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M Rubber Bump


marknorton

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The "Focussing" button on the M hasn't won many friends here. Difficult to find when the camera is at your eye and difficult to press, especially if you have large (or, I would guess, ageing) fingers, because it is recessed and requires the ball of your forefinger to be small enough to press into the surround.

 

It's hardly an ergonomic disaster but nor is it Leica's finest design hour.

 

It's not rocket science but here is my solution. A 7mm rubber bump stuck on the front, easy to find, easy to press and the existing stiffness of the switch actually helps because you don't press it by accident. Looks reasonable too.

 

At the moment, it's just using the sticky strip on the back to hold it in place. Obviously, it's a good idea to clean the button with an alcohol wipe to start with but I will be glueing mine permanently once it comes back from re-lugging.

 

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I think a normal impact adhesive such as Bostik or Evo-Stik will provide a tighter grip than the thin film on the back of the bump. The challenge will be getting a thin enough layer so it doesn't show and using the right amount so it doesn't come out at the sides when you press it home.

 

Ideally, you'd also abrade the surface of the button but this might be a step too far since replacing it probably ranks alongside replacing the strap lugs...

 

Not sure it's an application for super-glue (cryano-acetate) but would be worth experimenting first. The bumps cost about £/$/€ 0.05.

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Thanks for the tip Mark! I think I will do the same. I always seem to be pressing the lens release button instead which is quite irritating.

 

martha - upon pressing this button, the image view is enlarged (5X or 10X) for better focusing. You can also use it to set up exposure compensation.

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.

 

martha - upon pressing this button, the image view is enlarged (5X or 10X) for better focusing. You can also use it to set up exposure compensation.

 

I NEED one of those for my 9-P!!!!!! That's almost enough incentive to buy a new M. Thanks, Gary.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just thought I'd add another idea based on this rubber bumpon solution.

 

These rubber bumpons all come in sheets of a dozen or more. The sheets that holds the bumpons are made of the same rubber as the bumpon itself and that rubber also has the same adhesive on its opposite side. What I did was take a hole punch and I punched a hole in the sheet between the bumpons. The resulting hole produced a small, thin, flat rubber disc that could be fastened to the buttons on the M camera just like the bumpons are being fastened.

 

The final result is that this tiny rubber disc provides just enough exposure to the button without becoming obtrusive in any way. I thought the bumpon idea was terrific, but found the bumpon itself protruding too far, causing it to be easily dislodged. I hope you find this idea to be equally as useful.

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Just thought I'd add another idea based on this rubber bumpon solution.

 

These rubber bumpons all come in sheets of a dozen or more. The sheets that holds the bumpons are made of the same rubber as the bumpon itself and that rubber also has the same adhesive on its opposite side. What I did was take a hole punch and I punched a hole in the sheet between the bumpons. The resulting hole produced a small, thin, flat rubber disc that could be fastened to the buttons on the M camera just like the bumpons are being fastened.

 

The final result is that this tiny rubber disc provides just enough exposure to the button without becoming obtrusive in any way. I thought the bumpon idea was terrific, but found the bumpon itself protruding too far, causing it to be easily dislodged. I hope you find this idea to be equally as useful.

 

Brilliant! Works much better and is practically invisible.

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Thanks - great suggestion! It would be good to know whether the bump remains in place over time (with the adhesive possibly being degraded by sun/rain/etc).

 

Could the tape used on Steve's excellent M Thumbie grip be an option - with a thin metal disc added onto the tape?

 

Helge

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To the OP,

I haven't used an M yet but have one on order. Just a question: How do you know it wasn't designed like that on purpose to prevent spurious inputs?

Either way, I'm not concerned about this at all... Just my two cents.

Paul

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Another option, which I will try upon getting my camera back from Solms: IKEA provides self-adhesive small round rubber bumps with some of their furniture to prevent doors from banging against the frame. These come in two sizes (only the small one should work), are almost flat and made of soft, transparent rubber. I believe they can be obtained, possibly for free, at any IKEA store.

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I do find it highly amusing that these kinds of mods are needed on a £5,000 camera. Those Leica guys. It's almost as though they didn't even research where to put it. It just sort of seems like its the closest place to where the underlying electronics are. Someone should create a brass cantilever attachment like on brass instruments. So you could squeeze a small trigger to press the button :-)

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Another use for these cabinet-door bumpers.... This is to prevent the On/Off switch doing anything annoying. I should have looked for the black ones... ;)

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I posted this some weeks ago. My Bumpon has now been on for about 6 weeks and I would not be without it. As the surface is slightly tacky, your finger immediately picks up a tactile reference for the location of the zoom/focus/EV button. Mine is transparent and from more than a few feet away, it is invisible. I got a strip of 12 for £0.99, the cheapest Leica accessory I have ever bought and one of the most useful here:

 

Self Adhesive Polyurethane Bumper Feet Hemispherical Various Sizes- Pack of 12 | eBay

 

the size you need is 6.4mm x 1.9mm

 

Wilson

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