Why did so many pros put up with their cameras in leather cases?

[Richard G]

The M4-2 looks pretty good in that case I agree. It was throwing an M4-2 around in the '80s that got me off the case. The case allows a better grip but it does add to bulk.

 

[Bill Clark]

I never use or used a camera case and all pros I associated with were the same. And the same with camera straps. With pj photography the camera was part of my hand, always ready for saving the moment on film or digital.

 

[newfilm]

Some camera really need a case to be "functioning", I can't hold on to my Leica CL without the half case, it is just too slippery.

 

[Dogman]

I recall the photo of Robert Capa and George Rodger having smokes together during a break. Both had their cameras in opened full leather cases.

I have no data to back it up but I think the "neverready" case for pros went away when editors demanded more photo choices and photographers began shooting more film to oblige. It's too fiddly trying to juggle cases, cameras, camera backs/bottom plates and film cassettes at the same time when covering breaking news subjects. Using multiple cameras (and multiple focal length lenses) was probably due to this as well.

Or maybe not. I mean, nobody wears ascots these days either.

 

[css9450]

When I was a kid, I used my parents' Minolta SR-1, which had a brown leather never-ready case. My Pentax K1000 came with a very nice case, a black one. But after that, no more cases.

I made an observation back about 35 years ago (I was 16), at an event where there were dozens of photographers present. Almost no one under the age of about 60 had their camera in a case. I figured it was something that just wasn't popular any more.

 

[newfilm]

I figured it was something that just wasn't popular any more.

these days mobile phone case are dominating.... 😀

 

[Highway 61]

I recall the photo of Robert Capa and George Rodger having smokes together during a break. Both had their cameras in opened full leather cases.

I'm still far away from 65 but this is exactly the photo I instantly thought of !

The photo was taken in Vomero, a sector of Naples, in 1943.

http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/about/history

 

[ChrisPlatt]

I am amused by how much some here hate leather fitted camera cases - much as I detest photo backpacks and photo vests. 😉

You might consider them unprofessional but they are quite handy for the rest of us amateurs, especially when using a single lens.
While they must be removed to load film they help make camera quieter and easier to grip while providing some added protection.

Chris

 

[ian_watts]

For real photographers camera is never investment but tool. Imagine HCB or GW using camera as "investment".

I think you are misunderstanding the sense of the word investment in this case. There is a big difference between making an investment in tools (making a capital outlay with the intention of becoming more productive) to making a speculative investment in something (stock/share, artwork or camera) with the hope that it will appreciate in value.

Interestingly, in the case of "HCB" and "GW", their investment in cameras will have ended up serving both ends.

 

[narsuitus]

Even though I love leather, I never liked leather camera cases because:
1. I considered them an unnecessary expense.
2. I had big motor drives and battery packs on my Nikon F2 bodies.
3. The one lens I stored in a leather case developed fungus.
4. They got in the way when I needed to change film.

 

[leicapixie]

What does OP mean when he writes "Dld"?
I still do! Use a case.
Reason, it makes me look like a raw beginner,
my Pentax is actually pristine condition.
The Rollei users can easily their cameras with case!
Sure the rolls are "but" 12 exposures on 120.
Medium format is about being methodical and careful.
Not filling memory cards with drivel and junk.
A 120 roll can last in street photography, months!
I've met Magnum photographers, agency guys,
well known photojournalists that protected their cameras and lenses.
It is the tools of their creativity and earning power!
The really smart idea these days is No case and No strap.
Great idea, can drop to Earth with the "dumb-ass' phone..

 

[Godfrey]

The most important reason not to use a leather case is for storage. Leather is an organic material and attracts moisture and fungus. Cameras stored for long periods in leather cases tend to have more problems with fungus and corrosion.

I take the cameras I have leather cases for OUT of the leather cases when they are being stored. I put my cameras into a case when I feel it presents an advantage when using the camera.

There's no real need to be dogmatic about liking or hating cases. Use a case the same way you use any other piece of equipment ... when it provides advantages you are looking for ... and don't when it doesn't. That's all.

G

 

[Raoul_Volfoni]

Why did so many pros put up with their cameras in leather cases?

I really agree. Taking off the leather cases for storage is actually the main reason I lost most of them. Eventually put them in a box and lost that box when I moved houses.
Now most of my vintage cameras are bare with the strap around my neck. Not really a choice or a statement but a consequence. Honestly, I don't really miss them though.

 

[tunalegs]

For real photographers camera is never investment but tool. Imagine HCB or GW using camera as "investment". "Most people" are crap shut and nothing else. It is up to you which side try to join.

Yeah - not at all what I meant. I meant a camera was expensive and therefore worth protecting. 50 years ago cameras were generally much more expensive/valuable than they are now.

Aside from that I don't think using or not using a case has any effect on "which side" one is on.

 

[css9450]

2. I had big motor drives and battery packs on my Nikon F2 bodies.

I forgot about the motor drive issue. I remember looking into one for my FM2 + MD12 motor drive. It seemed enormous! And it was almost expensive as the MD12 itself. I decided not to get it.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Nikon and Canon sold an "action case" for several models to fit camera body with motor attached.

Chris

 

[x-ray]

I never use or used a camera case and all pros I associated with were the same. And the same with camera straps. With pj photography the camera was part of my hand, always ready for saving the moment on film or digital.

Agree, I never used a case and none of the other pros I know used cases. We used to call them Never Ready Cases.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

I suspect that leather did not wear well in a jungle environment. And, cameras for them were instruments and if film need replacement a case would be an encumbrance. Consider: What would be the benefit of a leather camera case while squatting in a muddy foxhole in the rain?

 

[MikeMGB]

I never use a case on a 35mm camera, but always on my Yashica TLR, it just seems wrong to take that one out without the case. 🙂

 

[Robert Lai]

I don't know about you folks, but for me a camera is still an expensive purchase. Since I don't shoot professionally, I'd rather keep it in a case when using it. That minimizes the damage that will have a negative effect on resale value if I come to sell it.