How do some of you treat,carry and protect your Leicas? I notice that except for photographers whose equipment is paid and owned by newspapers,magazines and press agencies,all my photo friends' who own their own gear,are really careful with their tools!I notice a lot of amateur,no offence intended,treat their equipment like dirt!I carry my lenses in pouches in a soft bag,the camera very often in a never-ready case!One photojournalist of International fame asked me to use his M6,for a personal shot of his son.The camera was swathed in black tape!!!!He had a small pouch to cover it while under his jacket,when needed. Spare bodies are in leather pouches wrapped in cloth.I see photographers banging different bodies together as they walk around like hawkers with all their equipment.I notice a few photogs here in Toronto,read Leica people,who see to carry one lens,one body under their coats or tied around their wrists.i know how strong and durable the equipment is.I think good tools deserve good treatment.Skylight or UV filters on all my 2 lenses!

-- jason gold (leeu72@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002

Answers

the reason to get Leica is so that you don't have to worry about your equipment that much ;-) I try to provide 'reasonable' protection/care for my M6, but I'm not obsessive about it. It just a camera - and I have the 3 yrs passport warranty. cheers,

-- pat (modlabs@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

Hmmm, you seems a bit over protective.

Mind you, I try to give my R a Bag in which vibrations are cushioned, lens separated from each other. It took months of saving so, well, you know....

But it's a camera well designed (I mean the R7) and the lens are made for heavy duty (er, in sense that a million photos will not alterate them too much) but it's not a reason not to be careful.

Cheers.

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002.

I have to second Pat... except... "it's just a camera" ... but it is a Leica.

Sooo... I treat my TTL with care, I carry it in Leica's own half-case, I protect all lenses with their own hoods (see "Hoods (use of)" which arrived yesterday) and when I'm on vacation in "strange countries" I cover all red dots etc with black tape.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), March 06, 2002.

Rangefinder (mint IIIg with lenses) gets carried in a Classic M bag. R in a Lowe Pro Street & Field. Don't use lenscaps or filters, nor backcaps as they're too time consuming to remove. I take reasonable care, but tend to feel that a really, really good photo is worth the odd small scratch on a body. Luckily in 20+ years of shooting (average 200-300 rolls/year) I've never had a scratched lens element, though scratches and nicks on bodies have been faily common.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

I try to keep cameras and lenses from banging into each other or into rocks & stuff but for the most part I keep 'em available to be used. Accidents happen but Leica stuff is built to take some abuse and keep working.

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), March 06, 2002.

I am a user, not a collector, so to me they are tools. And I use them as such. I'm careful, but not overly protective. Out of the bag, on my shoulder ready to put into action when needed. If they get bumped, banged, bruised they will survive and still keep on clicking. If I happen to inadvertantly trash a piece of gear, it will be replaced. When not in use, they go into a simple non-padded bag (M-classics or Domke) with a lens on them and ready to place into action at a moment's notice. IF I have to check them as luggage on an aircraft at some point in the future, I will get a hard case to put them in for travel to and from the destination. Probably a Lightware, Halliburton or Pelican case.

:-),

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 06, 2002.

Any one who is too protective of their gear should visit their dealer and try to sell them. Make me realize I should not spend any more effort on babying them and just use them.

-- Chi H (chihuang@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

The IIf w/ elmar stays in my pocket out of sight (is that a Leica in your pocket, or...?) The Yashica D on a strap might look like a camera, but it's really a pretty good mace. Actually, this is a case where the one camera - one lens paradigm makes sense.

-- John (johnfleetwood@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002.

The beauty of user-grade equipment is that it frees you from worrying about cosmetic abuse! I use reasonable care to prevent significant damage to bodies and lenses, but keeping the equipment readily available takes priority over keeping it pretty.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), March 06, 2002.

i'm so protective of my leica, i strapped it to a cat.

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002.

I try hard to avoid any "banging around" while, at the same time, accept the fact that as daily users, my M6/M2 and lenses will get their share of scratches, small dings, etc. I don't worry much about using them in the rain and I don't use any "protective" filters on the lenses.

I use a Domke 5XB bag and it protects everything well enough for general carrying around. I use one extra partition to make it work well for one body + 3 extra lenses. Leave out the added partition for two bodies + one extra lens. The lenses are not in separate containers - just in the bag with partitions separating them. If I'm out shooting, I usually carry the camera "out" - not in the bag, suspended by an UpStrap. I've tried all manner of straps but find the UpStrap to be unbelievably good. It sticks on your shoulder like glue! Often I'm out with just an M with the 50mm lens mounted.

The only place I see that routinely gets scratched/wear marks is the bottom plate of the M. Some electrician's tape will prevent this.

-- MikeP (mike996@optonline.net), March 06, 2002.

I often carry a couple of cameras over the same shoulder, let 'em bang into each other, and have had no functional damage. And I don't care if they get scratched up. These are Nikons, mind you; the Leica stays around the neck by itself. With all of them, though, I use no lenscaps (aren't they detrimental to making photos?) and have never owned a "never-ready" case. They get banged into doors and the like, and have never suffered as a result. Only the hard drops hurts them. Ditto for moisture, which seems an overrated threat to most cameras.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), March 06, 2002.

I also strapped my Leica camera on a cat! But he went to the sand box, and now I can't get the dust out of the shutter and lens. Next time I'll know better!

-- Steve Brantley (sbrantley@nccommerce.co), March 06, 2002.

The beauty of user-grade equipment is that it frees you from worrying about cosmetic abuse!

User-grade is my favorite kind. Why pay extra for pristine cosmetic appearance when I know it will be user-grade when/if I ever sell it?

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), March 06, 2002.

I notice a few photogs here in Toronto,read Leica people,who see to carry one lens,one body under their coats or tied around their wrists.i know how strong and durable the equipment is.

We must've run into each other at one point or other Jason. I'm in Toronto every Saturday and by chance you might've spotted me in my "incognito field outfit" sometime in the recent past. If your happy with your equipment then don't worry too much about the cosmetics. I'm wrapping my M bodies (near MINT I might add!) in duct tape so they won't draw too much attention to my street stuff. If you think you'll be trading your gear in every 6 months or so then I would take extra care in preserving its MINT status.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

Greetings to all,

Interesting thread. Personally, I don't hammer nails with my M6, or for that matter, any of my gear. Though, I'm not as anal as I use to be. I also don't use UV filters or anything else in front of the glass I'm paying for. True it's a gamble, but, one I willing to take. I am curious, a couple of you indicated you don't keep front caps or rear caps on your lenses? I haven't been quite that brave, yet. Yes, I've missed a few pictures along the way. The older I get, the more I look upon cameras as "tools to be used up". Leica's may have a little better re-sale capacity than other brands, but, in general, I plan on keeping my current kits until I can't use them or they can't be used and then I'll replace them. But, to get back to this front and rear lens cap thing. Do I understand correctly, there are some of you that keep lens shades on, no front cap, and rear cap off, in you gear bag while out and about taking images? Hmmm? I would also like any opinions/comments regarding transporting your gear in cars. I am always afraid of the heat and its deliterious effects on circuitry, glass, shutters, etc.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

-- J.L.Kuhn (james.kuhn-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov), March 06, 2002.

uv filter on my leica, same w/ my nikon. but i do tend to treat my nikons like sh*t, so maybe it's a brand thing? ;)

-- ken kwok (kk353@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

I don't like buying new Leica because it will, by Leica standards, be trashed within the month and perhaps within a couple weeks.

I am only reluctantly taking in my new version R28mm to get all the orange juice and pulp out of the aperture ring and hood from shooting the orange battles here in Italy. Tell you what though, I highly doubt one of those plastic autofocus lenses would have survived direct hits from hurtling oranges.

-- dave yoder (lists@daveyoder.com), March 06, 2002.

J.L. Kuhn--

I cap the Nikons when they're not in use, but when I get them out for shooting they are capless. I don't cap the Leica 'cuz my 35mm 'cron has the rectangular hood, which I like to leave on all the time, and the hood cap just falls off at random anyway. I paid $20 for this little piece of rubber, and it just fell off and got lost. So that lens goes naked.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), March 06, 2002.

The beauty of user-grade equipment is that it frees you from worrying about cosmetic abuse!

This is why i buy used cars - preferably with low miles so they work, but with dents and scratches. I can understand why people worry about hurting the looks of a car that costs $30k, but it is something i don't want to bother with so i buy used cars, and don't worry if a friend opens a door and hits a light post, or a shopping cart runs into it, or... well you get the point.

I agree lots of people here... i don't try to hurt the cameras but i don't try hard protect it either. I have a new M6 TTL - and it hasn't had its first big accident yet - small knocks against rocks are not big accidents. I treat it as if it had had that accident and don't try to keep it in pristine shape, I intend to use this camera for my lifetime and it will inevitably be dropped within that period of use. There are repair shops after all, and if you aren't bothered abot reselling the camera, costmetic blemishes are great for stories.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

I try to make sure my cameras are always handy and that means taking reasonable precautions with my gear. the more careful i am with it the less handy the cameras seem to be. I have had cameras soaked, banged up, but the only sevice i have ever had was CLA's to get my cameras working again. while i consider my camera's tools, i do form an attachemnt to them and i am not quick to sell them, so i am less concerend about cosmetics.

-- greg mason (gmason1661@aol.com), March 06, 2002.

How protective we are of our belongings might be a function of our economic situations. If I were Bill Gates, I would not worry about dings & scratches in the best Leica equipment. But since Leica stuff represents such a large portion of my disposable income, I try to baby it. I have a Tam Tek nylon bag and it has a foam rubber pad on the bottom. I always use lens protection filter over front element. I wrap the camera in a chamois while in the camera bag. Same for spare lens. I would never leave a camera long in a very hot car, as heat is the enemy of rubberized cloth shutters. If I should have occasion to hand the outfit to someone else, I watch it like a hawk, in case it looks like it might be dropped. All serial numbers are recorded in files.

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002.

I use my Leicas without a never-ready- or half-case. If I have two around my neck, the straps are adjusted so they won't bang. The Leica, with lens mounted, always goes into its own separate compartment in the case, not jammed in with other gear. I will gingerly put two lenses into the same cell in the bag, but it makes me wince a little. I do it with regret. I change lenses a lot, and have never dropped one. But then, I will forego changing a lens if I don't think I can do it safely. I'll wait until I can do it safely. I want to have my cake and eat it too: I want to use the cameras to the fullest, yet I feel sad about the dent in the right side of my M2. I don't know how I did it. John Van Stelton declined to try to straighten it. I do trust the Leica's robustness, but I give it reasonable protection against damage. The Leica, the M2 in particular, is like an old friend that won't let me down if I take care of it.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), March 06, 2002.

I admit to being quite protective of my equipment which is why when I sell it it is in the same condition I bought it--which is usually close to mint. I use UV filters on all my lenses at all times. I used to take them off in backlighting or when using a polarizer but unless vignetting occurs, since the B+W MRC filters came along, the UV's stay on. I transport my cameras in well-padded bags designed to attenuate vibration such as in airplane overhead bins. When I am shooting I don't use cases, but I am aware of my surroundings and am careful to avoid banging and scraping them against things. Just as I don't function well if I'm injured, neither would my photo gear. And keeping them in good condition keeps their re-sale value up which makes it possible for me to indulge my fickle lust:>)

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), March 06, 2002.

Many different ideas, here is my two cents worth. My cameras are caried around unprotected on a neck or wrist strap or kept in a Domke sachel bag. The lenses are all kept in the faux leather bags supplied to jewelers. They protect the lenses from scratches, rubbing and impact, yet are not bulky. A number of lenses can be packed together or placed in a large pocket without harm. Just remember to use a marker to lable the bags.

-- Richard Hoag (wpcdallas@aol.com), March 06, 2002.

Greetings, I take a resonable amount of care but never, ever, worry about what might happen if.... . I belive that these cameras were ment to be used. They are rugged, built to BE used, like a Rolex or Porsche. They have become legendary because of how they can be used. Don't worry...take pictures. :) Cheers, Fred

-- Fred Argilagos (trgmail@snet.net), March 07, 2002.