Preparing for picture taking, Loading the camera

ZENIT-TTL	User manual, 1965 year

13	— cassette chamber	18	— lock latch
14	— cassette spool guide	19	— folding back door
15	— cap of compartment for battery of Mallory PX-13 type	20	— take-up spool
16	— viewfinder eyepiece	21	— sprocket
17	— accessory shoe for mounting flash lamp and other accessories

22 — lens mounting ring

23 — diaphragm scale

24 — depth-of-field scale

25 — distance scale

26 — focusing ring

27 — diaphragm setting ring

28 — diaphragm mode selector switch

29 — diaphragm mechanism pusher

HELIOS-44M

4. Preparing for picture taking

4.1. Loading the camera

Put a battery of Mallory PX-13 type into the compartment in the way indicated in Section “Changing the Power Source of Exposure Meter Electric Circuit“.

Load the camera in faint diffused light in the following way:

a)pull lock latch 18 upwards and open back door 19;

b)lift crank 6 and pull out the rewind knob;

c)put a loaded cassette into chamber 13;

d)return the rewind knob to its initial position and fold crank 6;

e)pull out the film leader as long as to reach the camera edge and insert it into the take-up spool 20 slot; in so doing be sure to engage a perforation hole with a tooth of sprocket 21;

f)close the back door;

g)cock the shutter by turning lever 11 as far as it will go. Press release button 3. As the shutter is cocked, the film is advanced by one frame. To transport a nonexposed portion of film to the film gate, cock the shutter two times pressing the release button after each cocking.

Should the film be wound tightly in the cassette, the film rewind knob will rotate when the shutter is being cocked. If the film is loose in the cassette, the rewind knob will fail to rotate at the first frames;

h)bring figure “0” of exposure counter dial 10 to the index mark. Set the exposure counter only with the shutter cocked;

i)set the film speed value by turning dial 7 till it aligns with the index mark on the camera shield; in so doing you will feel the dial is locked.

Note: Dashes engraved between figures on the film speed dial enable to set intermediate values of film speed in accordance with the Reference Table.

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