It's a trick question, I don't have any Leica or otherwise, and for what often used application (UV/polarizer filters and hoods excluded). I'm just willing and begging to LEARN MORE from the expertise of the members of this forum. Cost (weight/bulk NOT $$$) vs. benefit VERY important.

Remember, I travel with my MTN bike worldwide, and carry everything I NEED to USE, including all season clothing for assignments up to one year; from 42 days straight in Edmonton where it NEVER got above -20C to Algeria where it was 53C in the shade.

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 27, 2002

Answers

For the M camera, none. In fact, if you carry an accessory bag filled with goodies, IMHO, you're not really using the M camera properly. I keep an extra roll of film and a Sharpie pen with me, but other than the body and lens, nothing. My $6.40.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), March 27, 2002.

a leica tabletop tripod and large ball and socket... the only high quality tabletop tripod one can buy. I have used it on backpacking trips to central america and africa and am incredibly glad i brought it... it can hold upt ot a pro 35mm SLR with a pro zoom (70-200/2.8) in a pinch. It's a bit pricy though... but i wouldn't leave home without it, even if i were only using my Ricoh GR1.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.

I agree with Tony, except for maybe a small tripod and a pen and some paper, and film you don't need much else.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.

Chris, in all seriousness, the MOST used and MOST important accessory in my M bag is a micro fiber lens cleaning cloth... I actually carry two; one for the finder eyepiece and RF windows (they get lots of fingerprints and nose smears on them), and a separate one used only for the lenses. The next most important item IMO is an extra battery for my M6TTL. In dusty environments I would add that I use my camel- hair brush a LOT, to dust off the lenses AND the camera body. I have found this really helps to keep things clean, inside and out.

Cost in dollars, VERY cheap; cost in weight, VERY little; bennefit in performance, HUGE.

Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 27, 2002.

It depends.

On a day, or short weekend trip, I wouldn't bring anything except the body, 1-2 lenses, maybe a SF20 flash (but rarely) and probably the already mentioned tabletop with large ball and a small cable release. And of course a few rolls of film.

For a longer trip, I might bring all of the above and also an incident meter. I have the Sekonic 398 that doesn't need batteries. If I haven't recently changed the battery, I might bring one spare as well. Still all in all very little, and nothing that won't fit into a Domke 5XB.

Ilkka

-- Ilkka Kuusisto (ikuu65@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

Here's another vote for the microfiber cloth, though I use mine just for the lenses - the RF windows get the shirt-tail treatment. Other than that - nothing. I've carried the TT tripod any number of times because I felt I should; I never used it, so it stays at home now.

Camera, lenses, film. As simple as it gets.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), March 27, 2002.

A mini-MagLite (kind that takes 2 AAA batteries; brighter colors are easier to keep track of). Black Sharpie permanent marker. Penknife with small set of scissors.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), March 27, 2002.

VC meter dude. It's the best meter I have as a separate accessory for my IIIC and M3.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

Please pardon my ignorance, but the Sharpie pen has been mentioned more than once. What is it primarily used for?

-- Max Wall (mtwall@earthlink.net), March 27, 2002.

I apreciate a lot the small pices of film that I cut in order to make bulk film loadble, with them I clen betwen my theet, can´t remind a most important accessory, when you need it, specialy after a juicy meet, ¡ho yes lenscaps!

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

My most used accessory is my film picker. I change films often and usually before the roll is completely exposed. For those times when I accidentally rewind the leader into the canister, the picker is invaluable.

-- sunil (yatsunil@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

The Sharpie is for writing: exposure/development info on the film leader or casette, the frame # you're at if you need to change film midroll, phone #/personal info, whatever. The Sharpie will write on almost anything.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), March 27, 2002.

Camera, lenses, hoods. Film. Yellow filter. microfiber lens cloth. Kodak lens cleaner, 1oz.bottle. Kodak lens tissue. notebook, the kind with a sewn-in binding 3x5". ballpoint, sharpie. Short cable release. then add: Tiny flash, batteries. Leitz table tripod, light meter (I use an M3). Go anywhere, cover any story.

-- Mark Sampson (MSampson45@aol.com), March 27, 2002.

Thanks, Mike. I appreciate people like you who give kind responses to simple questions from persons like myself who are trying to garner as much information as possible.

-- Max Wall (mtwall@earthlink.net), March 27, 2002.

The Gossen Multi-Pro meter, extra film (1 Pkg), lens tissue, a card with certain exposure info for very long available light pix, red 25 filter, polarizer (linear), small Vivitar flash, extra batteries for flash, Bogen tabletop tripod with mini-ball head, small cable release, two small slaves (Midi & Wide Angle), 81B filter.>>>>>>>Right now, I'm experimenting with a 75 Summilux to see if this one lens, by itself, can "do it all," so I do not carry any other lenses. It is a small bag and it is pretty full right now!

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

I carry a lot of the same items I see here, (sharpie, leatherman tool, micro-fibre cloth, etc...), but I carry one other thing that I didn't see yet. In my Domke bag or in my pocket when I am not using the bag, I keep a 13 gallon garbage bag. It provides an emergancy "raincoat" for my gear and is large enough to put my entire canvas bag into if needed. Considering the price (about .02 cents), it has more than saved the day many times.

-- Al smith (smith58@msn.com), March 27, 2002.

Since I shoot in hot humid SE Asia the best accessories I can think of are individual ziplock baggies for the lenses and a large plastic bag for the camera for the transition from an air conditioned environment such as a hotel lobby, taxe cab to the street. Throw away Kodak lens wipes, lots of small local currency, and extra batteries.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), March 27, 2002.

Bag #1 (IIIg with 35 Asph Summicron and 50mm Nikkor F1.4) which at the moment is a Domke 803 has a Leica large ball and socket head and legs, about 10 rolls of film, sharpie, minimaglite, cable release, Gossen Lunasix F and a Sharp handheld PC (for writing). Bag #2 (R3 with 35-70, 90mm Summicron and 2X), a LowePro S&F 200, has a cable release, Elpro c/u kit, sharpie, notebook, Metz 32MZ2, 10 rolls of film and a Gitzo 220 with Giottos B&S head (not actually in the bag).

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.

Microfiber cloth, and incident light meter.

Jerry

-- Jerome R. Pfile, Jr. (JerryPfile@msn.com), March 27, 2002.

Chris: Been there, done that. Besides the usual ... Waterproof jacket with lots of pockets, a good pair of running/biking shoes, UV sunglasses, penlight, insect repellant, sunscreen, a pocket knife, wallet, ID, passport if crossing borders, waterproof lighter, simple first aid kit, emergency solar blanket, wide brim hat, compass, handheld GPS, a mirror, topographic maps, bike repair kit, and lots of granola bars.

... 1 camera body, custom tripod head clamped on handlebars, 2 lenses (one wide, one medium tele,), a few filters (one size only, with an adapter ring if needed), film and mailers, 1 really good spare point&shoot. You will need at least these for mountain biking on any major long distance trip.

-- George Huczek (ghuczek@sk.sympatico.ca), March 27, 2002.

I want to say none, no accessories, but that is not the truth. While I don't carry any filters at all, no lens caps or other adpaters, fixtures, etc. I think of my bag and have the following:

Lens hood for each lens

Ambient light meter

Shoe mount flash

Micro-fiber cloth

Camera strap

A few rolls of film.

Nikon Coolpix 800 (but it's a dirty little family secret :)

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), March 27, 2002.

2 very small screwdrivers Sekonic L-508 1 small "now can't take on airlines pocket knife" for cutting film Leica cleaning cloths(cheapest Leica product only $4.00) Calumet gear wraps for camera and lenses Sharpie pen Leitz table top tripod with ballhead* the best accessory!

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), March 27, 2002.

An old Leica table tripod with large Benbo ball head (from my Benbo Trekker tripod), a microfibre lens cloth that lives in a film can, spare batteries and a hot shoe mountable spirit level

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), March 28, 2002.

When I go somewhere by car, I take a Lowepro Nova 3 bag, containing everything I own:

-- M6 TTL .58 with Motor-M and Tri-Elmar lens

-- M6 TTL .72 with Motor-M and 90/2.8 Elmarit-M lens

-- 50/1.4 Summilux "Wetzlar" lens with hood and caps

-- Spare batteries

-- Extra film

-- Leica Table-top tripod and ball-head

-- Metz 40 MZ-3i flash

-- Nikon SC-17 TTL flash cord

-- Small folding knife

-- Silica gel.

It's heavy but, in a car, who cares? It fits well into the Nova 3 bag, which I like.

If I'm not going by car, then I take only what I can conveniently carry, such as:

-- One M6TTL body with motor and (usually) 3E lens attached

-- One extra lens (50/1.4 or 90/2.8 depending on circumstances)

-- Spare batteries

-- Extra film

-- Tripod + ball-head.

Incidentally, I haven't bothered, yet, to carry spare batteries for the Motor-M. One of the beauties of the Motor-M is that you can keep using the camera, winding manually, if the batteries are used up.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), March 28, 2002.

My bag currently contains:

Leica bodies and lenses
Gossen Sixtron incident meter
Additional body cap and lens cap
Assortment of filters and shades
some rolls of film
A (very) small cullmann table tripod
Microfibre cloth
Lots of time to use it all ;-)

All that fits into a small Tamrac LTX bag.

-- Kai Blanke (Kai.blanke@iname.com), March 28, 2002.

I carry a blower-brush, lens cleaning cloth, film, spare battery and a bean bag instead of one of those overpriced tripod thingies. Much smaller, and you can eat the beans in a pinch. ;-)

Light meters are optional-- if you're outdoors, who needs 'em? The M6TTL has a great built-in spot meter. I only meter indoors when the light is really sketchy.

Lenses-- depends on where I'm going. Usually a 35 'Cron ASPH, and maybe I'll add my 21 ASPH if I think I'm going to see something extra wide, or my 50/2 or my old 90/2.8 if I'm going into the woods. Otherwise, I'll just use my feet to zoom if I'm hiking. It's all about weight.

You really can't go wrong with just a 35/2, though. Small lens, excellent optics, takes buttery-smooth pictures. Either that, or a 50/2, although the 35 will give you a wider panoramas, should you see any. Yeah, the tri-elmar is nice, but I don't have one, so I can't say whether it's worth the trouble. But a lot of folks seem to like it, in spite of its maximum aperture of f/4. One lens, 3 focal lengths. Cool.

-- Rich Fowler (richfowler@mindspring.com), March 28, 2002.

Although I was told not to mention my products as long as I'm not able to produce them for whoever might be interested...
...I just can't help mentioning that all of them have become integral part of my M6s and I couldn't imagine leaving home without them: Sling, Slide, Shade, Scoop, the Hook and the Sfill if I travel with the SF20. Additionally, I have put together a really compact (penpouch size) tripod pouch containing a Manfrotto tablestand, Manfrotto telescopic micro pole (6- 10") and a FLM Centerball 18 precision ball head (all of which are half the bulk and price of the Leica equivalent and double as a chest tripod), cable release, level finder with socket mount, self timer. And, yes, another vote for the microfiber cloth and the mini maglite. Cheers.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), March 28, 2002.

Did I mention the Softie and the rubber O-ring to keep it from taking blurred knee shots...? ;o)

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), March 28, 2002.

As far as I’m concerned, here are the accessories I carry in my Hexar RF bag:

Sekonic Handheld meter (and flash meter but rarely used that way with my Hexar RF) for incident reading should the need arise.

One multi coated medium yellow filter for black and white pictures outdoor in sunny days in each required diameter of my three lenses. Which as per today means two.

Disposable lens cleansing paper

A tabletop tripod (not Leica but Manfrotto and its elongating tube – the last just in case: cheaper than the Leica’s one and as efficient)

A standard thread shutter release.

A spare battery pack

Will soon also include a compact Metz shoe mount unit for non TTL cameras.

That’s all…

François P. WEILL

-- François P. WEILL (frpawe@wanadoo.fr), March 28, 2002.

the leitz table tripod might be good, but it is bulky and heavy. i much more prefer the minox one. one of the nicest photo accessories ever made. and it comes with a build in cable release. it serves as a good party trick, too. it is no problem to take on a plane, but you are ALWAYS asked to show it to th esecurity guys. they usually really like it.

another very useful accesory is a leatherman micro.

one thing which i always have in my bag is a wriststrap from a old point and shoot. if you are in a crowded environment and don't want to use a neckstrap, this gives a much more secure feeling.

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), March 28, 2002.

My alternative to the small tripod is a beanbag. For me, it fits the Leica way of rapid work. IMHO, tripods are for contemplative, carefully planned photos. If you need stabilizing for slow shutter speeds, a beanbag is fast and easy to mash against any fixed object in your environment (including your bike handlebars or your body), no fiddling to lock tripod legs and head just right, easy to pack, toss it away if you discover you don't need it...Also cheap, of course.

-- Tim Nelson (timothy.nelson@yale.edu), March 28, 2002.

Depends on the kind of photography:

Street: microfiber cloth, Summicron 28 on M6, Summicron 50 in pocket, incident light meter, spare film in pocket, Leica TT tripod in pocket (I regularly use it on my shoulder and chest), Neopan 400.

Static photography: All of the above + big Manfrotto tripod, long soft cable release, 21 asph, Elmarit 90 and, starting to-morrow (big smile here) a Pentax spot meter, a black pen and Neopan Acros 100.

-- Stephane Bosman (stephane.bosman@2ci.net), March 28, 2002.

A camera and a lens, stuff to clean both, extra batteries, sharpie, and a bunch of film. When out shooting, just the camera and lens and some extra film.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), March 28, 2002.

I guess I lied. Here is what is IN my bag:

Two micro-fiber clothsin zip-locks, one clean, one to be cleaned.

Table top tripod - Manfrotto w/ext (never used, to wobbly). I will check Minox (Stefan).

Extra battery for the M6.

Minolta Flashmeter III, a little big (goes in back pocket sometimes), but cheap.

I carry out of my bag (backpack or otherwise):

A small emergency raincoat, folds to a small size - a few rolls of film.

Have a couple of small flash lights but don't carry (how/what do you use these photographically?).

Leatherman/swiss knife.

Film

Deleted from bag: Vivitar 2800 flash.

Added from your comments: Wrist strap (Stefan Again) w/quick release a al Lutz.

Don't need a sharpie (have one in my job/bike tool kit). A normal pen is far more versitile: ink won't leak through the paper when taking notes; use for normal writing; clips in shirt pocket w/o pocket protector. M6 is my point and shoot.

Thanks!

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 28, 2002.

Unless I've overlooked it, no one has said they carry a pocket voice recorder-- I have thought it might be a good way to keep records.

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.

I see I'm No. 8 and No. 2 here, (apart from battery, film and notebook) but I like a cable release and self-timer too. No filters.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), March 30, 2002.

Two microfiber cloths in ziplock bags, UV filter (we're on or near the water a lot), polarizer for our E-39 lenses, lipstick lens brush, two small screwdrivers, Sekonic 308B, extra film, sunscreen and insect repellant - - - all in a vest - - - no bag. Ancient Kalimar monopod (with integral ball head) that doubles as a walking stick.

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), March 30, 2002.