Leather Half-Cases.

Leather Half-Cases.

  • I hate them.

    Votes: 26 11.9%

  • I am indifferent do them.

    Votes: 92 42.0%

  • I adore them.

    Votes: 101 46.1%
  • Total voters
    219
I use Luigi half-case on my M4. Partly it's due my long fingers so grip gives me some comfort handling despite of possible slow film loading. Another part was my contact with Luigi. It was very pleasing experience of contacting of MAKER in our days of mass productions. Handmade items are costly but you know who made them for you and its very pleasing from my point of view.
 
mabelsound said:
What do people think of these things? Personally, I don't see the point. They fail to protect the only things that need protection--the lens and the controls--and look to me kinda like those leather bras that people with too much time and money on their hands put on the front of their cars. Also they cost what, two hundred dollars? That's fifty rolls of Tri-X, a semi-decent tripod, or twenty-five bottles of totally acceptable wine.

Or maybe there's something I'm missing. Half-case nutcases: defend yourselves.
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Me too...
I think they make the camera bulky. Ive dribbled over luigi cases onse or twice and then had one and it drove me up the wall. Added bulk and another step inthe loading process. It takes me 15 seconds to rewind and load a new roll I dont want that to be any longer then it has to be.
I use gaffer tape to cover my gear.
 
MichaelHarris said:
A Luigi half case is a thing of beauty that one should truly experience. Too corny? Try one and you'll agree, I have two.
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Totally agree - as I found out to my detriment.

I was dubious to start with too, until I bit the bullet and ordered one: an 'aged brown' half-case for my M8. Wish I hadn't... 😉

Now I've got 4 more:

A green ostrich on my M7,
A rally on my MP,
And two brown croco for my MP-3 - both with and without Leicavit.

They protect the camera from daily bumps, and they look,feel and smell better than great.
 
I bought a Zhou case for a project with young classical musicians. The idea was that the case would quieten the shutter sound a bit. To my ear it doesn't make any difference. Anyone else used a half case for this purpose or noticed an effect?
 
The half case

The half case

I just returned from a trip to Europe and carried my camera in my Luigi half case. For the ten days my camera went everywhere with me.

The Luigi case is really nice in terms of it's build and aesthetic, but also protection for the body, and function (the grip). It becomes like a seat belt in that when you remove the case to change out batteries or sd card, the camera feels unsafe and exposed!

So if you get one, chose one you like because you'll probably live with it.
 
sound of shutter in case

sound of shutter in case

peter_n said:
I bought a Zhou case for a project with young classical musicians. The idea was that the case would quieten the shutter sound a bit. To my ear it doesn't make any difference. Anyone else used a half case for this purpose or noticed an effect?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I agree with you that it doesn't bring the M8 any closer to a Hexar in terms of quiet! There have been a couple of situations where I wish the M8 were quieter. The case makes no difference that I can discern. I guess eventually, I will do the upgrade.

David
 
DwF said:
Unfortunately I agree with you that it doesn't bring the M8 any closer to a Hexar in terms of quiet! There have been a couple of situations where I wish the M8 were quieter. The case makes no difference that I can discern. I guess eventually, I will do the upgrade.

David
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What case did you use? I wonder if there is more sound-deadening quality in one than in another.
 
Quieting sound of camera

Quieting sound of camera

peter_n said:
What case did you use? I wonder if there is more sound-deadening quality in one than in another.
Click to expand...

Peter
I use the Luigi with built-in grip and really like it. With any half case I think the fact that so much of the camera is left exposed, sound will leak. But maybe Luigi will come up with a grip that when you squeeze it, it emits a cough or sneezing sound to mask the shutter 🙂 It could be called the museum case!
David
 
Zhou out of Ye

Zhou out of Ye

I recently received a Zhou half-case which I ordered from Youxin Ye (he sells them, in case you didn't know). I can find no problems with it. It seems very well sewn together, the leather feels (and smells) right, and the little "bump" in the upper right-hand back makes a perfect thumb rest.

Usage of the case/camera combination has been rather restricted since I got it but we leave on vacation tomorrow and it'll get a good work out for the next 10 days.

dc3
 
I have a Luigi case for my M6TTL and I find that it serves more than just a protective purpose. It is called the Millennium model and has the straps attached to the case, which makes it quite handy when changing film -- just put your baseplate in the case while it remains suspended from your neck or shoulder. No holding the baseplate in your mouth or stuffing it in a lint-filled pocket!

(From the Leicatime website)
 

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Everything has a context. From the 1930s to the 1980s roughly most smaller cameras came with an ERC (ever-ready in comparison to digging into camera bags or unpacking field cameras). One button, drop the flap, take your picture. Photography was slow in the 1930s. Then some-one got the bright idea of unhooking the flap. They started going out of fashion around 1970.

Who wants protection? Depends what sort of life you lead. In the open country or in the mountains, there are stiles to climb, fallen trees to get round or over, rocks to clamber on, plenty of things to give those dents and dings so carefully listed by e==y sellers.
 
I have one (Luigi), but hardly ever use it, as it delays the time needed to change film. There are environments where I might use it if I thought it might help me to "fit in" better. I don't find the grip issue to be significant. YMMV.
 
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Like some others here, I cut the top off an old ever-ready case and use the bottom for my Barnack Leicas. If I'm honest it's because years ago I read an article on photojournalists from the '30s and '40s and they recommended doing this for (I think) better grip. At the time I thought this looked pretty cool, and wanted to replicate the image. Years later it now feels strange shooting my Barnack Leicas without the half case.

Speed of film loading is not such an issue ....
 
Dings, dents, and chipped vulcanite give a great grip. I thought that one of the reasons that we bought Leicas was because of their small size. I thought that Leitz went to the M4 "tulip" film loading to SPEED UP loading. I've never had a non-photographer make a comment about the condition of my cameras other than the occasional "Wow, I bet that camera has some stories it could tell!"
 
I like the feel of the leather AND the bras cut down on rock hit paint chips and bug guts on the front of the cars when we are doing .5 past light speed🙄
 
[FONT=&quot]I use the Zhou half case for my Minolta Cl. The stitching came loose without provocation. Luckily I had a good grasp on the strap before the camera hit the ground.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you have one of these cases I would suggest checking the integrity of the stitching. I’m gonna repair mine using nylon thread or some dental floss and [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]perhaps a spot of gorilla glue.
[/FONT]View attachment 71173
 
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