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Leica M9 and camping


sfethan

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Has anyone ever brought their Leica M9 to camping? Where the environment is not so friendly to electronic devices, especially Leica M9 is not weather sealed. Are there any recommendations on gear protections? Thanks!

 

Just be careful with it (as in don't leave it out in the rain, drop it in mud etc) and I'm sure it'll be fine. There's an alpinist name Peter Selmair who uses an M9 in his expeditions and he's not having problems. I took my M8 (similar construction to m9) through Annapurna recently and it worked flawlessly.

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I've taken my M8 across the Pacific in a 40 foot sailboat and had my M9 out on the water many times as well as backpacking and truck camping. No worries.

But there may be an issue with the sensor and humidity and/or salt water. Invest in a Pelican 1200 case.

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Define "camping". From the car or are you hiking? pelican cases work brilliantly from the car or boat. But if you actually have to carry it any distance they're both heavy and large.

 

I shoot a lot near the ocean and I use my camper trailer often. Mostly i do what I've done for many years. My camera bag has two black garbage bags folded in the bottom. If I get hit by poor weather, sand or wind or I'm walking across a river crossing, I just put the whole bag in the black garbage bag and carry on. My experience with the built in rain covers is that they tend to collect sand and mud rather than repel it. A black plastic garbage bag can be shoot off and put away or thrown away/recycled.

 

If the weather is average and i want to shoot I usually wear a poncho rather than a jacket. Camera stays under that with me. plus it keeps the batteries warm on a cold day.

 

Plus a couple of large zip lock bags for batteries and cards and you're all set.

 

Gordon

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Thanks Gordon for the suggestions and tips.

I visited a local camera store last night after work, and ended up purchased a Pelican 1200, which feels like a tank. I think this case can survive nuclear attack. And a National Geographic NG W2022 that fits my M9 perfectly with one lens (Summicron 50mm).

 

The Pelican was kind of too tight when I put my M9 in, maybe it was because the foam was new. anyone ever tried Pelican 1200 with M9?

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Hi George, Pelican 1200 fits perfectly, my concern was I had to give upper piece of the case a little pressure down to close the case with a M9 inside of it. Maybe it was suppose to be like this with foam covered around the camera. The tightness could be caused by the new foam.

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There is good advice in this thread. I observed, however, that all concerns are centered around whether the different body models will stand the demands of camping/hiking or not. My question is should there be an equal concerns whether the different lenses will withstand the same stress--after all, I am not aware that any lens in the Leica range is weather proof. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

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I've taken a M6 , M9 and even a Monochrom wild camping and backpacking and up hills in the Scottish and New Zealand rain and snow many times.

 

I use a SeaLine roll top dry bag : SealLine Seal Pack

I carry it outside ready for action with a clip to the hip belt to stop it swinging when walking or clambering over rocks.

I also line the bag especially in winter - lately keeping the camera in a newswear pouch top open within the SealLine bag. ( NB: this bag is not classed as submersible )

 

Long ago I also swam up a river in Kakadu with a hasselbald in one of their other bags SealLine Dry bag

Here thick vinyl of these bags is crucial; providing robustness and a superb seal - compared to thin lightweight dry bags where pin pricks easily develop giving water a path in.

This bag also did a good job of keeping the red dust of the Kimberly out.

 

Pelican hard cases are superb - but too heavy and bulky for backpacking and a camera in a backpack not ready for spontaneous use.

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All in favor of the dry bags. Also the Seal Waterproof Packs look good. A similar pack from Ortlieb protected my M9 during a 15 cm (!) rainfall afternoon on the Milford Track.

 

If you do not trust humidity conditions - before or after going out - always remove battery and card. Even when switched off, digital cameras have current running.

 

For extreme conditions: take a small Panasonic waterproof compact; Leica lens.

Zenfolio | Sander van Hulsenbeek Photography | South Island | Photo 11

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I've taken a M6 , M9 and even a Monochrom wild camping and backpacking and up hills in the Scottish and New Zealand rain and snow many times.

 

I use a SeaLine roll top dry bag : SealLine Seal Pack

I carry it outside ready for action with a clip to the hip belt to stop it swinging when walking or clambering over rocks.

I also line the bag especially in winter - lately keeping the camera in a newswear pouch top open within the SealLine bag. ( NB: this bag is not classed as submersible )

 

Long ago I also swam up a river in Kakadu with a hasselbald in one of their other bags SealLine Dry bag

Here thick vinyl of these bags is crucial; providing robustness and a superb seal - compared to thin lightweight dry bags where pin pricks easily develop giving water a path in.

This bag also did a good job of keeping the red dust of the Kimberly out.

 

Pelican hard cases are superb - but too heavy and bulky for backpacking and a camera in a backpack not ready for spontaneous use.

Pelican supplies a backpack harness. Not as comfortable -by far- as a real backpack, but a handy addition for short walks and climbs.

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  • 3 months later...

For backpacking other than the dry bag what do you take?

 

What about solar charging? 

 

Has anyone tried the Pixo C-USB with Leica M batteries?

I'm thinking of doing that or using a GoalZero Sherpa 50 with a Nomad 7 to keep everything charged up.

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I've used the GoalZero Sherpa 100 during a recent trip in Africa. We were traveling by car, with possibility to recharge the Sherpa at lodges. Very useful in situations where there was only a single (usually solar/battery powered) charging station with a limited number of outlets at the lodge - connect the Sherpa to an outlet and 2-3 devices to the Sherpa and charge everything at the same time. To charge the M240 (and K-3) batteries, I used the standard chargers through the Sherpa 220V inverter. For hiking, the Sherpa 50 would be somewhat easier to carry, but the 100 model is less than twice the size/weight of the 50, so worth considering unless your aim is to drop every gram possible. I have no experience with the solar chargers - we did consider them but concluded that they'd be useful only in situations where one has no access to mains electricity (or a car) for more than 3-4 days in a row, which was not our case.

As for protecting the camera/lenses in a rucksack, I either carry everything in an F-stop Loka rucksack, with a medium sloping insert or, when I need more room for other stuff in the sack, I put one camera with a lens attached in an Artisan & Artist ACAM61 bag and another lens in a small LowePro lens pouch - and put both in my rucksack, wrapped in any old plastic bag or bin liner for extra protection against water.

Edited by albireo_double
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