Sold my M6 :(

[Antonio Russell]

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I just (literally, 2 hours ago) sold my M6. Convinced myself, after losing 3 rolls because of probable user error while installing the roll into the camera, that my M-P 240 would serve me better.

 

That might be the case... but the M6 has a charm that its newer sibling doesn't have. And film... when I get it to work, looks amazing.

 

Maybe look for an MP now?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

M6 and MP are basically the same camera. I would have suggested learning to load the film properly before selling your M6 but its too late....

[Doc Henry]

I do not sell anything especially my 2 M7 and MP . It also happens to miss a film like EBF.

I also don't sell my 2 digit M cameras and I keep them but don't use.

Henry

Edited October 18, 2016 by Doc Henry

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[indergaard]

Exactly the process that I did. It pains to take 3 rolls worth of photos to realize, when developing, that you lost them all.

 

To be fair, it worked really well for my first few rolls. Lately has been such a hit or miss... mostly miss.

 

Yeah my wife has done the same on her MP. But she never checked that the two red dots on the rewind-lever were spinning. So she shot an entire roll of blanks...

It sucks. But it's really easy to avoid. Just watch those two red dots on the rewind lever (at least on the MP. I've never owned an M6 so I don't know how it works there).

If they're not turning - the film isn't advancing. You should also be able to "feel it" when cocking the shutter... If the movement feels too light, it's usually because the film isn't moving at all..

Edited October 19, 2016 by indergaard

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Everybody,

 

Back in the old days when people used film 1 thing which many people did to insure that newly loaded film would move thru the camera appropriately was:

Load the film. Make sure the sprocket holes align with the sprockets. Advance the film a little so that you can see the film moving correctly. Snug up the rewind until you feel the film stop decisively. But not too tightly. Close the back & bottom. Then, while watching to see the 2 little red dots on the rewind knob were turning appropriately: Wind & fire the shutter 2 times with the lens capped or against an opaque flat surface.

 

Easier to do than it is to write. Or read.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael 

Edited October 19, 2016 by Michael Geschlecht

[sblitz]

Hello Everybody,

 

Back in the old days when people used film 1 thing which many people did to insure that newly loaded film would move thru the camera appropriately was:

 

Load the film. Make sure the sprocket holes align with the sprockets. Advance the film a little so that you can see the film moving correctly. Snug up the rewind until you feel the film stop decisively. But not too tightly. Close the back & bottom. Then, while watching to see the 2 little red dots on the rewind knob were turning appropriately: Wind & fire the shutter 2 times with the lens capped or against an opaque flat surface.

 

Easier to do than it is to write. Or read.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Still do the same today!!!! M4 onwards all the same

 

 

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[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Steve,

 

With your M4: When you snug up the film & then advance the film with the rewind lever extended: Does the rewind lever move?

 

What about when the rewind lever is returned to its resting position? Does it continue to turn as you wind the film?

I wonder what happens with an M5?

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Myvalko]

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Loading film. My eternal fear on my M6. But I also destroyed a couple of rolls with back opening cameras. My tip. When you insert the fill, it should go across the right hand take spool. Then try to arm 2-3 shots and be sure that I correctly goes on the spool, while the rewind wheels turns correctly.

 

I prefer to loose 2 shots then the entire roll.

 

But your M6 has gone. If you are looking for a good one, I might sell you mine :-)... 

[kivis]

I once had an M4-2. Never could get loading to work properly. I felt stupid only to find out that the take up spool was worn and needed to be replaced. Luckily an under a $100 repair and replace. Have an MP, always works perfectly.

[spydrxx]

I'd say God Bless You for selling the M6, whatever your reason. I bought one after using an M4 for 30 years, thinking having an internal meter might be nice (plus it was a terrific deal at the time). I found after a year's use that the camera just didn't suit me, sold it and brought the M4 back out of the closet. These days I'm using an M2, a iif, a Canon P, and a Leotax F, and have learned to be a little more meticulous about making certain the film is properly loaded. I truly embarrassed myself when courting my wife many years ago....having recently bought an Olympus Pen F, and wanting to show off my photographic skills....you guessed it, failed to properly load the film that day and ended up with a lot of memories, but no pictures.

[semi-ambivalent]

I just (literally, 2 hours ago) sold my M6.

 

my M-P 240 would serve me better.

 

Maybe look for an MP now?

 

I know I'm late here but Good Lord, what can possibly reconcile this train wreck in the making? Certainly not rational logic. To the OP:

 

Shoot that 240 for a year then re-visit. You need to take some time off to think this through or you're going to end up blaming Leica that you have a pile of trashed film and no money left in the bank.

 

Failing that you should buy a very low-end film camera, maybe a used Pentax K-1000 and some cheap 50mm and get squared away with film because film works, and beautifully too. You're the outlier there.

 

Step back, get focused and give yourself some tough love; you need it.

 

Good luck buddy,

s-a

[ktmrider2]

Selling a camera because you do not know how to load film?  My god, every Leica film camera after the M4 loads film the same way (except the M5 which I will get to in a minute).  Buying an MP will be a waste until you learn to load film correctly as it loads identically as your M6.  And both the M2 and M3 have the same rotating red dots on the film rewind knob as the MP even though film loading is a slower process on the M2/M3 due to the removable take up spool.

 

Enough people have posted here on how to load film into a Leica M.  Always put a little tension on the film by rewinding before closing the back and then check the rewind knob for rotation as you advance the film a couple frames to use up the exposed leader.  You do this on every 35 mm film camera and I don't care if it is Leica, Nikon, Canon, Zeiss (well, you get the idea).  By the way, the M5 is the only Leica film camera with a ratcheted rewind knob.

 

On the M5, it is generally the same as M4 etc.  Put the film cassette into its slot, pull the film leader across the back and place the tip of the leader into the advance slots as shown on the bottom of the M5, rewind the cassette to put a bit of tension on the film, close the back and advance the film twice while watching the rewind knob.  It should turn as you advance the leader two times.  If it is not rotating, then the film is loaded incorrectly.  The only thing you have to watch out for on the M5 is that if the rewind lever is unfolded, the rewind knob is ratcheted and will not rotate as film is advanced.  Keep the rewind lever folded and the M5 acts just like every other film M.  Ask me how I know as I am the new owner of an M5 and the first roll I put thru it was loaded incorrectly.  I knew the rewind on the M5 was ratcheted and did not expect it to rotate while advancing the film.  Well, it does rotate as long as the rewind lever is kept in its stowed position.  Live and learn.

Edited December 8, 2016 by ktmrider2

[mxa]

Leica Ms are no harder to load than any other SLR, now loading 5x4 or 10x8 that can be tricky!

As already said just take up the slack on the rewind knob and watch it move as you wind on the film three or four times. You can always check every so often by seeing if the rewind knob will tighten. How do you check if a camera has film in it?

 

I beg to differ :-)

I load roll film on a 6x17 camera, and I load both 8x10 and 14x17 films. The only time I am nervous is when I load my M6. No, I never lost pictures, but sometime it takes me three or four attempts to load the film correctly, especially when it is warped.  Needless to say, it is the one thing I really do not enjoy at all doing with a Leica M film.

[TomB_tx]

Having used an M4 since 1968 (and an M6 from 85), and never having problems loading film, this thread seems a mystery to me. But once in 1970 I misloaded my Leicaflex SL with its easier to load system, so any unfamiliar camera can be an issue. Use it more and it becomes easy.

[Fotoklaus]

I beg to differ :-)

I load roll film on a 6x17 camera, and I load both 8x10 and 14x17 films. The only time I am nervous is when I load my M6. No, I never lost pictures, but sometime it takes me three or four attempts to load the film correctly, especially when it is warped.  Needless to say, it is the one thing I really do not enjoy at all doing with a Leica M film.

I never had a problem with a Film-M. After reading this thread, I watched myself loading an M with film, following the very simple instructions printed in the manual.  I still can´t understand the problem. But perhaps there may be also problems with using forks, knives, spoons, scissors, pencils...

[Frase]

Its fool proof if the rewind knob doesn't move you've done something wrong what could be easier!

[pico]

My most recent M2 button rewind came with the rapid load accessory. No need to remove the spool.

Edited December 11, 2016 by pico

[Martin B]

The loading mechanism is exactly the same on an MP and an M6. Which is to say, it's idiot-proof!

 

Hmmm, not really IMO. I have no problems at all to load a commercial film cassette into my M6 - everything works smoothly here. But you can face some trouble when rolling film on your own - I found that you need to cut the film end in the right angle that the M6 film spool transports the film correctly. Especially HP5+ 400 film was tricky since it is thinner than most of the Kodak films - when the spool didn't grab one of my first rolled HP5+ films correctly, it also damaged the thin transport notches in the beginning of the film. Fortunately I was able to re-open the camera lid, carefully remove the misadjusted (and exposed) film from the spool, cut this damaged film part, cut the film leader better the second time and everything worked. I keep a short film leader with the "correct" cut-off which I can use as template to cut other self-rolled films.

[gnuyork]

I've done this once, now I always check that the film rewind knob moves as I advance the first few "blank" frames. If it moves you should be fine.

Edited December 21, 2016 by gnuyork

[01af]

It felt soo awkward loading the first couple of rolls into my new Leica M-A (which is my first film Leica). With every odd roll, something went wrong, and I had to unload the roll and start over. I used to load rolls of film into my Minolta SLR cameras for decades with no problems but loading that Leica is another cup of tea.

 

But then, loading the Leica is totally easy once you get the hang of it. Today I load mine in less than a minute, and I get 38 frames out of each 135-36 roll on a regular basis. This is how I do it:

• First, fully cock and fire the shutter. It often is cocked only half-way, from the the last attempt of re-cocking on the previous roll.
• Pull the film tip out of the cassette so it will reach the take-up spool, drop the cassette into place, and make sure the film tip fully crosses the take-up spool's prongs. Do not let it end amidst the prongs, as suggested by the diagram on the camera's bottom!
• Push the canister fully down into place. Open the back flap and push the film up the film canal so it runs parallel to the film rails and the film's sprocket holes align with the transport roll's teeth. Do not wind the film yet.
• Close the back flap and replace the bottom plate. Wind the film ONCE and fire the shutter.
• Using the rewind knob/crank, gently put some tension on the film. Push the knob/crank back into normal position.
• Wind the film once again. Watch the rewind knob/crank—if it turns along with the winding then the roll is properly loaded. The frame counter now is at zero, and firing the shutter will take the first picture.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Fotoklaus]

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m6.pdf

 

Pages 8 and 9. Nothing more to say.