Weather proof and robust?

[VictoriaC]

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I'm sure this has been discussed before but I though I would get fresh input on it. Just how weather proof are our M cameras?

If you look on the Leica website there's a photo of a wet MP (!) Great, does that mean my M7 is rain proof? What about my M6 TTL? If I took the camera into the tropical and very humid glass house at Kew Gardens would that be OK? Or even more likely; caught in the rain and wanting to take photos?

Leica also promote the MP's winder as a more "robust" design than the angled winder? Any thoughts team? Hmmm.

[sblitz]

can't drop'em in a pond BUT they hold up in stormy weather. clearly the more electronics involved the dicier it gets

[250swb]

As Steve says, they are pretty tough with common sense.

 

I used many Leica's as a press photographer which often involved standing out in the rain and they all held up very well unless I made mistakes. And the biggest mistake is to protect it too much, where heat from your hand or putting the camera under your coat causes condensation. Keep it at ambient temperature, and if condensation does get inside dry it near a warm radiator.

 

So in the rain point the camera down to keep the lens clear, but don't shade it by cupping your hand over the lens and viewfinder windows. The back of the camera can usually be protected from the rain with your hand, but I would often wind an extra fame on before the critical picture just in case the film got condensation on it while sitting in the gate. Going into a hot house at Kew may need a few minutes to allow the camera to acclimatise but I've done the same at various stately homes and not had a problem.

 

Steve

[yossarian123]

I've had my mechanical Leicas under a pretty heavy rain with no ill effects - I just try not to change lenses or otherwise expose the innards.

 

I've also had the digital leicas & M7 under a light rain (with my blood pressure increasing a bit). Also no problems and definitely try not to open up the cameras while getting rained on.

[Stray Dog]

They are not waterproof, but a little rain or water splashing won't harm them if you clear it off right away.

 

I wouldn't take one out in the middle of a rain storm or drop one in a swimming pool and expect it not to develop some problems.

 

Like most mechanical cameras, or ones with very little electronics they aren't going to show signs of damage immediately, but I'd expect some problems eventually.

[Chuck Albertson]

I wouldn't take them swimming, but they've held up well in 25+ winters in Seattle. If I put them away because it's raining, I wouldn't have any decent shots. Carry a bar towel to wipe off excess water. One of the first things you'll lose is the little plastic cap for the PC terminal, so tape it over when that happens to prevent water getting in.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Chuck Albertson

[250swb]

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Carry a bar towel to wipe off excess water. One of the first things you'll lose is the little plastic cap for the PC terminal, so tape it over when that happens to prevent water getting in.

 

+1

 

good advice

 

 

Steve

[honcho]

.....

Leica also promote the MP's winder as a more "robust" design than the angled winder? Any thoughts team? Hmmm.

 

I'm not sure about 'more robust', but to my eye the MP rewind is aesthetically more pleasing than the angled rewind of the M6, M7 etc. One could argue that the MP rewind is less prone to being bent by impact and others criticise the MP for being slower to change a film than cameras with an angled rewind, but the point is lost on me as I wouldn't be using an MP if I were in a hurry anyway.

 

There is an accessory MP rewind attachment, but to me it just looks too odd for the sake of saving a few seconds on changing films.

[stevesurf]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but I though I would get fresh input on it. Just how weather proof are our M cameras?

If you look on the Leica website there's a photo of a wet MP (!) Great, does that mean my M7 is rain proof? What about my M6 TTL? If I took the camera into the tropical and very humid glass house at Kew Gardens would that be OK? Or even more likely; caught in the rain and wanting to take photos?

Leica also promote the MP's winder as a more "robust" design than the angled winder? Any thoughts team? Hmmm.

 

Both M7 and MP's rewind mechanisms are just different in design and complexity. The M7 has some complexity due to the angled crank design. The MP has some complexity due to the friction mechanism, so releasing the rewind knob won't cause the knob to spin and "do-over" rewinds. With an M7, you should rewind the crank/film fully in one action; otherwise the crank can spin freely anti clockwise.

 

Both have top plates milled from solid brass, should this be a "robustness" discussion point.

 

Personally, I prefer the M7's rewind method.

[kivis]

There is a great photo out there of Henri Cartier Bresson in the street shooting with a small towel over his forearm (and his Leica M3). He used it for two reasons. One to protect from the elements and two to hide it if he wanted to be stealthy.

[VictoriaC]

Thank you for all your replys. I have to admit I like the angle rewind of my M6 and M7 but also think that the MP rewind is aesthetically pleasing. If I had an a-la-carte I think I'd definitely opt for the MP's design, that and black chrome paint.

 

Shooting the M6 and M7 back-to-back, as I'm carrying CineStill in one body and TriX in the other) I can't make up my mind which design I prefer! The M7 auto option which I can select an aperture and then hold my shutter button down to reframe my picture or simply chose the aperture I want on the M6 and shoot and be damned! :-)

[kivis]

Been in many a rain with my M3. Just dry it out thoroughly. But not much to go bad as there are no electronics.

[kiwidad]

Would something like a dry cabinet be worthwhile? They seem pretty cheap these days!

[PhotoCruiser]

vor 34 Minuten schrieb kiwidad:

Would something like a dry cabinet be worthwhile? They seem pretty cheap these days!

Yes, it is my experience that a dry cabinet can/will reduce the risk of lens fungus if camera lives in tropic surroundings ad work well also for other delicate stuff.
I would not use it to dry a camera, if my camera get wet (what never ever happened in 50 years of photography then i would dry her first outside and then store in the dry cabinet.

I enjoy photographing either in a city after rain or after storms or flooding and if rain may/is a problem i take a umbrella, a cover as above or just wait till the rain stops.
If i would need to take photos during rain then i would look around for a underwater/surf photography housing, one of those dry bags or simply the inexpensive camera "ponchos"

Chris