M2 third-party rapid load modification?

[convexferret]

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Hi all

    I bought a second M2 a couple of weeks ago and it came with what I think is a third-party spool and baseplate modification. You can insert a film without pulling out the spool but it's a bit fiddly and the whole mechanism is rather tight and adds notable drag to the wind and rewind (metal spool on plastic support). I've attached a couple of quick phone shots that should hopefully be clear. There is no manufacturers name so I'd love to know if anyone can identify this and perhaps there's some trick to usage that I've not yet spotted.

 

 

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Edited April 17, 2019 by convexferret

[thomas_schertel]

It is not third Party, but genuine Leitz.
Order number 14260
available from 1968 on.
Yours sincerely
Thomas

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[convexferret]

Thanks Thomas. I think that I might swap it out with a spare spool that I have as so far I'm not liking it much.

[frame-it]

is that an M2-R ?

[convexferret]

20 minutes ago, frame-it said:

is that an M2-R ?

No, it's 1958 button-rewind model. I have two 1958 button-rewinds so as not to confuse myself , so having one with a quick-load fitted was playing havoc with my mental tranquility.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Convexferret,

Welcome to the Forum.

I have been using exactly 1 of these since the 1970's. Mine works just fine.

To use this pretty much seamlessly: Beginning with no film in the camera:

If the left side of the mouth of the snail is far from 09:00 (Think clock.): Pull the snail out by the shiny flanged cylinder that falls down when you hold the camera in "landscape" position. If the shiny flanged cylinder does not slide down easily: Pull it down with your finger nail. That is what the flange is for. Push the snail back in the camera with the left side of the mouth at 09:00.

Or, if the snail in the camera has the left side of its mouth near 09:00

Put your thumb in the mouth of the snail & rotate the snail until the left lip of the snail is at 09:00.

 Pull out enough of the film leader to go about 2/3 of the way around the snail. Not more & not less.

Then push the film in until it is properly aligned with the guard rails which you can see quite easily by lifting up the back of the camera while you are doing all of this.

Advance the film a little while looking at the film in the film gate. This is to make sure that the film is caught in the snail & that the film is moving correctly. Then close the back.

Don't forget to set the film counter to "0" after winding the film & releasing the shutter 2 times to get the exposed film past the film gate.

Then tighten the film rewind just a little. Until the slack of the film is rewound.

This is all simpler to do than it is to explain.

My "Quick Load" does NOT create more drag on the film than a standard spool does when advancing the film.

And, when rewinding the film: When you feel the film release when rewinding: Give 1 more complete turn of the rewind knob (Watch the 2 little red dots.) and the film is rewound while leaving about 2 centimeters/0.8 inches outside of the cartridge.

It is possible that once you get used to this device: You may well go looking for another 1 for your other M2.

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited April 17, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht

[convexferret]

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Ok, things get odder still. Firstly, I can confirm that the quick-load is not the problem. I pulled it out, replaced it with a normal reel and wind-on was just as stiff. So I got hold of my other M2 and had a look. From here on in I'll call them newM2 and oldM2, where the one with the problems is newM2. Without film loaded newM2 has a smoother wind than oldM2, even though oldM2 was properly CLA'd a year ago. OldM2 has had a much harder life though. With film in oldM2 it winds absolutely fine. With film in newM2 it's very stiff, so much so that I worry about breaking something.

    Winding with the back open on newM2 I noticed that suddenly it was smooth. Closing the back caused the sudden resistance. Put the back from oldM2 on newM2 and newM2 winds properly. So the problem is probably in the back. I then placed the "problematic" back from newM2 into oldM2 and it winds fine too ...

     So there's something about the back from newM2 that doesn't work right on the camera it came with but works fine on at least one other camera. Note that there are both from 1958. Visually I can see no difference in the backs. For the moment, with the back swapped, all seems good to go. As soon as my other second camera gets back from service I'll send newM2 off.

In the images newM2 is right in the body picture and top in the back picture.

 

 

 

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Edited April 20, 2019 by convexferret

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Convexferret,

Did you by any chance ALSO switch the base plates?

Best Regards,

Michael

[convexferret]

On 4/22/2019 at 6:14 PM, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Convexferret,

Did you by any chance ALSO switch the base plates?

Best Regards,

Michael

Hi Michael

     The base plates make no difference. In fact you can feel the difference in resistance just by holding the back closed with a finger without even having fitted the base plates.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Convexferret,

Is the surface of 1 of the pressure plates more "sticky" or more "rough" to the touch than the other? Please test this gently.

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited April 24, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht

[convexferret]

18 hours ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Convexferret,

Is the surface of 1 of the pressure plates more "sticky" or more "rough" to the touch than the other? Please test this gently.

Best Regards,

Michael

Both seem equal. I'm still convinced that there must be a millimetre difference between the two that interferes with one camera and not the other. Either way swapping them over is working for the moment. I'll see the first results at the weekend and will report if I've got any problems.

[jc_braconi]

May be the blades which serve as spring  are stronger on the new back