What's so wrong with Leica cases???

[Dez]

I see all kinds of custom half-cases for sale, often with cringeworthy price tags, that will kind of cover your camera while providing all sorts of bumps and protrusions that negate the small size and pleasant ergonomics of the M bodies.

I have an M3, with a Leica brown leather case in great shape for which I think I paid about $20. Once I replaced the rivet holding the two halves together with a snap fastener, it became convenient as well as bulletproof.

I also have an M5 which I love dearly, and it has a Leitz hard case which was essentially brand new for $30. It's just as bulletproof, and the two halves already separate with a snap.

Recently I finally got myself a digital M, and looked around for a case, finding an almost new Leitz black leather case for about $50. (terrible thing, inflation). It's a bit on the soft and squooshy side, so it doesn't count as bulletproof, but it protects the camera, looks good, separates into two halves like the other ones, and has a cool feature allowing access to the battery and memory card without removing it. The one thing it doesn't have which is present on the older ones is a set of strap lugs, so I will have to chance scratching up the camera by hooking a strap to it. Then again, all those expensive half cases seem to have the same lack.

So why are the original Leitz cases so cheap? Leica accessories always seem to cost as if they were handcrafted by Nobel lauriates out of the finest grade of Unobtainium. I appreciate that what Leitz (and I) might consider a virtue of the factory cases may be seen otherwise by other people, but I am surprised to see anything coming from Wetzlar/Solms that could be considered to be a bargain.

Cheers,

Dez

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... So why are the original Leitz cases so cheap? ...

While they are "bullet-proof" the leather on these old Leitz cases is very hard and non-pliable. They will actually scratch and dent the back door of your M camera. I would choose nearly any half case over a Leitz made ever-ready case. Even the cheapest Zhou cases provide better protection for your camera.

Although the newer Leica made cases dating from around the mid-1980s are fine for the most part, the 3rd-party soft leather cases available within the last ~20 years are arguably the best. I've tried many of them and for my money the Luigi half cases are the finest currently available.

On a side-note, Leica made half-cases for the M10 have no strap lug protection, which partially defeats the purpose of having a half-case in the first place; a terrible design, IMHO.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Same here, 25 CAD for M3 case and 25 CAD for M4-2 case which is already half case and cover.

Things which wrong with them:
They are huge.
But stripe is kind of wonky and not holding its shape well.
M4-2 black case/stripe gets in the way while advancing shutter.

 

[Godfrey]

I've never used an ever-ready case on any of my M cameras.

I buy a half case (Protector in Leica nomenclature) when I need one to provide me a better grip on the camera. I had one of their half-cases for my M-P 240: It was a beautiful, perfect fit and did the job I wanted perfectly although it wasn't particularly stylish.

I don't have their case for my M-D because the M-D doesn't need one for me to hold it properly and securely. I have a beautiful A&A lambskin half case for my M4-2. Wonderful feel, tough and supple.

I have the Leica half case for my CL as well: Again, a perfect fit and beautifully finished, but there are a couple of design issues with it:

• You have to take it off to use a tripod since the bolt that holds it doesn't have a bolt hole.
• You can change the card or the battery while the case is fitted, but the case door and battery door open in opposite directions which makes using this feature a bit of a PITA.

I bought a Jason Cui case for the CL which takes care of those two deficiencies and only cost me $45 or something like that. It's not quite as good on fit and finish, but it's good enough.

Aside from that, there are many reasons people buy third party cases. Style is a big part of it.

G

 

[Dez]

Well....OK, but kinda by definition a half case doesn’t do much of anything to protect the top half of the camera. I use the full case when transporting the camera, taking off the top half altogether when shooting. I will certainly admit the Luigi cases are gorgeous though.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Richard G]

Good question. The current Leica cases for M9 looked totally daft and I haven't considered them again. And the older ones are too old.

I used the M2 case for years and found it great protection. For a camera with a Summilux with reversed hood it seemed very compact in fact. It was very convenient as I would put the baseplate loosely in the empty lower half when changing film. When hiking I put the camera and case in the top section so it was easily accessible but could probably stand the pack tipping over on breaks etc. Over the years the rubber pad perished. So did the leather strap. The thought of that snapping and losing the camera to the ground was worrying.

I then had an M4 and I found a case that already had a snap fastener replacement for the rivet connecting the base to the top. That made the case a lot more convenient. I could hand hold slower and the cameras were quieter in those cases.

I then had an M4-2 and no case. Much later I bought the case for that but didn’t use it much. Big it certainly was. I worried about jamming the M6 into it with pressure on the ISO selector wheel but no harm came from doing that. I only used that case in the rain. The M2 rewind knurling chewed at the back hard edge of the top cover section.

The downside of the old cases are then 1. the commitment to always using it, as you can’t have a strap lug strap if you use the old M case, and 2. all the other problems related to age noted above. Plus 3. you never know about fungus in an old case left lying in a dark cupboard somewhere for years until it’s put on eBay. And finally 4. you have to take off the case to put in another film; or retrieve the card or change the battery.

When I got my M9 I looked at Leica’s cases and they seemed totally daft. Scarcely useable or believable. Anyway for years I have done without a case. My cameras are hardly any more worn for that, except the black M4-2 and the MM1 Monochrom baseplate edges are greying from repeated handling and no other wear than that.

Two things about these older cameras and their cases. 1. The cases seemed to by much favoured, even by pros. The Rollieflex only had 12 shots but busy photojournalists had them in the leather case. It is a little twisty technique to remove and replace the case every time you load a film. Amazing. But I read, probably here, that these were such expensive items for those photographers and protection of their investment was paramount, and what with the weather in Europe and North America and with few having their own cars, and considering possible blunt injury, the case was an acceptable necessity. 2. These cameras are heavy. I used the M2 with the dual range Summicron at the weekend. I was thinking as cameras get larger they get less dense. The IIIf, my most used film camera recently, seems pretty dense, the Rolleiflex hardly at all, and the Hasselblad surprisingly light for its size too. But maybe the densest is the M2 with the DR Summicron. No concession in manufacture to lightness of the equipment whatsoever. But that was when these cameras were still called miniature. Now the weight of such older equipment is measured and noted and rejected. I also used the M6 and v4 35 Summicron at the weekend: also dense and heavy. Maybe the case adds a bulk which reduces the density and makes it more comfortable and manageable…..

 

[Beemermark]

Not snobbish enough, too cheap.

 

[Godfrey]

Well....OK, but kinda by definition a half case doesn’t do much of anything to protect the top half of the camera. I use the full case when transporting the camera, taking off the top half altogether when shooting. I will certainly admit the Luigi cases are gorgeous though.

As I indicated, that's not the function I want out of a case. My cameras are perfectly protected when I'm just transporting them by the bag I'm carrying them in.

G

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Well....OK, but kinda by definition a half case doesn’t do much of anything to protect the top half of the camera. I use the full case when transporting the camera, taking off the top half altogether when shooting. I will certainly admit the Luigi cases are gorgeous though.

Cheers,
Dez

I'm not trashing my cameras even while transporting.
It is always in the padded compartment or simply on me via neck strap.
Half-case protects from grease hands and from cameras bumping to each other if two of them over the neck.
Luigi cases are off taste, IMO. Too much yelling of mamamia or something similar.