How come no one here seems to 'pimp' their SLRs?

Keith

The best camera is one that still works!
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In the three or so years I've been at RFF I've noticed that threads dedicated to 'pimping' one's rangefinder crop up from time to time. Blue covering, red covering, snake skin, lizard skin, coloured softies, glam straps and cases etc etc. Then there's the total repaints where a previously chrome camera gets stripped of it's plating and finishes up with a black laquer or enamel finish ... engravings etc are meticulously filled with white and other coloured paints to highlight them!

The 'evil' forum is very active these days and I thank and congratulate Stephen for having the forsight to instigate it. But we don't pimp our cameras ... we don't even talk about pimping them ... we don't seem to buy expensive straps and cases ... we don't appear to be recovering them and we certainly don't seem to repaint them! Maybe we of the 'evil' brigade are the serious photographers here after all?

Maybe I'm misinformed ... are there any secret SLR 'pimpers' out there? :angel:
 
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Well if it counts I'll be in Japan next week, I'm going to buy cordovan leather and silk Artisan and Artist straps, plus possibly an Aki Asahi #4044 style leatherette for my new olympus e-p1.

Should pimp it out a little!
 
we don't pimp our cameras ... we don't even talk about pimping them ... we don't seem to buy expensive straps and cases ... we don't appear to be recovering them and we certainly don't seem to repaint them! Maybe we of the 'evil' brigade are the serious photographers here after all?

I don't even cover up the logo with black tape! Does that count as anti-pimping in these parts?

Of course people do pimp their SLRs even - seen the appropriately named http://pimpmycamera.blogspot.com/ ? It pains me to see a perfectly good OM dressed so, but different tastes I guess.

And then there are these things that are pre-pimped - I'd love to meet someone who actually owns one. Just to see what kind of beastie he is. (Even I'm not going to try and be gender neutral with that last sentence - only a bloke would buy something like this...)


pentax-k-x-robotic-colors.jpg


Cheers,
-Gautham
 
Possibly because they just take pictures with 'em? As, come to think of it, I do with my (totally unpimped) Leicas. And Nikons. And Gandolfis. And Alpa. And... Though come to think of it I did have the relacement bellows fior my De Vere 8x10 made in red leather instead of black or brown. An 8x10 monorail is never going to be inconspicuous anway. Fancy straps? No, SLRs are too heavy for thin A&A (they'd saw your head off) and they're already bulky enough without adding unnecessary extra bulk in the form of half cases, grips, etc. -- which I read as an attempt by former SLR users to make their cameras as bulky as SLRs...

Cheers,

R.
 
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Keith,

How could you change the classic good looks of a Fujica ST 901? It would be like Sparrow said (I'm still chuck[ling]). :D :D :D

OTOH, an OM 1 a la pvdharr's ... What do you think? :D :D
 
Because SLRs are good to take pictures with, and not so good to take pictures of?

IMHO Pimping a camera, just like a car is futile... some useful accessories, such as soft touch releases and gripper for the straps are fine but rattlesnake skin is not.

In my case, I'm a bottom-feeder so unless the leatherette is badly damaged I would not replace it and no I would not gold-plate my camera.....
 
Because SLRs are good to take pictures with, and not so good to take pictures of?

IMHO Pimping a camera, just like a car is futile... some useful accessories, such as soft touch releases and gripper for the straps are fine but rattlesnake skin is not.

In my case, I'm a bottom-feeder so unless the leatherette is badly damaged I would not replace it and no I would not gold-plate my camera.....


I hadn't considered that ... perhaps SLR users are bottom feeders!

You certainly can't buy one of the finest rangefinders ever made for $50.00 ... but with the humble SLR the best cost virtually nothing! (looks fondly at black OM-1)
 
Stange you should mention that... I'm waiting for my "new" OM-1N to come back from John Hermanson with its
grey Griptac covering, although I prefer to think of the new skin as 'practical', rather than 'pimped'.

You want pimped? I borrowed this photo from the Cameraleather site, (Thanks Morgan) but I've had a OM-1 MD
for 10 years that looks just like this. Too fancy to take out often though. (And too 'pretty' to be taken seriously.)
John H. CLA'd and upraded this one with the wind lever from 1n for a smoother hold.

1_cobra_122.jpg
 
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