It seems like every other roll of Film I shoot in my M4 I can't get all the way to the end of the roll. The first time I noticed this I only got to 20 on a 24 exposure roll and then yesterday I only got 30 out of a 36 exposure roll.

Any ideas as to why this is?

Chad Hahn

-- Chad Hahn (thehahns@cornhusker.net), May 10, 2002

Answers

Perhaps it is this, I remember something similar being asked on the LUG a few years back. I hope it's a simple fix...

> About 3 rolls of film ago, the film advance stuck on the 12th frame of the > roll. As I moved the lever, there was increasing pressure and ultimately the > film wouldn't advance. I figured I had a bad roll of film and switched > brands. Next roll had the same problem --somewhere between the 10th and 15th > frame was a multiple exposure. > > I tried a third roll, being extra careful not to inadvertently touch the > rewind lever. Same problem at about frame 12-- the film wouldn't advance. > > The first frames on each roll are centered and sharp when developed, so I > doubt that "crooked" loading is involved. It doesn't seem to be the film. > When there's no film in the body, the lever/shutter/number operation also > work without problem. I thought maybe the film was slipping when a roll was > in the camera between use, but that wouldn't explain the resistance on the > lever, I think. While I guess it could be the rewind lever (perhaps putting > the camera in my bag or taking it out) I've been careful to avoid that. > > Anyone ever have this problem? Even if not, any bright ideas --other than > the supernatural?

The problem is caused by a nut in the rewind crank mechanism which, once loose, will gradually move, with each successive advance of the film, up a threaded shaft until, at the end of its travel, it tightens up against the rewind crank, locking it in place, rendering film advance impossible. Rewinding the film loosens the nut, temporarily.

And this one:

> i was winding away and came to the end of the roll, although i was only on > frame 15. put another roll in, wound through 10 frames and it refused to > advance any further. rewound, tried again, ten frames and it refuses to > advance further; first ten go along smoothly though. opened the back and > bottom, ran a roll through, it still stopped after ten frames, couldn't > figure out why

I've had this failure on one of mine and it's a simple fix . Your pb is probably due to the rewind nut , right under the rewind button , that is un-winding itself when you arm the shutter.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), May 10, 2002.

An M4? A Leica M4? One of the finest cameras the E. Leitz Wetzlar factory ever made? Dr. Rosen will probably say you're a liar.

-- Keith Davis (leica4ever@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

Isn't the M4 the M most prone to breakage? Or is it the M4-2?

-- Olivier (olreiche@videotron.ca), May 10, 2002.

Olivier, no, it's the M4-2 that has somewhat of a reputation for reliability problems. The M4 is a good, reliable workhorse.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), May 10, 2002.

Does the Leicaflex SL have a similar rewind mechanism, i.e. with a nut that occasionally works itself loose? Mine is occasionally reluctant to advance the film.

FWIW, it always happens to me with Fuji rolls, so it may be the notoriously tight fit of Fuji emulsions in their cartridges. You can't fault Leica for everything :-)

-- -- (Oliver.Schrinner@campus.lmu.de), May 13, 2002.

Thank you for the responses. I guess I'll try tighting the rewind nut.

-- Chad Hahn (thehahns@cornhusker.net), May 13, 2002.