Riding a bike with M9

[tester]

Guys,

Spring is here so I'm back to go to work by bike on daily basis (almost) - about 35km both direction.
Previously I was using analog cameras and afayk analogs are quite cheap novadays so I wasn't wondering about any damage.

M9 is a valuable piece of hardware and I'm wondering about it's durability. I'm not talking about hits or drops, I'm wondering about thousands of shakes and micro shoks during the ride.

What do you think about it?

Is it safe to transport camera in a backpack on a daily basis?

 

[raid]

The M9 seems to be more delicate than the M3. I would not do it.

 

[--s]

backpack is shocksafe as long as you don´t crash. no problem.

 

[jsrockit]

I would wonder about the RF going out of alignment if you do this daily. Then again, RF have been used in wars.

 

[JMQ]

You are better off carrying a high-end p&s camera -- film (Olympus Stylus or equivalent) or digital (Sony rx100 or equivalent). And you don't have to worry about the weather as much when you have a smaller piece of gear.

 

[nightfly]

Didn't people used to take Leica's to shoot wars? You should be OK. A little padded insert is a probably a good way to go. I really like the Crumpler Haven inserts:

http://www.crumpler.com/us/small-goods/haven-m

Much better constructed than Domkes and with the top open you can shoot with them and with the top closed you can pack them inside a suitcase for long distance travel. I drop one inside a Jack ***** bag for daily use and open up the top so I can grab the camera easily.

 

[JMQ]

Didn't people used to take Leica's to shoot wars?

They did, but I'll wager that the gear was the property of their agencies...so not the end of the world if they drop them or bang them against other bodies. Here the OP was concerned about HIS piece of expensive equipment.

 

[Richard G]

I've taken an M6 in pannier bags lots of places. I had it nestled in a jumper on top of a rain jacket and kidded myself it would be insulated from the road vibrations. RF never out of alignment. No reason why you can't do the same with the M9. Truth is, I haven't done that with the M9, but I'm not riding as much. I take some sort of Leica to work with me every day in the car, usually the M9.

 

[nightfly]

I question having a camera that you can't actually use. Pad it, take it, use it. If it breaks, fix it.

 

[JMQ]

beautifully brassed M4 and M3!

 

[Noll]

No M9 experience here but I almost always carry one or two cameras when I bike. If you plan to wear the camera while you ride, a good neoprene strap should absorb most of the jolts. Same thing with some foam inserts on a pouch. If a little extra padding is needed, wrapping the body in a soft T-shirt can help too.

 

[Godfrey]

I carried Leica Ms on my motorcycle across the USA and Europe for years. Never had anything break. The fragile parts of an M6 are exactly the same fragile parts as an M9 ... the rangefinder calibration. If it goes off, you have it adjusted.

G

 

[CrisR]

I cycle around with my M9 over my shoulder all the time and most of my on location jobs are via bike.

If it goes out of alignment, adjust it. These are working tools, not glass flowers

 

[stevencrichton]

I strap mine in a small padded bag to the back part of the seat on my motorbike. No problems at all. This is probably like the equivalent of strapping it to a paint mixer in terms of vibration.

Rf hasn't gone out.

As CrisR points out, they are tools so better to have them for the task in hand than not.

 

[gavinlg]

Hahaha.

My x-pro1 goes with me most of the time on my motorcycle. Just slung across my shoulder and body diagonally, no case, no nothing. Done probably 4000kms so far this year like that. Absolutely no issues. I dare say the hybrid viewfinder mechanism should be more vulnerable than the m9's rangefinder.

 

[kbg32]

I commute by bike with my M9. Besides a backpack with a change of clothes, I carry a small bag with padding with my M9 inside, in the backpack for walking around at lunchtime. Sometimes no bag. My camera/bag is additionally padded by my clothes. No problems.

FYI, I was recently doored on Fifth Avenue a month ago on my way to work. I got cuts, bruises, cracked helmet, slight concussion, damage to my bike. M9 survived all in my backpack.

 

[hepcat]

I rode a bunch of miles on RAGBRAI last year with my M9P slung over my shoulder or in a Lowe Pro original photo runner waist pack with no issues at all. They're tough cameras.

 

[froyd]

...but on the flipside... my m4's rewind knob came loose after sitting on the floor for 9 hours during a transatlantic flight. The tech who repaired it thought the "micro" vibrations from the flight loosened the screw that holds the part together. It took seconds to tighten everything up again, and he was nice enough not to charge me for the service.

 

[hausen]

My Monochrom and previous M9 ride in my panniers most days with no problem. Have mine in a padded Crumpler bag and never noticed a problem. Agree with nightly above that they are meant to be used.

 

[kbg32]

...but on the flipside... my m4's rewind knob came loose after sitting on the floor for 9 hours during a transatlantic flight. The tech who repaired it thought the "micro" vibrations from the flight loosened the screw that holds the part together. It took seconds to tighten everything up again, and he was nice enough not to charge me for the service.

It was probably coming loose from use and time anyway...