We all know this is the world's most expensive 35mm camera system. But OCCASIONALLY you can find an accessory or some other items that is cheap but adds a lot of functionality.

So - what's your favorite Leica cheap thrill?

To start the ball rolling: A Leica-made LTM-to-M adapter for $100, which allows you to TRY OUT all those cool Voigtländer and pre-1960 Leica lenses on your M.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), November 28, 2001

Answers

I haven't been into the M line long enough to have bought many accessories, but I have found the $17 panorama adapter for the Minilux to be a lot of fun. It's a little hard to use, and, yes, you have to use it for the whole roll of film, but for less than a round of drinks you've got a different, fun format in your Leica.

Luke

-- Luke Dunlap (luked@mail.utexas.edu), November 28, 2001.

Leica baseball cap.

-- Eric Reid (eric_reid@lkshore.com), November 28, 2001.

A soft Nikon release.....

-- Tony (tony_k_@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Andy, I remember when an LTM to M adapter cost ten bucks. Now, that seems cheap. But that was when a loaf of bread cost 19 cents, and a 35mm Summicron was $163.50. Plus tax. I paid $22.50 for a lens cap that only needs to cost $2.25.

I guess my favorites are the occasional underpriced used bargain. I found a 135mm Tele-Elmar for $200 recently.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), November 28, 2001.

$100 for a Leica-made LTM-to-M adapter?! Try $60 (@ most) on eBay--then we're talking cheap Leica thrills.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), November 28, 2001.

A Mint Minolta Tele-Freedom for $15, as a parts camera for my re- badged Leica AF-C1. Even cheaper, a $10 NOOKY for 50mm Elmars.

-- Wilhelm (bmitch@home.com), November 28, 2001.

A piece of 1/2" dense foam cut to fit inside the rectangular lens hood of a 35/2 (or 35/1.4). Wrap a small piece of gaffers tape (with a small folded flap on one side) and you have the cheapest and best lens hood cap a Leica lens has ever seen.

-- David Cunningham (dcunningham@attglobal.net), November 28, 2001.

Is "film" too obvious an answer?

On a more serious note, I'm pretty enamoured with my new Op/Tech rangefinder case. I find I can carry the camera around my neck all day and shoot. The case hides and protects the M rather well, when its time to shoot, it drops of in an instant and can be stuffed in my back pocket. I also tape a spare roll of film to the strap. 72 exposure to get me through the day. Really neat set-up.

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 28, 2001.

Leica Swiss army knife

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), November 28, 2001.

Any of Lutz's accessories (ie the sling) and Tom Abrahamsson's softies.

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.

A heavy duty leather pouch, originally designed to hold cards (about 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches). My M-4 fits in it perfectly. A heavy leather belt loop allows for the camera to be carried like a handgun in a shoulder holster, always available and out of sight, under a jacket.

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Some sort of soft release. Or one of the $30 generic LTM-M adapters that are around.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), November 29, 2001.

The P150 slide projector (little did I know that I would be led down the path...)

-- Tse-Sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), November 29, 2001.

jupiter-3!

-- grant (g4lamos@yahoo.com), November 29, 2001.

A 36 exposure roll of slide or print film. About $8-$20 depending on variety and processing. Adds a great deal of functionality. Surprisingly, I've been able to find this accessory more often than "occasionally".

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), November 29, 2001.

1) The Yashica viewfinder 21mm ($30)in black, Japan made .

2) The universal revolving-type viewfinder(28/35/50/85/135mm) black painted Russian made(Krasnogorsk), 100% viewing, with parallax compensation, for $15.

Both are very small and great performers.

-- Victor Randin (ved@enran.com.ua), November 29, 2001.

My 3,5/3,5 screwmount elmar for US$ 50 (ok, some slight cleaning marks on the rear element) and my superb sonnar 50/2 copy, the jupiter 8, for about 25 US$. Oh yes, and a user, but nice M2 for 400$ fits in here as well.

-- Kai Blanke (kai.blanke@iname.com), November 29, 2001.

Black tape.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 29, 2001.

User 2-cam R lenses for the EOS with $100 adapter and you get AE!

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), November 29, 2001.

I'm jealous of a lot of the above stuff... I like the m grip, the old fashioned Wetzlar screw in soft releases (a snip at just £40 each here in the UK), and a bit of gaffer tape on the r/f illumination window to keep the flare down in the rangefinder patch.

-- stephen jones (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), November 29, 2001.

Another vote for Lutz's sling, shade, slide.

Now say that fast ten times for another cheap thrill!

For another cheap thrill, you can turn this thread really nasty by suggesting a roll of black electrical tape. Just kidding!!

-- Tim Gee (twg@optushome.com.au), November 29, 2001.

Oops.. Michael already bought the tape.

-- Tim Gee (twg@optushome.com.au), November 29, 2001.

It's okay, Tim, maybe there's a big diff between kraut tape and that from down under...

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 29, 2001.

Andy asks, "So - what's your favorite Leica cheap thrill?"

Not really a tangible "thing", my best thrill is the reaction of the people that I have photographed with that "cute little camera" when I show them the photos. In a potentially photo dense situation, I am surrounded by guys with the "big guns", and am often ignored or dismissed. When you hand some prints to someone that was not even aware that you were shooting, or at least not seriously, (due to the obvious limitations of your tiny camera), and it is clear that you struck a nerve with the results, then you begin to think that you are on the right path... a small camera, some film, and your eye.

Oh yeah... I have a really cool Leica M key chain from the Leica boutique.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), November 29, 2001.

(1)A Leicaflex SL with 50/f2 lens in "user" condition bought for $250 last year.

(2)A really nice Leicaflex SL body purchased for $200 earlier this year.

:-)

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), November 29, 2001.

Some here already know the story. A IIIG with 50 and 90 Elmars, all like new (with boxes and manuals) from a university getting rid of a bunch of 'junk' (their words) for $150.00 CDN (about $100.00 US).........

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), November 29, 2001.

Bob: How do you sleep at night? ;-)

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), November 29, 2001.

I thought I got a good deal on a super clean, coated screw mount 50mm Elmar for $99.00. Some fellow that worked at a camera store had been using it as an enlarging lens for the past 20 years or so.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 30, 2001.

A cheap thrill? I don't have one, but just missed out on a 90 degree right angle finder for $60 on Ebay. Great for street photography and super-close candids.

-- Jay D (jayd@netvigator.com), November 30, 2001.

This one is at least partly Leica-- A Mint canon 7s, Canon 35mm f2, Leica Summarit, and a 135 hektor. $250.00

-- Marke Gilbert (Bohdi137@aol.com), November 30, 2001.

Bob: oh man! it's like the leica bargain of the year/decade??. right place at the right time, and of course, right eye for it. makes me want to go to garage sales and street stall markets! happy hunting 8^)

-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), November 30, 2001.

A Leica chronograph watch only sold to staff, which my friend bought for me out of Switzerland lately.

Considering it cost US$60 new with warranty, it's a great steal - much cheaper than any of my leica gear! And very pretty.

Of course, the same friend gave me a Leica cap and a Leica bag ... that was free.

-- Kelvin (kelvinlee@pacific.net.sg), April 02, 2002.

Andy. You might be right about Leica being the worlds most expensive 35 mm camera system, but I'm not 100% certain this is true. The (now defunct) Alpa camera system was very expensive and may hold that honor. Alpa used lenses from Old Delft, Angenieux, and Schneider that were well built and very very expensive. Perhaps someone else out there can address this issue.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), April 02, 2002.

dish rack.

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.