roundg
Well-known
Sorry for the huge delay of this review. It should have come out 2 weeks ago.
Definitely it is not like that a case physically fit on a leica can be called a Leica case. The case must meet the taste of Leica users.
Leica itself makes everything gorgeous except for its never-ready case, which is a good protection but bulky for daily usage. In the market, you can find half case from Luigi (200EU range), A&A (150USD) and the one from Popflash (made in Japan, 110USD range).
So it's quite interesting to have a review on Mr. Zhou's USD50 half case to see what can be achieved within 50USD.
First of all, don't get it wrong. It's not a cheap clone copy with a "made in China" tag. It's an original design by Mr. Zhou. He didn't have any cases from Luigi, A&A on hand. He used his M3 and measured all the data he need.
Part (I) First Impression
The case is in a very attractive shape. Very smooth to fit my camera into the case. It's wrap the camera exactly well, no loose.
Leather feels great, very soft. It's in genuine leather, not feel cheap. I measure the thickness, 2.3-2.4mm in average. My luigi is 2.6-2.7mm. If you put them side by side, you will say, Luigi's is a case, and Mr. Zhou's is a glove for its softness. According to Mr. Zhou, he try to use the best material he can get in China. Of course, he can try those imported leather, better but definitely will run the price higher.
The internal layer is very well selected. I am not an expert in material. I can only say it's in genuine leather and as soft as that on my Luigi. I am very confident that it won't scratch your precious camera.
Handcraft. It's not purely hand-made. It's sewed by machine. Due to the reason, they can't use the thick lines as that on Luigi's, but still robust enough. The leather is well tailored and the sewing is good.
I can say the shape of the case if closer to A&A. Both have a wider shoulder than Luigi's. It makes it easier to fit and remove the case, but IMO, Luigi's design is more elegant.
On the right top part of the rear, Mr. Zhou's case has more protection on the camera. Good. I like it.
The most novel design of Mr. Zhou's case is the grips. The mini grip on Luigis has been considered as one of the best design. Mr. Zhou uses a bigger new moon shape grip on the front and another grip on the rear to support your thumb. you can be familiar with this kind of grip on many cameras, such as minolta X700. But it's the first design of this kind of thing on a leather case.
The grips are made by so call "heat molding" technique (correct me if you know the right name for it). In practical, they are great that you can hold your camera with one hand only very comfortably. I don't use heavy lenses. IMO, the case can fully replace the Leica M grip I normally put on my M4P.
More pics will be added.
Part (II) with a Luigi's case side by side
To be added later....
Definitely it is not like that a case physically fit on a leica can be called a Leica case. The case must meet the taste of Leica users.
Leica itself makes everything gorgeous except for its never-ready case, which is a good protection but bulky for daily usage. In the market, you can find half case from Luigi (200EU range), A&A (150USD) and the one from Popflash (made in Japan, 110USD range).
So it's quite interesting to have a review on Mr. Zhou's USD50 half case to see what can be achieved within 50USD.
First of all, don't get it wrong. It's not a cheap clone copy with a "made in China" tag. It's an original design by Mr. Zhou. He didn't have any cases from Luigi, A&A on hand. He used his M3 and measured all the data he need.
Part (I) First Impression
The case is in a very attractive shape. Very smooth to fit my camera into the case. It's wrap the camera exactly well, no loose.
Leather feels great, very soft. It's in genuine leather, not feel cheap. I measure the thickness, 2.3-2.4mm in average. My luigi is 2.6-2.7mm. If you put them side by side, you will say, Luigi's is a case, and Mr. Zhou's is a glove for its softness. According to Mr. Zhou, he try to use the best material he can get in China. Of course, he can try those imported leather, better but definitely will run the price higher.
The internal layer is very well selected. I am not an expert in material. I can only say it's in genuine leather and as soft as that on my Luigi. I am very confident that it won't scratch your precious camera.
Handcraft. It's not purely hand-made. It's sewed by machine. Due to the reason, they can't use the thick lines as that on Luigi's, but still robust enough. The leather is well tailored and the sewing is good.
I can say the shape of the case if closer to A&A. Both have a wider shoulder than Luigi's. It makes it easier to fit and remove the case, but IMO, Luigi's design is more elegant.
On the right top part of the rear, Mr. Zhou's case has more protection on the camera. Good. I like it.
The most novel design of Mr. Zhou's case is the grips. The mini grip on Luigis has been considered as one of the best design. Mr. Zhou uses a bigger new moon shape grip on the front and another grip on the rear to support your thumb. you can be familiar with this kind of grip on many cameras, such as minolta X700. But it's the first design of this kind of thing on a leather case.
The grips are made by so call "heat molding" technique (correct me if you know the right name for it). In practical, they are great that you can hold your camera with one hand only very comfortably. I don't use heavy lenses. IMO, the case can fully replace the Leica M grip I normally put on my M4P.
More pics will be added.
Part (II) with a Luigi's case side by side
To be added later....
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