supershang
Member
I just ordered a black half case for my M6. But I did find neck straps from Mr. Zhou's ebay website. Hope Mr. Zhou could consider making some straps
Review on Mr.Zhou's USD50 half case
- Thread starter roundg
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 123
- Views 41K
katgut@earthlink.net
Established
I've had a Zhou's case for a few weeks now and the only issue is that it needs plenty of film-change cycles to wear so that it comes off easily. You really have to wrestle it off in the beginning (I have an M2). However, it's very well made, makes the camera much more comfortable to hold, prevents scratches if I have to put the camera down on the ground, and is a steal compared to Luigi's, which may be nicer but is obscenely priced.
hiromu
Established
I use it as well, and like it very much. it's better than Leica one, to me.
Hiromu
Hiromu
fbf
Well-known
ray*j*gun
Veteran
I have had a black version for my M6 and I am pretty sure you can order it with an opening for the ASA dial but I didn't. The case is wonderful and looks great in black. It is firm and fits tightly on the camera. Also easy to remove with little time involved.
Ray
Ray
ath
Well-known
Received my black version without cut out today. I'm very satisfied.
It sits indeed very tight on my M2 but leather will give in over time.
It sits indeed very tight on my M2 but leather will give in over time.
ederek
Well-known
I have two of the Zhou cases. I like the bump on the back surface as well.
Had an M4 CLA's by Youxin Ye back in August, and after the CLA he encouraged me to select a case (good to protect the camera). I was a bit reluctant, not having planned for it, but they looked good, and he had a good 20 or so to select from (plus no shipping!). The image below is of the M4 when I got home, with a brand new black Zhou case and A&A strap.
Last month I got a second M4, and of course went straight to Youxin's for a CLA... AND another Zhou case.
ath - I agree the fit at first is tight, but adjusts nicely after some time and a few roll changes.
nf3996 - regarding the thinner base - perhaps a leather spacer placed in the case to raise the body up a bit would help?
Bavaricus - a spacer below your camera baseplate could solve your problem with the winding lever interference, but I bet if you contacted Mr Zhou he'd swap it out for a replacement.
Had an M4 CLA's by Youxin Ye back in August, and after the CLA he encouraged me to select a case (good to protect the camera). I was a bit reluctant, not having planned for it, but they looked good, and he had a good 20 or so to select from (plus no shipping!). The image below is of the M4 when I got home, with a brand new black Zhou case and A&A strap.
Last month I got a second M4, and of course went straight to Youxin's for a CLA... AND another Zhou case.
ath - I agree the fit at first is tight, but adjusts nicely after some time and a few roll changes.
nf3996 - regarding the thinner base - perhaps a leather spacer placed in the case to raise the body up a bit would help?
Bavaricus - a spacer below your camera baseplate could solve your problem with the winding lever interference, but I bet if you contacted Mr Zhou he'd swap it out for a replacement.
elshaneo
Panographer
Yeah that's true for the money, it's a steal !!! I got both the black and brown half cases from Mr Zhou, they are great and very comfortable to use !!!
Joaquin
Newbie
Zhou Case for Leica M6 TTL REVIEW
Zhou Case for Leica M6 TTL REVIEW
Bought one about a year ago, in black leather. While it feels nice in the hand, I feel it is of very poor quality. The button-snaps that snap around the lugs of the camera, keeping the case on the camera, don't work well at all. They unbutton on their own regardless of whether the camera is in use or not. It is very annoying to reach for your camera only for the case to slide off and have to be readjusted every time.
I am overall disappointed with the Zhou case even though I wish it would work. The workmanship on it is impressive as is its feel in the hand. However, poor quality in crucial details has made it take a backseat to my original Leica "never-ready" case, which never unbuttons without my consent!
Zhou Case for Leica M6 TTL REVIEW
Bought one about a year ago, in black leather. While it feels nice in the hand, I feel it is of very poor quality. The button-snaps that snap around the lugs of the camera, keeping the case on the camera, don't work well at all. They unbutton on their own regardless of whether the camera is in use or not. It is very annoying to reach for your camera only for the case to slide off and have to be readjusted every time.
I am overall disappointed with the Zhou case even though I wish it would work. The workmanship on it is impressive as is its feel in the hand. However, poor quality in crucial details has made it take a backseat to my original Leica "never-ready" case, which never unbuttons without my consent!
Krosya
Konicaze
Maybe your snaps are deffective - I have 2 of his cases - one for M5 and one for RD1s and both are superb - well made, comfortable and lasted for a while now - no problems at all - and thats traveling through several countries and in different conditions. I'd recommend it no problem!
zleica
Established
I have 4 cases, 1 for M6, 1 for M5, and 2 for LTM from Mr. Zhou. All well made without any problems. The M6 case was a bit tight when I got it. But after changing films few times, the case fits real well. For practical use, Zhou's cases provide excellent values, although they are not as elegant as Luigi's cases. I wish Zhou will make some straps in the future.
.ken
I like pictures
I have a black with red stitching. Very satisfied. The first Zhou case I received had a very odd smell. the new version did not which was good 🙂
ampguy
Veteran
Very pleased with the RD1 and M8 case. I wouldn't hesitate ordering any of his cases for any camera at this point, but early on, he did have some quirks.
tennis-joe
Well-known
I ordered two Mr. Zhou cases but I found that I had to take it off of my M3 to put on a 35f2.0 with goggles to put it on. I had ordered another case from someone in Hong Kong and it has more space on the self timer side and I don't have to take it off to put in the goggled lens. That is the only questionable part about Mr. Zhou's case but what I like about it is that it has those little bumps on either side of the camera and the one I received is a soft leather case. Some of the earlier pictures show what might be a stiffer leather.
Joe
Joe
Last edited:
boobo
Member
Hi Joaquin,
It's Zhou from Shanghai. I just see your post here. I feel sorry about your un-satisfaction. I forgot to test the snaps before post it out. I will PM you shortly. I hope we could work that out easily.
I realized certain percentage case I sold will have some issues. To minimize the defectiveness, I now test almost every case on the camera before shipping. If you received case and not happy with it, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to make it right for you.
Your sincerely,
Zhou
It's Zhou from Shanghai. I just see your post here. I feel sorry about your un-satisfaction. I forgot to test the snaps before post it out. I will PM you shortly. I hope we could work that out easily.
I realized certain percentage case I sold will have some issues. To minimize the defectiveness, I now test almost every case on the camera before shipping. If you received case and not happy with it, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to make it right for you.
Your sincerely,
Zhou
whitecat
Lone Range(find)er
I'm sure it was just a small problem. I have one of the cases and couldn't be more pleased.
Mablo
Well-known
I'm so happy about my Zhou case that I ordered a similar one for Leica III-series. And I don't even have a Leica III...
Arjay
Time Traveller
I recently bought a Mr. Zhou all-black half case for my Hexar RF because I read that the camera's Titanium top and bottom case shells (while offering good protection against dents) are prone to paint chipping.
Although I live on the other side of the world relative to Mr. Zhou, I received the case in less than two weeks (very fast). The case more than exceeded my expectations:
The case fits the camera like a glove. Taking off the case for film loading still takes some pushing & pulling after ~ 10 films, but I guess that's normal. Thinking of dancing shoes, my expectations wouldn't be different.
I very much like the tactile quality of the case's inner and outer leather: The inner leather has a yery nice velvety suede quality, the outer leather is very nice to touch and has a certain degree of softness while at the same time being strong enough to take some abuse.
The case actually improves camera handling: In parallel to my Hexar, I am also using various Nikon DSLRs that have a very nice grip design so that holding them single-handed is very easy. When holding the naked Hexar, I never achieved the same kind of snug fit in my right hand - the Zhou case changed that substantially. The case adds some 5mm on camera thickness and has a crescent-shaped ridge where my right thumb comes to lie on the camera. This makes holding the camera safely much easier. The cutout on the case's front is well-designed, leaving enough space for the bayonet release button and the VF frame selection lever.
In short - this half-case is a very good investment.
Although I live on the other side of the world relative to Mr. Zhou, I received the case in less than two weeks (very fast). The case more than exceeded my expectations:
The case fits the camera like a glove. Taking off the case for film loading still takes some pushing & pulling after ~ 10 films, but I guess that's normal. Thinking of dancing shoes, my expectations wouldn't be different.
I very much like the tactile quality of the case's inner and outer leather: The inner leather has a yery nice velvety suede quality, the outer leather is very nice to touch and has a certain degree of softness while at the same time being strong enough to take some abuse.
The case actually improves camera handling: In parallel to my Hexar, I am also using various Nikon DSLRs that have a very nice grip design so that holding them single-handed is very easy. When holding the naked Hexar, I never achieved the same kind of snug fit in my right hand - the Zhou case changed that substantially. The case adds some 5mm on camera thickness and has a crescent-shaped ridge where my right thumb comes to lie on the camera. This makes holding the camera safely much easier. The cutout on the case's front is well-designed, leaving enough space for the bayonet release button and the VF frame selection lever.
In short - this half-case is a very good investment.
Last edited:
Phantomas
Well-known
One more praise for Mr. Zhou cases. I bought one of his "written-off" cases super cheap for my Bessa and I love it. I also have a trigger-winder with a comfortable grip, but I just can't take the case off the camera it feels so nice. If written off cases are such good quality I can only imagine the normal ones should be superb.
L
lainer
Guest
I have a Zhou case. It's black with red stitching. It came with the M6 I bought off Ebay. I love it. I would like the ASA Dial feature, but honestly, it really doesn't matter. I'm very happy with the case. I love the grip. I love Luigi cases, but they are way out of my league; plus they don't have the grip.