About this Luigi.....

D

dll927

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I see "Luigi" has a case ready for the M8. Is he working on one for the M9 yet?

Look for any model of classic 35mm camera on evil-bay, and "Luigi" has the listings cluttered up with his cases. Givien the fact that I regard all "never-ready" cases as an abomination on photography, I can't help wondering how much business he gets, even from Italy. I've read that he produces first-class cases, but who uses them?
 
A large number of the regulars on this forums swear by his cases. If I hadn't splurged on a Leica Standard and Contax II, I would have bought a case from him by now.

His English, understandably, is not great, but you can't beat Italian Leather
 
dll927 said:
I see "Luigi" has a case ready for the M8. Is he working on one for the M9 yet?

Look for any model of classic 35mm camera on evil-bay, and "Luigi" has the listings cluttered up with his cases. Givien the fact that I regard all "never-ready" cases as an abomination on photography, I can't help wondering how much business he gets, even from Italy. I've read that he produces first-class cases, but who uses them?
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Who uses them?

All us kinky folk who are into really high quality leather.
 
Luigi does not make traditional ever-ready cases, but makes half-cases instead. A lot easier to use, in that one does not have to unsnap anything to take a picture. Nice quality, and quite luxurious.
 
dexdog said:
Luigi does not make traditional ever-ready cases, but makes half-cases instead. A lot easier to use, in that one does not have to unsnap anything to take a picture. Nice quality, and quite luxurious.
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Dexdog, he does produce a fullish line of full cases too - only most people are after the half cases. I have a half case in black with rear cutout and it is lovely.

I found his english is not perfect but more than good enough for good business and smooth transactions. A pleasure to deal with and no let down when you get the case! The perfect compliment to the traditional leica.
 
I wanna get a man-bag like the belt-loop case, for IIIc and Standard when they have collapsible lenses.

I got a soft leather case with the Standard so a Luigi case isn't needed for a while, but they're all SO tempting!
 
Turtle said:
Dexdog, he does produce a fullish line of full cases too - only most people are after the half cases. I have a half case in black with rear cutout and it is lovely.
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Thanks for the info. Not that I would ever buy a full case, but good to know.
 
dexdog said:
Thanks for the info. Not that I would ever buy a full case, but good to know.
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He produces a very clever full case for the M that has a method of attatching the upper half that is so subtle it took me a while to work it out. As a full case it gives the camera excellent protection with a lens fitted up to 50mm and in one second flat it becomes the the ever beautiful Luigi Half case. Fantastic design and the more I use it the more I love it!

As for the cost ... as a friend used to say. "To hell with the expense ... feed the cat another canary!"

:D
 
From all I have read it sounds like the Luigi 1/2 cases are amazing. I've seen the Contax IIa cases he makes, but does anyone know if he does a case for the pre-war models?

Peter
 
Luigi is great to deal with. I love his enthusiasm. I have a Luigi neck strap and a Luigi soft-release on my Bessa-T. I had a regular Tom Abrahamsson soft-release but it was a about 1 - 2 mm too wide in diameter for my Bessa-T and would brush against the shutter-speed dial. I had the mini version but I lost it. I tried Luigi's and it turned out to be just the right size for the Bessa-T. I still love the Tom Abrahamsson's soft-release so I put it on my MP.

I consider my Luigi strap to be one of the nicest things I own. I plan on purchasing a black half-case + strap for my Leica MP after a few more paychecks. After using the Luigi strap on my Bessa-T, I absolutely hate the standard Leica strap that came with my MP. Luigi's straps looks and feels 1000x better but I also find them more functional.

Dll927,
If you do not like Luigi's ad "cluttering up" your eBay listings, you could have researched how to use the eBay search to filter out Luigi's ads. For example, if you are looking for Contax IIa's, enter:

Contax IIa -Luigi

That should do the trick. But don't forget, Luigi sells classic cameras too.

Personally I like Luigi's ads. They're like the Victoria's Secret Catalog for cameras.
 
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Ash said:
I was reading about how he can make any custom 'case'....
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About a year ago—after purchasing a half case for my M—I mentioned that it would be nice to have a half-case for my CLE. A little while later he e-mailed me that he had one available. I bought it. :)

I can vouch for the half-cases and the wrist straps, great quality and a wonderful accessory.

One more thing, for dll927, Luigi is a member here and often answers any questions and concerns. He does have a strong e*ay presence. He's easy to find and has a high rating. He definitey knows what he's doing.

:)
 
Peter (phys) I was considering the same thing!

Only thing that put me off getting a case for the prewar Contax II was that it's already quite bulky (in shape and weight) so adding a nice thick luxurious leather half case would add even more depth to the camera, and be a little more difficult to hold. For me at least.
 
Ash said:
Peter (phys) I was considering the same thing!

Only thing that put me off getting a case for the prewar Contax II was that it's already quite bulky (in shape and weight) so adding a nice thick luxurious leather half case would add even more depth to the camera, and be a little more difficult to hold. For me at least.
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Hi Ash, I envy your marvelous age ! :) . What some possible buyers don't know is that, upon a special request, I would gladly make a case with a TINY layer of the SAME high quality leather, with the result of a case that is lighter in his weight, and of course less THICK, preventing the problem that you described in your post above ! It will be less protective, too...

Thank you for all the kind words of you, dear RFF users, about my work !

Grazie, ciao, Luigi (links to my cases for M8..., Jorge said that I am allowed to post news...)

http://www.leicatime.com/000-CasesLeicaDigital.htm

http://www.leicatime.com/HalfBrownBlackM8AllVersionsFront.jpg

http://www.leicatime.com/HalfBrownBlackM8rearAllVersionsOpen.jpg

http://www.leicatime.com/M8-R-D1s-M6TwoCasesBlack.jpg

http://www.leicatime.com/HalfBrownBlackM8rearTwoVersionsOpen.jpg
 
Luigi! Thankyou for your response, and your digital-M8 case looks great!!

I think next time I'm in Italy I may have to drop by your workshop, if I have the cash for one of your wonderful cases :D
 
Ash said:
...I think next time I'm in Italy I may have to drop by your workshop... :D
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Funny you mention that Ash... I was just thinking to myself that there would be nothing better than stopping by Luigi's workshop to watch him put the last few stitches into a case I ordered. I'm not sure what it is about quality handmade goods, but seeing the craftsman at work just seems to add to it's value somehow.

Sometime in the next 6 months I'll be finishing up my phd & I have been saving for a trip around Europe as a treat for sticking it out this long... Rome is definitely on my list!

Peter
 
When I first read about the Luigi cases and their cost, I thought that it was a waste of money to spend on such an item. Much later, I then bought a Luigi case to see how it really is like. I am now a convert. When you have a quality camera [that often is expensive], you might as well cover it with the best leather and craftmanship known to us. Top if off with having to deal with a perfect gentleman such as Luigi! I have no regrets at all for buying a Luigi half-case and I may buy more such cases in the future.


Raid
 
Peter, I've been to Rome twice (and both trips seeing Pompeii, one trip staying in sorrento and seeing Herculaneum also). Italy is brilliant, I really liked it though I found Greece was more to my liking :)
 
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