Chance Shirley Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I'm working on a feature that we're shooting on my Aaton LTR-54. It's the first big project I've used the camera on, and I've been happy with it so far. However, the camera mag got jammed twice yesterday, and both times we were shooting exteriors in cold weather, maybe 30 degrees F. Is this a common problem? If so, does anyone know of any workarounds? Thanks... -Chance Birmingham, AL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Gross Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 Not a common problem at all. It's very rare to have a mag jam on the Aaton, especially shooting at normal speeds. Are you sure of the loader? Were the loops set properly? You may need some servicing. Did both jams happen on the same mag? You should be keeping track to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chance Shirley Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 I loaded the mag personally. I always set the loop at 15 or 16 visible perfs, which is what I've read is correct in the Aaton literature. Both jams did happen on the same mag. I'll be careful to note which one next time and have it serviced if it happens again. Thanks for the info... -Chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Gross Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 Did the jams happen early on in the roll? That would indicate a loading issue. If the problem happens later on the clutch may need adjustment (slipping). Did this happen while shooting at something other than 24fps? Sometimes a weak clutch can allow film from the feed side to float through the pass thru and accumulate around the capstan roller, possibly getting caught up in the sprocket wheel. What was the nature of the jam? Did you lose your loop and find one of the two loop latches (usually the lower one) popped open? Was there any tearing or accordioning of the film? All of this information can help assess the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stijnbarbe Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 I had a camera jam on an LTR last year and it turned out that the pressure plate (which is in the mag on an aaton as you know) dind't apply enough pressure. I f both jams occured on the same mag, be sure to check this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJUDD Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I had an LTR 54 jam repeatedly on me in cold weather using Ilford B+W film. It seems that the Ilford is not compatible with the older Aaton mags... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chance Shirley Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 >Did the jams happen early on in the roll? Yes, on the first or second take of the roll. >That would indicate a loading issue. Hmm. I THOUGHT I knew what I was doing. Maybe not. >Did this happen while shooting at something other than 24fps? Nope, we've been shooting 24fps the whole shoot. >What was the nature of the jam? Did you lose your loop and find one of the two loop latches (usually the lower one) popped open? Lost the loop, but didn't notice either of the latches being open. >Was there any tearing or accordioning of the film? The film had slipped off the core at some point and filled the mag willy nilly, so there was some accordioning. Didn't notice any tearing. Thanks for taking the time to analyze this. -Chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chance Shirley Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 >I had an LTR 54 jam repeatedly on me in cold weather using Ilford B+W film. >It seems that the Ilford is not compatible with the older Aaton mags We were using Kodak Vision 250D, so it wasn't an Ilford problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Gross Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 The film had slipped off the core at some point and filled the mag willy nilly, so there was some accordioning. Didn't notice any tearing. Ah, clasic problem. Very often people either do not securely attach the film to the core or they roll onto the core in the wrong direction. If the film disconnects from the coe it will simply fill up the mag until there is no more room and jam up. If rolled onto the core in the wrong direction, the film will unravel from the core as it rotates in its correct direction and then either properly respool onto the core (but loosely now due to slack) or pop loose from the core and eventually jam up. To attach the film end to the core properly, fold over half a frame and tuck it into the slot on the core. It should be snug and seat firmly in place. To quickly check whether the film is spooled onto the core in the correct direction, simply rotate the core and watch the direction the film travels on the sprocket wheel. They should all move together smoothly. Good news is there sounds like there's nothing wrong with your mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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