Leica Red Dot - just begging to be repurposed

jordan.dickinson

jordan.dickinson

Jordan Dickinson
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Sep 18, 2008
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Just noticed that the Leica chargers for the later M-digitals have a bonus red dot just ready for cannibalizing and it appears to be the same as that on the M-cameras. Thinking I might pull this off and repaint it to black for future use. Just figured that there may be some of us out there that want a black dot, but since they're not available through Leica or dealers, maybe some of us DIYer's can make use of this without the risk of accidentally ruining the dot currently on our cameras. I've taken them off of cameras before with a popsicle stick and some gentle pressure. In any case, hope someone take this and runs with it!



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Well, sometimes people are looking for these dots, particularly in black. However, they are often not available, if ever, so I figured I'd spread the word on this unusual source for a Leica dot that can be pulled off, and painted black if desired, without worrying about the dot currently on your camera.


Cameras like the M8.2 came with a black Leica dot that makes the camera less "loud" in my opinion. I changed the red dot out on my M262 for a black one for this same reason, and I really prefer it to the original look. I know others may be like me in this sense, so it seemed a relevant topic for some.
 
Does anyone here have any idea when it was that people started covering the red Leitz/Leica logo on their cameras (or began painting them black for that matter)? Any idea just how widespread this practice is?
 
Leica should just sell printed embossed on foil stick on red dots as advertising. They could sell them for $20 each with their cost being what, 25 cents each.
Great profit builder for them (maybe it would defray some of the loss changing out corroded M9 sensors) and it would dress up a Holga nicely.
 
slantface--Sounds like a great idea to me. We've all known for years some people take 'em off and some people put 'em on (dots). In fact, I have a Yashica/Nicca YF that looks a lot like a Leica M. I took a real Leica lens cap and a 43mm filter and made a Leica lens cap for it. I also bought a red soft shutter release with Leica gold engraving, ground the back side flat, and glued it on the slow shutter speed dial. Lastly, I put a genuine Leica neck strap on it. So what if some knowledgable photographer snickers to him/herself under their breath. I'll get the last laugh 'cause I've got my M5 in my camera bag. Then again, I might have my Leica Mini in my pocket. It has a genuine factory installed Leica red dot. As I said at the beginning "Some people..."
 
Why not just paint the dot on the camera black?

If the camera has no dot, even better.

In the times when manufacturers were discreet in labeling their products (cameras, cars, whatever), the quality of the product spoke for itself and did not need tarting up.
 
I'm not a fan of tape...at all, but I understand not wanting to fuss about a red dot in general and while some might just use a little tape, others might not worry about it whatsoever.

There are others among us that like to customize their cameras a bit, and I'm one of them. Most of the things I change though are very minor. Sometimes it's just a soft release, sometimes its a half case, and other times it's blacking out my cameras. I realize it's a bit excessive, but so is Leica, and I still love 'em.

Oh, and to Pál_K, I think painting it on camera might be a bit difficult, particularly around the edges. There are probably some here that have that kind of precise hand, but I'm likely not one of them. I feel like pulling the dot off completely, painting it edge to edge, then reapplying is likely the best method for what I would be likely to try.
 
Leica won't sell black dots anymore as far as I know due to the black ones usually being reserved for limited edition cameras. They used to sell them and I bought some from DAG years ago, but he no longer offers them. That's why I'm proposing pulling these charger red dots, painting them, and using them on cameras you might want to change a red dot for a black one.
 
Must be something about these red dots, my early 50’s Kodak Tourist has a red dot, but of course with ‘Kodak’ in embossed letters written in the dot.
 
Pál_K said:
Why not just paint the dot on the camera black?

If the camera has no dot, even better.

In the times when manufacturers were discreet in labeling their products (cameras, cars, whatever), the quality of the product spoke for itself and did not need tarting up.
Click to expand...

Yes I got some 10mm brass dots from the local machine shop and painted them however I liked. Purple and blue...
 
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