P3D Fed problems

[Peter Homer <P.J.Homer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There has been some discussion on the group about the pros and cons of the
Fed and I thought I would relate my experiences . First of all I find I
need to set to half the films ASA number to get correct exposures which
seems to be quite a common experience also sometimes I get some fogging on
some of the frames which has also been reported before by other people.
After my third film the 1 3 wind on failed so that it now cocks but does
not lock on 1 frame wind on each time which means it is still useable but I
have to try to remember when to wind on once or three times myself and
sometimes I get it wrong. A more recent and worse problem is that the
ratchet arrangment which enables the film take up to free wheel at the end
of a film rather than lock (an odd idea to me as you may not realise you
are out of film unless you check the counter each time). Seems to have lost
some tension so that it now slips before the end of a 36 frame film so that
I get partly double exposed frames first and then some completely blank
ones so that I only get about 15 pairs from a 36. I have been trying to
locate some 24 frame slide film to try that but I have not been able to
find any has any one else had experience with these problems and succeeded
in correcting them.      P.J.Homer



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