Whats up with black tape & M6 cameras?

akptc said:
Just out of curiosity, has anyone responding ever been mugged? Any short and frail photographers out there?
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In 1977 on Broadway in the theater district in NYC, I got mugged. The would be thief tried to take my Canon FTb. I managed to hang on to the camera and my wallet, but got a broken jaw when I fought back. I was almost 22 years old and in very good physical shape, 5' 8" and about 160 pounds.
 
I think a good part of being "discreet" comes from going about one's business in a confident, purposeful manner, but with the radar still on. Joe pretty much nails it for me: the guy who'll do you the most harm won't know a Leica from a Lomo, and won't take the time to try and differentiate. IMO, you're better off making sure your wallet is in a non-pickable pocket than doing the "cameraflage" thing.

Or you can buy an MP (sez he whose Hexars don't have red dots either). ;)


- Barrett
 
On a black camera, I like it all black. I like the way it looks that way. Go ahead and make fun of me. I don't care what you think.
 
I tape my cameras. I have an MP now, so nothing to tape on the front, but I did tape my M6 when I had one. I started doing that to all my cameras back in about 1979, when my Jr. High School Photography teacher suggested we all do it. I grew up in NYC.

Mugged? Yep. Personally probably about 5 or 6 times up until my mid teens. Then again once when I was about 26. That's not counting having buss passes stolen countless times as a kid. That was NYC back then.

About 6 years ago, in the Spanish Quarter in Napoli, some punk on a Vespa rode up and tried to steal my watch. He didn't get it, but he did get knocked around pretty well for his effort. It would have gone worse for him if I hadn't been holding a 16mm Bolex camera in one hand.

I tape logos on camera gear now mainly for esthetic reasons, and also because we tend to "Greek" out all logos in the film business for props that appear in frame. It's just become habit by now. Also, an all black camera reflects less well in windows or glass like surfaces.

Insurance is a must IMO. I can let a camera go if I feel any real danger. If it's just a young inexperienced punk trying to learn the ropes, then I'm less apt to comply. You have to trust your instincts on that though, and the safer and smarter solution is to simply hand anything they want over to them. Sometimes that's hard though. I get pissed off.
 
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As regards black tape and stealth: If someone is holding up to his face a black boxy thing with a lens sticking out the front, how many people won't know it's a camera if the nameplate is taped over?

As regards black tape and security: If a thief knows what a Leica is and how much it's worth, I bet he can recognize one even with the nameplate taped over.

I got my M6 for about $400 under market only because someone had used black paint to cover the red logo and the white frontal markings. $5 of Testor's thinner and paint and a small brush and a rag, and I restored it to like-new. If someone steals it I'll make a $400 profit from the insurance, whereas the former owner lost $400.
 
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A good .357 or an Applegate-Fairbairn will solve all of these problems...

Perhaps I spent too much time in the US Army, but, yeah, I am serious. Simply pulling one will solve 99% of your issues. But the catch is that you have to be willing to follow up on that remaining 1% or it is you that will die a very ugly death. You have to be certain how much any of these toys mean to you. I'd give, with an "enjoy!", any of my cameras. But try to take my Great-grandfathers 1904 Elgin pocket watch? It's not worth pennies on the dollar to my cameras, but trying to take it would cause a real fight. Your milage will vary...

William
 
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Fascinating discussion. But still, all a speculation - we don't really know how an average street thief thinks, what will grab his attention. I wish we could ask some ex-camera thieves a few questions...
 
My M6 has tape on it, but it's more to do with my own discomfort about using such an elitist device which far exceeds my own capabilities than it is about anti-theft or stealth.

Somehow I don't mind those who know what it is wondering why I've taped it up, but I'd rather avoid those who only know what it is because they know its name.

Weird, huh?

Tom
 
ghost said:
if worst comes to worst, you can club a thief in the head with your built-like-a-tank leica.
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Well, Leica's are well built (as, BTW, are Hexar RFs). But if I wanted a camera that doubles as a personal weapon, I'd go with my Zorki 4 every time. It may be a P in the A as a user camera (I hate the shutter dial, though it does take a nice picture with a J8) but if I had half a good wind-up at the end of the strap, the Zorki 4 would certainly work as "a deadly weapon". It packs a little more punch than the Zorki 6, and I'd have no hesitation using either as a weapon (whereas I might try to treat the M3 and the Hexar RF a little more kindly).

...Mike
 
I can only recall two occasions when a stranger has remarked on my camera. The first was when the black tape fell off my M6TTL and a guy stopped me in the street in Greenwich to say "hey, nice camera!". The second was a few weeks ago in Hampstead. A man looked at my M2 as I stood outside a pub with some friends and said "is that a Voigtlander?". I replied that it was a Leica M2, He then proceeded to argue that it looked just like his Voigtlander and thus should be a Voigtlander. I wandered away muttering "form follows function" or some such :)
 
I have black tape on my black CV R2, so it's not about camouflaging a Leica for me, I just like the look of an all black camera.
 
When using a 28mm lens on a bessa R or R2x, a bit of tape over the frosted frame illumination window makes the finder a dream for use with the 28- all the framelines disappear.
 
Avotius said:
hm....dont hear of people taping up their mp's huh, no one tape up that leica script on the top?
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Thought about it, but the script on top really isn;t easily seen when you are shooting. It's the writing and red logo dot on the front of the camear (like n M6's and M7's) that are really noticeable.

When I'm not shooting, the camera is either under my jacket or in a bag, or I have my arm resting on the top plate as I walk about.
 
I will never tape my cameras. The red dot calling attention? Never will. The lettering? Neither. Thieves stealing Leicas and leaving Nikons or Canons untouched? A figment of our imagination (any thief who knows the difference is just moonlighting). In other words, these ideas are just a myth. Do you notice the zit on your fellow bus passenger's face sitting three spots away from you? Can you see the pin on the lady walking next to you in the mall? Only if you look for these things. The red dot on a Leica and its lettering aren't big distractions to people going about their business.

Better stop here. I must be respectful. But I gave my honest opinion and answer. To each their own, so if you're happy taping up cameras, by all means, go ahead, but, like Frank S did, do it because you just like all-black cameras. There's something nice about them... for camera geeks, I mean.
 
I tape my cameras, including Nikon and Digital cameras because I like how it looks. I guess there are many tastes and many opinions, but I like the look.
Steve
 
I used to tape all my Nikons and my Leica back in my PJ days - it was just something that you did. It helped cut down on the questions while you were trying to work.

I don't bother anymore, but I did replace the red dot on my M6 with black. If I manage to get the new M4-P top mounted, that little problem will go away.
 
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