what do i need to know...

back alley

back alley

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soon i will be adding the canons lll and iv sb to my rf family and i'm wondering what do i need to know to shoot with them?

are there any quirks to using a camera with a separate dial for slow speeds?

and loading a bottom feeder? should i be looking for extra spools to pre-load some film before hand? do they even have take out spools, i'm assuming they do.

i would greatly appreciate any experienced user's feedback.

joe
 
I've had one for about a week and after some fumbling around, I've found it all pretty simple.

You won't have to practice loading the film onto spools - fairly easy. I have yet to screw it up. I did find that trimming the leader freehand before trying to load it helped quite a bit.

I found a pretty good link to help me out....read it and you are well ahead of the game.

http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page345.htm

The separate dial for slow speeds doesn't present much of a hassle - switch the high speed knob to 25-1 and then set the low speed dial.
 
Hi Joe, you are going to like the new cameras.

The slow speeds require the high speed dial to be set at the top slow speed setting with shutter cocked to engage the clockwork, then just set whatever slow speed you want and press the release button.

Loading film requires the film leader to be trimmed like the Leica bottom loaders, to a length of about 4 inches. The takeup spool is nicer than the Leicas, read that easier to remove and insert due to the spring-loaded knob on the bottom.

Enjoy 🙂

Paul C.
 
thanks guys!

do i need to worry about changing film speeds with the shutter advanced, like some of the fsu cams?

and thanks for the site john, good info.
do you guys cut the leader? it needs to be a bit longer than normal?

joe
 
Last edited:
You can change the film speeds with the shutter cocked or not cocked. It is recommended that you set the slow speed dial to the fastest shutter speed on it (either 1/20 or 1/25, depends on which camera it is), that way if you set the highspeed dial to 1/20 or 1/25 the shutter will operate at that speed. As for film loading, I always set the shutter to T and with the lens off I help guide the film into place. Loading film is easy, just be sure that if you break any film chips in the camera that you get them out. I just replaced curtains on a IVS because film chips wore a hole in both curtains (the chip was a very large piece and the edges were sharp). I have a II, a III and a IVSB (just sold a IVS) and I they are great to use and super well built. The rangefinder/viewfinder has three settings. "F" for 50mm lens, "1.0" for approximately a 100mm view and "1.5" for approximately 135mm view. If you get a chance to buy the Canon RapidWinder, do. It makes the camera into a trigger wind camera. Hope you have fun with your new toys.
karl
 
thanks karl!

can i use a 35mm lens on it and use the whole finder area instead of a 35 external finder?
i'd really like to marry the 35/2.8 to whichever body becomes my favourite.
i'm ok if it's not exact.

joe
 
Viewfinder coverage

Viewfinder coverage

backalley photo said:
thanks karl!

can i use a 35mm lens on it and use the whole finder area instead of a 35 external finder?
i'd really like to marry the 35/2.8 to whichever body becomes my favourite.
i'm ok if it's not exact.

joe
Click to expand...

Joe, the answer, in a word, is no. The finder at the lowest magnification just defines the coverage of a 50mm lens. For the wide angle lenses you have to use an aux. finder, or just guess at the coverage. I use a 35 on these things, and just know that I'm going to get more than I see through the finder. You can always crop after the fact if you get something unpleasant on the shot..

Put a 50/1.9 collapsible on one of them and stick it in your pocket. Put your 35 on the other one and stick it in another pocket and you can be a two gun shooter. 🙂

Regards, Paul C.
 
I compared the view through my IV Sb's viewfinder with the 35 framelines of the 28/35 minifinder - the difference is rather substantial. I don't think I would want to try it for very long - best off keeping the 35 on one of the P's and using the knobwind for the 50/100/135.
 
p with 35/2
p with 35/2.8

lll with 50/1.9
iv sb with 50/1.8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


kit #1 -- p with 35/2 and iv sb with 50/1.8 and 85/2 in the bag

kit #2 -- p with 35/2.8 and lll with 50/1.9 and 100/4 in the bag

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
this just might work out nicely...

thanks again guys!
joe
 
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Joe, you can change the faster shutter speeds before cocking the camera ,only on the IVSB2 not the IVSB, the IVSB is like the LTM Leicas, on the top shutter speed knob, also the viewfinder/rangefinder is rather squinty & dark, esp. when compared to the P, but this bottom loader does have its own charm.
 
Changing Shutter Speeds with shutter not cocked

Changing Shutter Speeds with shutter not cocked

xayraa33 said:
Joe, you can change the faster shutter speeds before cocking the camera ,only on the IVSB2 not the IVSB, the IVSB is like the LTM Leicas, on the top shutter speed knob, also the viewfinder/rangefinder is rather squinty & dark, esp. when compared to the P, but this bottom loader does have its own charm.
Click to expand...

Actually, this is not exactly true. The shutter speed can be changed without cocking the shutter, but you may not know what speed has been selected until you cock the shutter. It will not damage the shutter. If you have a sense of where the dial stops after shooting at a particular speed, you can easily select a different speed just by counting slots up or down from where you started. For instance, if you take a shot at 1/1000 you will see the speed dial is now resting just slightly shy of 1/100. Now with the shutter still not cocked lift the dial and turn it slightly farther down on the scale toward 1/60 and you will feel the slot for 1/500. Drop it into that slot and then cock the shutter. You will find the dial nicely indexed at 1/500. It will work at all speeds in both directions, you just have to get the feel for it and know approximately where the dial stops after each speed. Not something you want to do every time, but it can be done and will not hurt the camera.

The last crop of bottom loading RFs from canon, (the 2 series) had an improved shutter with the speed index mark on the shaft at the center of the speed dial.

Try it you may like it. Sometimes you may want to carry the camera without it being cocked all the time and still be able to select a speed before cocking so that you can be ready to cock and shoot quickly. The typical speeds used for daylight walk-abouts range from 1/1000 to 1/100, and these can easily be found while the shutter is not cocked. It is a lot like metering with the sunny 16 rule, you just get to know where those speeds are.

Regards, Paul C.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sometimes Mark Hama has an e-Bay auction for the Ablon clone. It usually BINS for about $25. However, I have gotten by your years with a single cut, straitline leader.

I take a large scissors, whack the factory leader off so the film is square, start the cut lower on the film than the factory leader and make a single angled cut the required length, coming out on top. Thus the leader starts out narrower but there is no curve. If you run through a sprocket hole and leave a jagged edge, trim it smooth. It slides in perfectly.

-Paul
 
On the IIf I found that the leader had to be "extended". I followed the initial cut for a few more inches to match the diagram on the bottom of the camera. The shutter jammed with a "normal" leader. It did not give the Qualex labs any problems. The finder is fine for a 50mm.
 
I have always followed the advice the was given on pages 30, 31 of my 1936 edition of the Leica Manual, to change the higher speeds only after the camera is wound.
 
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