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
S

squirrel$$$bandit

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Mar 8, 2008
Messages
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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.
 
i use one . a luigi cheapo half case . i think i spent about $70.00 . i like the grip it gives me on the camera . sometimes i use the m grip with no case . other times just naked .

i didn't buy it for protection but for the grip it gives me handling the camera .

i should of mentioned that the luigi cheapo case is not cheap by any means but a very nice case at a great price .
 
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It's a grip thing. I have large hands, and they improve handling no end. The only ones worth having are made by Luigi, of course.

Regards,

Bill
 
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I really like them, but not for protection - for the extra comfortable grip they give me on the camera. But to do it well, they have to be good ones, and I've only ever had two half-cases that I've really liked - my old soft leather Pentax Spotmatic case that I got in 1969, and my Luigi half case that I just got this week for my M6 (a standard Luigi case, not the cheaper line).
 
I've discovered that the only ones I really like are the Luigi grip cases ... these really make the camera easy to hold and use. The ordinary cases without the grip don't really add much to the situation I feel and just make the camera a little bulkier to use. My hexar RF in particular was hugely imroved with a grip case ... it's square and slippery with no advance lever to wedge your thumb against.

As for the look ... I didn't originally but I now think a naked camera looks far nicer!
 
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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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I was going to disagree with you completely until you mentioned the 25 bottles of wine....You won me over.
 
I bought one from Mr Zhou not long ago for my RD1 after Luigi failed to answer my quote request. I am very satisfied with the quality and the grip helpsa lot. It cost me only about 50 euros on zebay. The point of this half case IMO is to be able not to worry everytime about knocking off the rangefinder while laying down the camera for example as I am not the most cautious person. Basically an amortizer...
 
Hmm, I can't justify a Luigi on my FSUs but I like a half case for added protection from accidental banging around and sometimes sneaky light leaks. So I go to Yuri at Fedka.com, get a NRC and remove the top...voila! He is the Office of Infinite Supply.
 
The most prone area to damage is the top. Stupid idea.

Makes the camera to thick. They are designed to be thin and holdable.

If you want a case, buy a whole case.

Luigi`s are beautiful though.
 
Well, I use them if I have one, for protection. When you put a camera down, you put it on its bottom or on its back, not on its front or top. It also protects against bumps from the side when it's hanging from my shoulder.
 
I've had a half case on most of the cameras I have owned and all of the Leicas. For the Rangefinder's I use Luigi's half case with a built in grip. Large hands need something to hold on too, and these cases work great for me. I like to keep the camera in my hand mostly, so with the built in grip and a loop I have on the shoulder strap to use as a wrist strap the camera can hang securely from my wrist and I can control it with my fingers around the grip. It is completely secure that way.
We all work differently. This way works for me.
Randy
 
I dunno if "adore" is the right word, but I voted it because it came closest to how I feel. I think I might have said, "I use them." I use a black Luigi half-case on my MP black paint. This is partly to protect the camera--I won't mind when it gets brassed, but I'm not rushing that, and I wanted to protect against dings and dents. Just as important, the MP covering is too slippery for my taste.

And I use a tan one on my M2. Why? I just thought that after being with me for 45 years, it deserved something nice. That one I bought from Luigi, and it arrived in St. Louis from Rome faster than I can receive a package from, say, Los Angeles via UPS (United Package Smashers).

The main drawback is the slowness of removing and replacing the case before changing film.
 
Rob-F said:
I dunno if "adore" is the right word, but I voted it because it came closest to how I feel. I think I might have said, "I use them." I use a black Luigi half-case on my MP black paint. This is partly to protect the camera--I won't mind when it gets brassed, but I'm not rushing that, and I wanted to protect against dings and dents. Just as important, the MP covering is too slippery for my taste.

And I use a tan one on my M2. Why? I just thought that after being with me for 45 years, it deserved something nice. That one I bought from Luigi, and it arrived in St. Louis from Rome faster than I can receive a package from, say, Los Angeles via UPS (United Package Smashers).

The main drawback is the slowness of removing and replacing the case before changing film.[/QUOTE]


I think that must depend on the case and the camera ... it takes about two seconds to slip the Luigi grip case off my Ikon and the same to get it back on ... I reckon I can change a roll of film faster on my Ikon with the case fitted than I could on my M2 sans case. :)
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I bought one off of *bay from a seller in Hong Kong, made out of very nice leather, advertised as hand stitched (dont know about that) but it came with a very nice strap as well for $70. I like the fact that it is grippier with the case and protects the baseplate when I set it down. Only takes a second to take it off so no issue with film reloading.
 
I have an original Leica ERC for my M4-P. I only ever use it with the leather base mounted and it gives a nice thickness to the camera that makes it easy and pleasant to handle. My M3 mounts a hand grip. Of the two I think the leather case gives the better grip although the hand grip is quite nice too. Both add to the functionality and whats more if you are an incurable accessoriser like I am its nice to have the extra "stuff."

DSC_1408r.jpg


(I realize the camera does not require the VIOOH finder with this lens - I just like it!)

_DSC2213r.jpg
 
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I have a beautiful Luigi black half-case I bought for my M6 TTL last year. I used it for a few months, but eventually decided that I would rather shoot without a case. I like the way the camera handles better without a case. And at first I wasn't botherd by the extra few seconds required when changing film, but eventually even that began to bother me.

Don't get me wrong, Luigi makes a very, very fine product, and he is very easy to do business with. I will probably just hang on to my Luigi case, but I honestly don't know when I will use it again.
 
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