Let's discuss something other than #s,$, ratios, glass vs.glass this vs that, etc etc for a moment. For those of you who have first hand experiance with the nasty effects of gravity, and/or other nasty hazards, what was the worst accident your M has suffered and gone on to see another day? I ask this in an effort to learn from your experiance(s) so that we all may avoid similar situations. Thanks!

-- (bvonarx@home.com), February 01, 2002

Answers

Dropped my m2 with 12mm heliar finder ( no lens ) . Finder cracked , but no visible damage to the m2 ( it's already dented and the rangefinder's vertically misaligned )

-- leonid kotlyar (kotlyarl@mail.nih.gov), February 01, 2002.

Bicycling on Ilesboro, Maine (a charming Summer community on a small island) my chrome M4 was riding in a handlebar bag. One of the straps gave way, became tangled in the spokes, and the contents of the bag was flipped forward as my bike lurched to a halt. I saw my M4 with Summicron 35 go bouncing down the asphalt road. The lens hood was bent, and a corner of the top plate severely dinged, with numerous other small scratches. The camera and lens remained quite functional, although the vertical alignment of the rangefinder needed to be adjusted. (This was back in the day when Marty Forsher ran Professional Camera Repair in New York City.) I used the camera for many years thereafter. Oddly, my other accidents to cameras have happened to cameras in bags, when the bag is dropped or tips over and the camera spills out.

-- Phil Stiles (stiles@metrocast.net), February 01, 2002.

Dropped my M when the keychain QR I was using failed catastrophically. Bent the rewind assembly, scuffed the top plate but mechanicals are alright.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

My worst Leica experience was trading my near mint IIIF red dial with Sumitar for a Rollie 35. This was a long time ago and I had only paid $125.00 for the Leica.

-- gerald (sanford@usa.com), February 01, 2002.

Leica salesmen used to routinely demo the Leica M3 by putting the body on the floor and standing on it. Cheers.

-- Don (wgpinc@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

If I were the superstitious type I would hesitate to say this, and please don't construe this as boasting, but in the more-than-three- decades I've been shooting I've never dropped a camera or lens or smacked one into anything with more than a gentle bump that left no dent. I have made a couple of "nice saves" though ;>)

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), February 01, 2002.

It didn't happen to my Leica but one time photographing in the mountains, I picked up my tripod and my Nikon went tumbling down the rocks. Luckily, I guess the motor drive took most of the impact because it got a ding in the corner and nothing happened to the camera. My uncle dropped his Linhof and it took lots of time and money to get it right. I guess there is something to be said about Japanese engineering :)

-- Chad Hahn (thehahns@cornhusker.net), February 01, 2002.

I've not yet dropped the Leica (note that I wrote "yet") but have smashed hell out of my Nikons. Once dropped the N8008s w/135mm f2 lens about seven feet from a concert stage. I just don't sweat stuff like that. After all, it's only stuff, isn't it?

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), February 01, 2002.

Also not an M story, but I once set up my Pentax MX on a tripod at Flathead Lake in Montana. The bummer was that I only extended two legs. Gravity works. The camera hit the rocks, but amazingly there was no damage.

The worst I've done to my M6 is scuffing the built-in hood on the Summicron against a chain link fence.

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

I find it interesting, somewhat, that you don't find this type of question on any other forum. why is it Leica owners are obsessed with cosmetics? Hasselblad is much more expensive, and yet their owners seem to use them till they drop dead or fall apart. my photography improved radically once I started treating my cameras as tools of the trade and not fearing a scratch or ding or reduced valuation at the expense of the image. do these fears impact your photography?

-- daniel taylor (lightsmythe@agalis.net), February 01, 2002.

Dan-

Speaking only for myself, I not afraid of cosmetic damage, on the contrary. You've got to admit, setting up two legs of a tripod is funny.

Speaking of Hasselblad, I once had an 80mm lens fall off of a 500CM body and hit the floor, funny thing is that a ring flash was attached to the lens and the coiled cord must have softened the impact. The lens hit the floor with a horrifying thunk. Lens and ringlight worked fine. I always loved that camera.

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

I wasn't pointing fingers. I just remember my first Canon EOS-3 and how hesitant I was to get it wet. not a good thing living in Oregon. after a while, I just let it all go, and do whatever it takes to get the image. my tripods show it.

-- daniel taylor (lightsmythe@agalis.net), February 01, 2002.

I agree with you, Daniel...That was my point in writing that camera gear is just "stuff." All of these worries about wear and tear, about taking the cameras to dangerous places, about using lesser cameras when there is fear of theft -- forget about it! Just get a good insurance policy and go shoot!

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), February 01, 2002.

Leicas are disposable? Perish the thought!

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), February 01, 2002.

Three years ago, hot summer day in Los Angeles, CA. Was driving with my girlfriend, her eight year old brother in the back seat. Windows down, music up. Didn't hear the "rriiip" of the velcro of my camera bag in the back seat as it was opened. Next thing I know, a delighted squeal of laughter from behind me as the kid leans forward to proudly show his finger stuck between the shutter curtains of my then-brand-new M6. How the heck an eight year old figured out how to open, wind, and fire an M6 almost simultaneously is still beyond me.

-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

Today's Leica "just stuff" is tomorrow's collector's item. Just remember each time you ding your Leica it's a notch down in your future retirement lifestyle ;>)

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), February 01, 2002.

Hehehe...you're lucky there Jay! 3 decades, sheesh! *knock on wood* Hmn, speaking of retirement, I put 15% of my salary to the 401k, get an employer match, and then what's left over I blow on stuff like Leicas! Woohoo! Works for me.

Anyway, I have no horror stories yet. Hope I don't get any either. I figure though that I am wearing out, so why not have my M6 wear out with me? Sounds like a fair deal! : )

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

No horror studies with the Leicas as of yet but four years ago, while visit a Spanish cathedral's crypt, I tripped, my Nikon F3 with an 80-200 F2.8 went flying and hit a 10th Century column. Luckily, the lens shade was on but it was totalled on impact. The lens and body escaped serious damage. They were subsequently traded in for my first R8... Was this a sign from God?? (>))-- Albert

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), February 01, 2002.

I have a horror story,it's really horrible.

I was searching the internet for somewhere to buy a lens for my Leica M6 classic and I stumbled into a forum frequented by sad,lonely,fanatical half-wits.I read some of the posts hoping to find a small glint of interest,but no,just loners rambling on about wine,watches,cars and how much cash they earn.I was in shock,are there really people like this in the world? Don't go to this site it will ruin you.I'll post the address just in case.

www.greenspun.com/leica photography

Be warned.

-- Ray (rayfrost@talk21.com), February 01, 2002.

Ray, you take things in cyberspace too seriously, could it be because that's the only life you have? Hmn...

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

Ray, we've been saving a seat for you.

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

Nylon jacket, M3 with goggled Summilux, me reaching for stair rail at the top of two continuous flights. M3 slid off the end of my arm before my contact with stair rail, and beat me to the bottom. No new dents on the camera or the lens, but the finder was black. Four hundred 1978 dollars later, everything was fine again.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

In 1995 I have lost in a bus at Airport Charles De Gaulle in Paris: 1) a black M3 2) a black Summilux 35 3) a black Summicron 90 (with * after serial number!)

-- Marco Battelli (mbattelli@libero.it), February 01, 2002.

An M horror story? The credit card bill that came about a month after I bought two M bodies and three lenses. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but writing out that check... the horror, the horror, the horror...

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), February 01, 2002.

Al,I too have been there! Trying to explain to my partner why I had spent £3,000 on an M6 and lens when I already had 3 Nikon F5's and Lord know's how many lenses!

"I'm a professional dearest........I need them.......honest..............please don't leave me.......we'll go to Rome next year......ouch,that really hurt...."

-- Virgil (leicavirgin@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

In about 1975 I was carrying my M4 and 50 Summilux over a shoulder. My elbow must have bumped the lens release earlier, because when I climbed out of my car the lens fell four feet onto asphalt. It landed mount-first, and bent one of the flanges. I took it to my local repair genius, who looked at it and said "No problem, come back tomorrow." When I returned, he had machined the bent flange so it seated properly, and checked the collimation (all was OK).

There's nothing like the sound of that "clunk" when the lens hits.

I grew to really distrust those lens release buttons without the guard ring. I was so relieved to see the ring had reappeared on the M6.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), February 01, 2002.

Actually, the worst Leica horror story I ever heard was told by Carsten Brockermann on the LUG. He was loading up for a trip, and set his bag down for a second. He forgot to pick it up, and backed his car out of the driveway - right over it. IIRC, it utterly destroyed two bodies and four lenses. The kicker? No insurance...

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), February 01, 2002.

What kind of insurance are you talking about ? Would renter's insurance cover something like that ?

-- leonid kotlyar (murkacat@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

When he told the story, he indicated he had no coverage at all :-(

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), February 01, 2002.

You need a solid homeowner's insurance policy. You should give your agent a list of all your bodies and lenses including their serial numbers and the retail price. Many of the better policies will replace the lost/stolen items at full price. A word of caution: if you have a rare lens or body that has appreciated, have your Leica dealer appraise it for you and submit this to your insurance agent in lieu of the retail price. (8>))-- Albert Knapp MD

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), February 01, 2002.

Leica salesmen used to routinely demo the Leica M3 by putting the body on the floor and standing on it. Cheers.

Don,

I to have seen this done several times by the Leitz rep before customers at the former family business in the late 50's and early 60's.

Interestingly enough, he didn't stand on the top though. Rather, he placed a hankerchief on the tile floor, laid the M-3 on its back with the lens facing up, then stood on the lens.

It was a socko demo always drawing Ooohs! from the customers.

Doubt you'd see it today though. Not with the electronics in the M-6 back flap, the zinc in the top plate, the aluminum in the black barrels, and the fact that the reps aren't Leica employees anymore.

I asked him about it once back then. He said the only trick was to make certain that the lens was at infinity when he stood on it. The camera itself took care of the rest.

Jerry

-- Jerome R. Pfile, Jr. (JerryPfile@msn.com), February 01, 2002.

Hope this is't to late,but I just joined the LASA, and discover your site. I once went out to shoot in a Michigan winter ice storm, with my wife warning me of the peril. A few steps later I went down swinging my M-6 and 50/1.0 in a full length arc by its strap. The only cement not covered by snow and ice was exactly where it slamed down, lens first! Bent lens mount flange. A couple of weeks is all it cost me. Me photo buddy wasn't so lucky. Two days after spending his life savings on a Contax 645 Kit he went to shoot near the Detroit River. Bluup! Right into the drink. Totally shot. No Passport.

-- Marc A, Williams (mwilliams@stonesimons.com), February 01, 2002.

I am afraid I can top you all--1992 House fire--lost 3 M bodies (2 M3s, M4) 11 lenses, and various parts and pieces. No insurance on the cameras. On the bright side, I had never owned a new Leica item before, and we used some of the general household insurance to get an M6 and five lenses all at once. When it came in, I had to ask to be alone to open all those shiny white boxes!

-- Charles Mason (c.mason@uaf.edu), February 02, 2002.

My disasters are kind disasterlettes.

On of the worst was dropping my Rapidwinder on a mable floor in a friend's house in Napoli. Dented lip; quick fix got it back on. The absolute worst is not servicing my old M6 in time. One day the shutter froze. The authorized Leica repair shop here in Japan wants over 170,000 yen to fix it. I can buy a new M-6 grey market for that money!

I mean---

Okay here is the worst Leica horror story I've ever heard (at K & S in Palo Alto about 10 years ago.)

A man finds a new Leica SLR in Yosemite National Park and turns it over to park authorities. A year later, no owner having claimed it, the camera is his. There is film inside. He develops it. The last frames are of a bear. Far away, then closer, and then closer still. The last frame is filled with bear -- a very tight portrait.

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), February 02, 2002.

No major horror stories, just an unpampered life: a 3-ft drop to a carpeted floor when a strap broke, spilled beer, regular banging against my meter (doesn't seem to bother the camera, but the meter looks like hell), occasional knocks against doorways/chairs/bars.

Had a dog start peeing into my bag when I was shooting a couple of models in the park (they thought it was hysterically funny). Fortunately, no equipment was drenched.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), February 02, 2002.

Proud owner of new M6 TTL w/ 35 Sumi,,,,,,,,, out one night, didn't go home first to drop off precious things, got drunk, staggered home, fumbled for keys, took camera off from around neck GOD KNOWS WHY, dropped on sidewalk with a thud that felt like a kick in the balls, flattened the film-rewind crank, took it next day (when I woke up!) to Leica who repaired at a heavy price on the spot,,,,,,,,, and they gave me gratis a nice Leica glass paperweight that doubles as the best loupe ever made,,,,,, a prize for being the stupidest customer of the week!

-- Anonym (silly@toembarrasedtotell.com), February 02, 2002.

Alex, I like your bear story - and then the bear was filled with holidaymaker.

The worst thing ever happened to my M's was I unwrapped them and they instantly lost 90% of their collector value. After that, anything's pretty minor.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), February 02, 2002.

When I was at uni' I was staying with a friend in the Lakes(England) and we decided to go back to my home town of Liverpool for a night out.I had left all my gear in my student house in London so asked my friends Dad if I could borrow his Canon F1(50mm 1.4 and motordrive)'just in case'I saw some photojouralistic opportunities.Well,I did,on the M62 motorway I saw a car full of girls,I decided to show off and photograph them.It went like this.

I lifted the camera up to the open window,the strap snagged on the door catch,the camera was ripped out of my hands,when the camera hit the outside of the door the strap released itself.

Canon F1 hit the M62 at 75MPH..........I wasn't invited back to the lakes.

-- Virgil (leicavirgin@hotmail.com), February 02, 2002.

I was at Kailua Falls in Hawaii, hiking down to get pictures of the falls from the bottom. I had two M3's on my left shoulder and slipped on a moss covered rock. The lower M cushioned my fall on a rock. No broken bones (very bruised hip), but the rangefinder was out on the body and it took a pair of pliers to get the film out of the body. I had the body repaired 3 times over 20 years before it was finally correct. The M repairs were cheaper than surgery.

-- M.A. Johnson (logical1@catholic.org), February 02, 2002.

I was on the space shuttle Challenger and it crashed.I was smashed into a million pieces.

-- Nikon F5 (nikonf5@smallbits.com), February 02, 2002.

Speaking of film left in Leicas - an old geezer at the Ottawa camera club told me a good one a couple of years ago. He was in England on holidays, and had his whole bag of Leica SLR gear lifted out of his car. he said it was $15,000 worth - back in the mid '70s.

He reported the loss, complete with serial numbers, and came back to Canada. Six months later he got a call from the English contabulary informing him they'd recovered all his gear when the crook tried to pawn some of it. They crated it up and shipped it back.

When it arrived, Stan noticed there was film in one of the cameras. He had it developed, and discovered that the thief and his girlfriend had taken turns snapping each other in some quite risque poses. Stan's only comment about the pictures was that the girlfriend was a much better photographer :-)

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), February 02, 2002.

LOL at Nikon F5! Thats quite funny.

At least you died,I'm still floating around in space.

-- Hasselblad (hassy@outerspace.com), February 02, 2002.

Nikon F5 - but did your Leicas survive?

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), February 02, 2002.

I used to ride motorcycles a lot. Carried my cameras and lenses in a tank bag. Crashed into a Dodge, which won the battle. My Nikon FE2 and 80-200 were shaped like a funny looking banana after the dodge incident. (The camera was a total loss, but I took the lens apart, tried to fix it and put it back together... I guess maybe it was a total loss, too.) I also had an 80-200f2.8 Nikor at the race track with me once, although not on a camera, just sitting on the ground. It was run over by a late model stock car. Not pretty.

-- Lance Goins (goinsphoto@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

I haven't had any horrible "accidents" with my Leica R's yet. I'll get back to you after Speedweeks in Florida.

-- Lance Goins (goinsphoto@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

Every time I ask the price of a Leica item. (why is it that the salesmen get some perverse pleasure in shocking you!)

-- Joel Matherson (joel_2000@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

I've been very lucky with Leicas so far (touch wood) but I once dropped an Olympus OM-2n and the impact dislocated the light meter galvanometer. It happened because I placed the camera carelessly on a table with the strap hanging down. I snagged the strap as I stood up and dragged the camera off the table-top onto the wooden floor. Although I still religiously use a carrying strap, I was made painfully aware that a strap can be a liability when not worn around your neck!

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

Every time I ask the price of a Leica item. (why is it that the salesmen get some perverse pleasure in shocking you!)

Joel, I like going from one favourite M store to the other, and telling them about the first store's lower price (worked out previously on purpose). That gives me some really perverse pleasure in shocking them.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), February 04, 2002.

Thanks Rob,

I know that it is not nice to make jokes about a guy attacked by a bear-- But comedy and tragedy really are not that far apart. So--

What did the bear say when he came home? Man I've had my fill of these photographers!

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@suma.kobe-wu.ac.jp), February 06, 2002.

A Leica-M Horror story--there's an architectural photographer who went alone to photograph an old house that's said to be haunted, and left his backup Leica M there, but managed to retreive it later. Next day, he was found dead in his darkroom. Everyone he knew wondered why he would die of a massive heart attack, for which he had no prior symptom. Nobody realized that the developed roll of film from his backup Leica M was filled with snapshots of himself taking pictures in the old house. Just a story.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), February 14, 2002.