18). Easy. Any thin (the thinner the better) card does the trick. Plasticised ones are great.

 

[stuart_115]

I cut the leader with only using scissors. You don't need to cut much actually. About 4-6 sprockets will usually do. It important to cut it in one go and the cut has to be in between sprockets, so jamming and losing pieces of film in the camera will be limited.