I have just purchased a M6.I want to protect the body from scrathes,dings and misuse that my 33 year old M3 shows off so well.I intend to cover the body with black plastic tape.Which kind is best?I tried it on the M3/2 but all the tapes started to ooze stick stuff after awhile.It looked and felt tacky...The little handgrip is cool.It feels really nice to hold.Also gives centre hole for tripod.

-- jason gold (jason1155234@webtv.net), November 15, 2000

Answers

How about a nice hard leather neveready case instead?

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), November 15, 2000.

There's something called 'self-vulcanizing' tape- found at electrician's stores. It sticks only to itself, not to any surface. It's a bit thick, but might be what you're looking for.

It might be tricky getting it too stay on the body.

-- Tse-Sung Wu (tsesung@yahoo.com), November 15, 2000.

I've had excellent results with the black photographic masking tape made by 3M. It's easy to apply, protects the camera well, isn't sticky to the touch, and is good for four to six months in normal use.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), November 15, 2000.

Jason,

Congrats' on your new camera. I am just making this short post for some information about the Leica black finish. If your previous experience is from the old black paint days, then things have certainly got better as far as the durability of the finish.

I treat my Leicas hard, and as of yet, my 1988 M6 looks very good. In the old days I'm sure it would be brass with some black showing, but as stated things have changed. If you feel you want to go with the tape, then do so... but just think about what you are protecting it from. In routine use, the camera will be fine.

Hope you like the advances since the M3 days. I still use my M2 as a second camera, using the M6's meter for both cameras.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), November 15, 2000.

Use black gaffers tape available from stage lighting stores. I agree with Al though, just use the camera and forget about the finish. It is a camera! If you are going to worry more about it getting scratched than getting the photograph you want, sell it and get a camera you can USE.

Cheers

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), November 15, 2000.

Jason

I must say I agree with Al and John. On the current models there seems little reason to cover them at all - and the cameras really do look ugly covered in tape. On my SL I put some tape on the strap attachment to protect the finish, but on the current cameras they have plastic protectors to do this for you, so on my other Leicas I leave them alone. The chrome finish wears better in my opinion, but the black is black chrome and robust. I wish I could say the same about the black lenses...

-- Robin Smith (rsmith@springer-ny.com), November 16, 2000.

I'll vote in favor of blacktaping your Leica.

o It protects the finish from scratches, and the vulcanite from cracking. These can cost you a lot when you want to sell it.

o It uglifies the camera from theives. I use my Leicas, and I want to discourage theives. Black tape makes them look used and worn. If most street theives knew what a Leica M was worth...

o It makes the metal parts of the camera easier to grip.

Of course, those owners who use the camera as jewelry or keep it on display in a glass case are agast at the thought of covering their Leicas with tape!

Use good Gaffer's tape. Electrical tape will turn gooey on a summer's afternoon, and masking ior duct tape might be very hard to get off. Gaffers tape is by far more expensive than the others, but it's worth it. I use Permacell "Professional grade" Gaffer's tape. It takes me about 2 hours to blacktape an M body. You'll probably have to do it a few times to get it right. The tape must be carefully cut (be careful with sissors near the Leica!) to fit well. The body must be fairly clean. I suggest a q-tip cleaning with rubbing alcohol before you start.

-- Tom Bryant (boffin@gis.net), November 17, 2000.

To each his own, but it kind of reminds me of my uncle who used to put plastic seat covers in his new car so the seats would look great for the next owner. I think a few scuffs here and there give the camera some character. I also don't think most street thiefs these days even know what a Leica is, and would be more attracted to a Nikon f5 or Canon EOS with monster zoom on it instead of an "old fashoned" Leica.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 17, 2000.

3M makes a tape called "Plastic tape" It is a sold as a mending tape and comes in several colors including black.

I have used it on several items plus cameras including my Leica M6. It is the best stuff I have ever seen and is very tough. Electrical tape gets too gooey in summer.

-- Bob Eskridge (rfesk@yahoo.com), November 20, 2000.

I'm sorry, but I think anyone who spends $3000+ on a camera and lens, and then tapes the camera with black tape, is an idiot. IMHO...

-- john costo (mahler@lvcm.com), December 16, 2000.

How about black tape with little red dots?

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 16, 2000.

just when i thought id seen it all on this leica list...go with jeff's idea...maybe it will inspire you to use the camera...

-- grant (g4lamos@yahoo.com), December 16, 2000.

Oh no why on earth would you want to cover up such a beautiful object such as your new M6. Dont do it buddy! :)

Jason Vicinanza London, England

-- Jason Vicinanza (jcvicinanza@btinternet.com), January 06, 2001.

Black, removable, contact paper such as "Magic Cover" is extremely thin, leaves no goo, can be easily removed/replaced and blends perfectly with Leica, Hexar and Nikon (and probable any other black non-glossy-paint cameras). It is barely noticeable and effectively makes these expensive cameras look generic. Additionally, it can be applied in the vicinity of strap lugs and on the camera baseplate if desired (although these areas would need it to be replaced after a while). I will also be experimenting with some Leica red-point marques by making them black with acrylic enamel, both matte and gloss finish. These are the current red Leica logo circles that adhere to the front of the M6 versions. If I am successful I will post the results.

-- Ron Benvenisti (benvenisti@aol.com), March 09, 2001.

Not for the fainthearted.... I received two red Leica logos (M6) from Northvale. They come on a strip with self-adhesive on the back. Using a 000 brush and Gunze- Sangyo Flat Black Acrylic Enamel (XF-1), I flowed the paint into the small openings in the L, e, under the dot of the i, the c and the a. I then removed the excess from the silver Leica with a toothpick. After that dried I painted the rest of the circle with a number 1 brush, gently flowing the paint up to the sides of the letters so as to cover the red. A second coat was required (after the first dried) to completely cover all the red. A final touch-up to remove any of the black from the silver Leica lettering was done with a toothpick. The logo was then baked dry under a 60 Watt lamp for about an hour. It looked pretty good, although not perfect - some red was still visible when looking closely at the sides of the letters, the paint was not exactly smooth like the anodized red, but all in all it looked good enough to achieve the results I desired - to tone down the glaring red logo.

Now the scary part! You must mask around the red logo on the camera to prevent accidentally scratching the finish. I used thin removable contact paper - but in resrospect a I would double it up or use a thicker removable drafting tape as it's possible to get through the single application of contact paper. To remove the red logo, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRY IT OFF! The tolerances of the fit are such that it is impossible to get even the point of a very fine pin between the camera and the logo. Once the area around the logo is masked off you can take a very small optical screwdriver (an pointed orangewood stick of the type used to remove film emulsion from the film-gate of motion picture cameras may also work and is less likely to scratch but a toothpick will definitely break - also a strong nylon burnishing tool such as used to burnish press-type might work and is less likely to scratch) and gently push the raised letters of the Leica, starting from the long section of the L under the a so as to move the logo counterclockwise. It will move slowly about 10-15 degrees and then settle back. Do the same from the loop of the L moving it clockwise. It will again nove about 10-15 degrees and the settle back. Continue to do this very gently in both directions adding a few degrees each time until the adhesive that holds the logo in place begins to loosen. Be very gentle as the logo will suddenly pop off and your tool may jump, potentially scratching the inside of the recessed circle, or worse your camera body!

Once the logo is off it is a simple matter of removing the protective paper from the the adhesive back of the (in this case, satin/matte black) replacement and positioning the replacement circle inside the recess on the camera front.

Again, this mod is not for the fainthearted, but in my case the results were worth it. The camera looks a lot less conspicuaous and still maintains the Leica integrity. With a piece of removable matte black contact paper covering the LEICA M6 on the camera front it looks excellent.

-- Ron Benvenisti (benvenisti@aol.com), March 10, 2001.

Hope this can do. I have taped my Mīs with stripes of the material (plastic sheet) that signing/advertising companies do by computer. You can get a free sample of this (gloss or mate) for free from one of these businesses.

-- sergio casillas (sercaba48@hotmail.com), October 07, 2001.

I agree that the best choice by far is >>>the black photographic masking tape made by 3M<<< I have used it on an M2 and an M3 for years with great results. If you need to you can easily clean it off. But I admit I haven't bothered to tape the M6 I got last year. The finish seems durable and I like it the way it is. good luck,

-- Don (wgpinc@yahoo.com), October 07, 2001.

Hey Jason, I don't believe what I'm reading here. You and your beautiful camera should grow gracefully old together and be proud of the dignified marks of age. Tape over something ugly.

-- tim Gee (twg@optushome.com.au), October 07, 2001.

I dont recommend tape. Over time (like 20 years) the adhesive (depending on tape) either gets gooey or becomes so hard that it's still stuck on the metalwork long after the tape has disintegrated. I found out the hard way after taping a brand new Nikon FM in 1979. How about making your own custom leather slip on case? Here's a pic of a prototype I made with 3M OHP transparency. I later used leather but dont have a picture yet. There's a flap at the back for opening the bottom cover. I made this case not so much to keep the camera pristine but more to forget what I'm using and to concentrate on taking pictures.

http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~trs80/leica_bandaid.jpg

-- Fred Sun (redsky3@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001.

Jason:

Don't do it! The M6 is a beautiful jewel of a camera that you should proudly show off while taking wonderful photographs. Over time the body will acquire scratches and dings, but that will only lend it more character. Don't cover it with ugly black tape! :-)

P.S. I have a M6 TTL and two M3s that I use on a regular basis, scratches and all!

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

(a) Jason, I worked on basically the same thing with black tape too but ended up hanging on to the bottom part of my M6 never-ready case from Leica (either of the two sizes, both sizes cost the same, just throw the top part away). It "protects" against everything, is no longer "never-ready", you can take it off and replace it easily when you will, I see no problem when changing film, and the price -- although, yes, high -- is not all that much different from those of the two best half-case competitors (Kameraleder and Umana).

(b) Fred, your photo with the bandaid is great. You can, of course, for the same purpose use instead a few wipes of ketchup or mustard.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), October 08, 2001.