Got caught in a Thunderstorm with my Leica M-A

[Ricoh]

What about the lens? I’ve heard it said the Leica brand are close tolerance and greased making a barrier to water ingress.
Years ago I went on a street course ran by a Leica ambassador and we were provided with loan equipment. I had their M240 and 35 Cron and it got seriously wet, I kept on shooting in the rain and it didn’t stop working. Of course I walked away from the camera at the end of the day but the guy running the course said don’t worry about it, they’re built for such.

 

[Andy Kibber]

Send the camera to a Leica repair person & have it sit there for 2-3+ months. By the time the repair person gets to it, the camera will be completely dry & ready for use.

For $7,000, not to mention the priceless confidence that comes with the legendary marque, a Leica M-A should be able to handle a bit of rain. 🙂 I’d just leave it in a dry spot or a bag with some silica gel packets.

 

[raydm6]

Sorry to hear. I hope there are no future problems.

Did you rewind the film and open the camera up or are you still finishing the roll?

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Just off the cuff some more of my highly unpopular poorly rhyming prose.

My camera got rained on and I feel so bad
I left my umbrella at home… Sh*t I’m so sad
Damn! what a problem, what should I do?
A moldy camera would make me feel blue
My red dot is turning from red to blue… like the cheese
Damn… that’s some really bad news!

Compared to the big “C” let’s take this in stride
A dehumidifier for the Leica will restore and revive
It’ll be good as new or at least good enough
A new roll of film, maybe a battery too… yodelayheehoo!
We’ll be done singing the blues ‘cause now we’re
Eff-ing as good as new… or maybe even better!

Just having fun 😀 I hope all is well with your camera.

All the best,
Mike

 

[steveyork]

Sunny day turned into a quick thunderstorm. My rig got soaked before I could try to get it under my shirt (Not that that helped much). Of course the M-A has no electronics, so no problem there. Ran back to the car and drove home with the rig on the passenger seat. (Lots of sun by then.) Used a hand towel to soak up any left over moisture. By the next day all seems fine. But who knows what seeped into the camera body. Am I now good to go now? Or am I facing something more sinister?😕

Probably be ok if you just dry it out. I once dropped an M4 into 2-3 feet of Florida's best salt water. Because of the salt I had to send it out to get cleaned -- very expensive. And it wasn't even an high priced repair shop. But in your case it's just rain, not salt.

 

[Ronald M]

I like a small camera bag, Domke 5XB, and the camera goes in when not to use. Protect from knocks and scratches.

Sometime I will use a larger bag of which I have too many, for carrying two cameras and more lenses.

As I age, I find I get better pics with a camera and one lens and I still protect it with small Domke.

Digital Nikon + lenses = big bag. Fav is a Tough Traveler I bought in late 1960`s. It will hold Zooms or primes in a row on one side, two cameras on their backs + two very large lenses on the other. Never found anything better. Ballistic nylon construction. Nikon F2 + Ai lenses are the perfect fit.

Pro Nikon digital like my two D3 are pretty much impossible to case and be portable.
D700, D750, or D780 without battery grip are nice for travel. They fit the Tough Traveler.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

What about the lens? I’ve heard it said the Leica brand are close tolerance and greased making a barrier to water ingress.
Years ago I went on a street course ran by a Leica ambassador and we were provided with loan equipment. I had their M240 and 35 Cron and it got seriously wet, I kept on shooting in the rain and it didn’t stop working. Of course I walked away from the camera at the end of the day but the guy running the course said don’t worry about it, they’re built for such.

OP's lens is Cosina build, if I'm not mistaken. Which might have even better build.

What were you expecting to hear from person involved in sales and who doesn't have to pay for demo gear?
M240 is weather sealed. M-A is not. BTW.

 

[narsuitus]

I routinely carry a plastic bag with my gear in case of a sudden rain storm. The only time I have had to use it was when I was shooting with a tripod mounted camera at night in a large field. I suddenly got drenched when the lawn sprinkler suddenly turned on. I was able to grab my plastic bag, cover my equipment, and quickly leave the field.

When I knew I would have to shoot soccer matches in the rain, I bought an inexpensive Nikon EM to use in place of my more expensive 35mm SLR film cameras. However, the first time I had to use the EM in the rain was the last time I used it in the rain because it worked for only a short period of time before it completely stopped working.

I later purchased a film Nikonos to use in inclement weather conditions.

I now use weather resistant digital bodies and lenses in inclement weather.

 

[f.hayek]

My only digital body is a Leica and whilst the M10 is 'weather sealed' (relatively speaking), the lenses are not. I always take a small, waxed Ona bag when the weather is ominous. When visiting South Florida, it's always with me for the unanticipated (?daily) torrents.

 

[rfaspen]

I routinely carry a plastic bag with my gear in case of a sudden rain storm. The only time I have had to use it was when I was shooting with a tripod mounted camera at night in a large field. I suddenly got drenched when the lawn sprinkler suddenly turned on. I was able to grab my plastic bag, cover my equipment, and quickly leave the field.

When I knew I would have to shoot soccer matches in the rain, I bought an inexpensive Nikon EM to use in place of my more expensive 35mm SLR film cameras. However, the first time I had to use the EM in the rain was the last time I used it in the rain because it worked for only a short period of time before it completely stopped working.

I later purchased a film Nikonos to use in inclement weather conditions.

I now use weather resistant digital bodies and lenses in inclement weather.

I did nearly the same thing. I got a Nikon EM and 2nd hand Quantaray lenses for creative shooting at very muddy motorcycle races. Destroyed at least one lens, but I think the body survived........or maybe not, I don't have it in my closet so it must have left me at some point over the years.

 

[Archlich]

plenty of silica gel should also suffice. Of course you could always call this guy to see what he thinks. 🙂
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They had little choice back then.