Unloading an M3

[Steinberg2010]

Does anyone else find this tricky? - after I've rewind my leader is still attached to the take up spool. I find it really hard to get the film cartridge out at the same time as the take up spool so I normally end up pulling the end of the leader off the spool and then trying to extract the cartridge.

Am I just doing something wrong?

~S

 

[EthanFrank]

How firmly are you pressing the leader into the spool? When I owned an M3, I found that a good firm final turn on the rewind knob pulled the leader from the spool and rewound it into the cassette. When I loaded the camera, I would push the leader into the spool firmly, but not too much.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the question, as it's half past four in the morning here in Canada.

 

[Steinberg2010]

It's very kind of you to respond at half four in the morning! I'm probably pressing it too far in, I usually push it all the way and I guess it's too tight for it to just pop out as I rewind. I will try your suggestion on my next roll!

Thanks,

~S

 

[alexnotalex]

Personally i find a firm turn on the rewind knob pulls the film off the spool, then I either carry on rewind it all the way back into the cassette, or stop so I can trim the leader in the light for loading into my developing tank.

I guess you have an extra-tight spool! Hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment.

best,
Alex

 

[jgran]

I agree with the notion that you are probably seating the leader too deeply into the take up spool. I've not had a problem with rewind using several different spools - I make sure the take up leader is secure but not tight.
hope that helps.

 

[errorlogin]

I pull the film all the way in the spool and I don't rewind it off.

When I open the camera, film is still in the spool, then I touch the film in the middle, pulling it down with my fingers. Then the spool and the cartrigde will come out TOGETHER. 🙂 Works quite well for me.

🙂

 

[marduk]

I pull the film all the way down in take-up spool. At the end of rewinding I need to apply some strength to get it out of take-up spool, but nothing too bad. After this effort I make two turns to keep the leader sticking just a little bit out of the cartridge. I've never damaged the perforation in such way and also haven't though of another way to unload a Leica, ever 🙂

 

[flip]

I doubt I ever put more than .5cm of leader in before crimping it back.

 

[Steinberg2010]

Personally i find a firm turn on the rewind knob pulls the film off the spool, then I either carry on rewind it all the way back into the cassette, or stop so I can trim the leader in the light for loading into my developing tank.

I guess you have an extra-tight spool! Hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment.

best,
Alex

Not at all - I love my M3, I've just been finding getting the film out without scrunching it up around the gate very tricky. I guess I don't need to push the leader as far in as I have been doing. It's certainly a very positive loading system!

~S

 

[hendriphile]

Not at all - I love my M3, I've just been finding getting the film out without scrunching it up around the gate very tricky. I guess I don't need to push the leader as far in as I have been doing. It's certainly a very positive loading system!

~S

If your particular take-up spool is tight, you may consider the method described above of taking both cassette and takeup spools out simultaneously, then just removing the leader by hand. I alternate between both methods - I've heard arguments about whether it's better to leave a bit of leader sticking out of the cartidge, as it makes it more light-tight than when the film is rewound completely back into the cassette (RFF poll, anyone?).

I love the positive action of the M film advance also... before closing the back, I use the rewind knob to get some tension on the film, then by observing the 2 red index dots on the knob, it's an absolute certainty that the film is advancing. Which is no joke... I know someone who took his (then) brand-new Voigtlander Vitessa T to Europe. It had a weird advance mechanism with a huge plunger that had to be pressed down to advance the film. Well, upon returning to the U.S., he discovered that the advance mechanism was not functioning and all his processed film came out blank!! Too bad - otherwise it was a great camera, with superb lenses with more micro-contrast than the Summicron, giving an impression of greater sharpness when slides were projected. That plunger-style advance was its Achilles heel.

 

[250swb]

I've heard arguments about whether it's better to leave a bit of leader sticking out of the cartidge, as it makes it more light-tight than when the film is rewound completely back into the cassette (RFF poll, anyone?).

And it makes it easier to confuse the film with an unexposed one, which is great for double exposure experimentation. 😀

I think the 'leader out' lobby started many many years ago when various film processing practices advocated pulling the film back out of the cassette and onto a reel in the darkroom. It made it easier for amateurs to do. In all my years I have never ever met a professional who would do anything other than wind the film all the way back in, not only to guard against double exposure, but because it is one less trip through a felt light trap that may or may not have grit or dust trapped in it.

As for the M3, yes sometimes I remember mine stopping dead and needing to pull the take up spool out with the cassette, but this was not a regular thing and usually the film went all the way back in easily.

Steve

 

[cosmonaut]

How firmly are you pressing the leader into the spool? When I owned an M3, I found that a good firm final turn on the rewind knob pulled the leader from the spool and rewound it into the cassette. When I loaded the camera, I would push the leader into the spool firmly, but not too much.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the question, as it's half past four in the morning here in Canada.

What he said.

 

[Eric L]

And it makes it easier to confuse the film with an unexposed one, which is great for double exposure experimentation. 😀

I think the 'leader out' lobby started many many years ago when various film processing practices advocated pulling the film back out of the cassette and onto a reel in the darkroom. It made it easier for amateurs to do. In all my years I have never ever met a professional who would do anything other than wind the film all the way back in, not only to guard against double exposure, but because it is one less trip through a felt light trap that may or may not have grit or dust trapped in it.

As for the M3, yes sometimes I remember mine stopping dead and needing to pull the take up spool out with the cassette, but this was not a regular thing and usually the film went all the way back in easily.

Steve

Count me as part of the "rewind all the way back into the cartridge" crowd. Guarding against double exposure would seem to be the biggest argument for it. When you're in a rush to change film because you need to get the shots, you can do all sorts of silly things. Believe me.

I've never thought to load the reels in the darkroom from the cartridge directly. Always been taught to pop the top off with a bottle cap opener. Guess there's more than one way to skin a cat.

A good firm twist on the rewind knob and the leader should slip off the spool. Guess you the OP has a really tight clip on it. I seat my leader all the way into the spool clip.

 

[Steinberg2010]

Yeah I think my clip must be particularly tight! Maybe it's a good sign that my M3 hasn't been used extensively by its previous owner! Certainly it looks like it hasn't seen a great deal of film...

~S

 

[loplop]

I love my M3 for this reason (and many others)... Since I dev myself, don't have a leader retriever, and don't love using a can opener on my film canisters... I never rewind all the way into the canister. On my m3 (or any various LTM bodies), I simply rewind until I feel that last bit of resistance, and then a firm spin of the rewind shaft pulls it free, and I'm ready to unload. I can never tell when I'm at this point with my M4P, so I rewind all the way, lest I accidentally expose some frames (oops).