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Actually, Leica quit using vulcanite (hard rubber) around the time of the transition from M4-P to M6 - 35 years ago.

Any production covering since then has been flexible adhesive vinyl, embossed with various textures (leather-like, or in the case of the film MP and M8, finer-grained "sharkskin").

Vulcanite, being hard, had to be heat-molded onto the bodies. It also tends to get brittle with age (when I dropped an M4-2 in 2003, the vulcanite shards scattered like broken glass ;) ).

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Here's vulcanite on my M2, after about 40 years of use

RIMG3329small by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

The all purpose camera bag is made of genyouwine US Army unobtanium.

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2 hours ago, John Ricard said:

So you can play word games if you like and prove me wrong when I say the M cameras aren't made of plastic, but you're totally missing the point when you do that.

No word games from me, just pointing out an inaccuracy in your asserted premise.  And you think I'm missing the point?  To take a quote from Hamlet: "Methink thou doth protest too much".

Pete.

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21 hours ago, pico said:

Probably, but it is from habit. I never considered future-value of packaging. I'm sure my attitude is from my generation and class. As a kid we shopped as much from barrels of goods as from packages. Strange, no?

Not strange, just a different way of looking at it. I never had much as a kid so I take a lot of care, maybe too much care, of my stuff and I save everything... funnily I almost never sell it... Especially my Leicas.

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13 hours ago, John Ricard said:

Because the camera is made out of metal and leather.  Not plastic.  

Haha.. fair... but I mean to say, the M9 is 10 years old and the PLASTIC looks fine, no bubbles or anything... as does the baseplate... that's under the plastic. haha

At any rate, I am sure we can agree the Leica is an amazing machine and having little debates like this is as fun as it is trivial. :)

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18 hours ago, pico said:

Is  that the Canon 19mm lens?

Yep.  And it's viewfinder.  Very '50s.  I got  both of them in Chicago sometime around 1969.  That is one lens with which no digital M since the M8 has ever succeeded in producing good pictures.  I'll hunt around and see if I can come up with an M8 shot that isn't too embarrassing.   Here's one.

Edited by scott kirkpatrick
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I own a Leica Q and hope in the next few weeks to purchase my first Leica M, until reading all 6 pages of this thread I didn’t know the plastic sticker on the base plate was so important/unimportant. 

But I have read all the comments and now feel I should be able to print some sort of certificate to prove I understand. 😉

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Let’s just beat this dead horse into the ground.  I was looking through the Fred Miranda forum today and as always, I click the Leica sales.  I’m scrolling through a listing for the M10p and the camera looks cool in all the photos until...  And let me state that I’m being serious here.  At times in this thread I’ve been sarcastic or I’ve written with a bit of flair, but I’m being serious when I say, as I got to the photo of the bottom of the camera with the plastic on, it just looked wrong.  I wasn’t thinking about this thread. I wasn’t looking to see if the camera had plastic.  I’m just scrolling through some photos and suddenly, the the camera is shiny in one area, when it was matte everywhere else.  I’m certain if you showed these images -or the actual camera, to someone who wasn’t the least bit interested in photography and said, “What’s not right here?” their eye would be drawn to the bottom. Hell, somebody give it a try.  Show these pics to your wife and ask her what looks off.  (Apologies to any women in this chat.  To my knowledge its pretty much all guys here).

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1615521/

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10 hours ago, John Ricard said:

Let’s just beat this dead horse into the ground.  I was looking through the Fred Miranda forum today and as always, I click the Leica sales.  I’m scrolling through a listing for the M10p and the camera looks cool in all the photos until...  And let me state that I’m being serious here.  At times in this thread I’ve been sarcastic or I’ve written with a bit of flair, but I’m being serious when I say, as I got to the photo of the bottom of the camera with the plastic on, it just looked wrong.  I wasn’t thinking about this thread. I wasn’t looking to see if the camera had plastic.  I’m just scrolling through some photos and suddenly, the the camera is shiny in one area, when it was matte everywhere else.  I’m certain if you showed these images -or the actual camera, to someone who wasn’t the least bit interested in photography and said, “What’s not right here?” their eye would be drawn to the bottom. Hell, somebody give it a try.  Show these pics to your wife and ask her what looks off.  (Apologies to any women in this chat.  To my knowledge its pretty much all guys here).

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1615521/

It didn't shock me at all. But I've been a leica user for 20 years :) 

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12 hours ago, John Ricard said:

Let’s just beat this dead horse into the ground.  I was looking through the Fred Miranda forum today and as always, I click the Leica sales.  I’m scrolling through a listing for the M10p and the camera looks cool in all the photos until...  And let me state that I’m being serious here.  At times in this thread I’ve been sarcastic or I’ve written with a bit of flair, but I’m being serious when I say, as I got to the photo of the bottom of the camera with the plastic on, it just looked wrong.  I wasn’t thinking about this thread. I wasn’t looking to see if the camera had plastic.  I’m just scrolling through some photos and suddenly, the the camera is shiny in one area, when it was matte everywhere else.  I’m certain if you showed these images -or the actual camera, to someone who wasn’t the least bit interested in photography and said, “What’s not right here?” their eye would be drawn to the bottom. Hell, somebody give it a try.  Show these pics to your wife and ask her what looks off.  (Apologies to any women in this chat.  To my knowledge its pretty much all guys here).

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1615521/

The camera comes in a smart cardboard box; the body itself is in a soft plastic bag, and if it has an LCD, there is a piece of film protecting the glass (I generally take this off and put a screen protector on - the glasswork is easily scratched, and I find that annoying); and, on the bottom plate is the CE compliance sticker, with the plastic film over the top.  That plastic film isn't crying out "take me off" - there is no lip to stick your fingernail under it, and if you want it off, it isn't that easy - there's glue residue and the CE sticker isn't that easy to get off either.  It's pretty clear that Leica doesn't intend for this bit of plastic to be taken off - you can, but they don't expect you to.  More critically, if you send your camera in for service, Leica will stick a new one on ...  There's no doubt in my mind that Leica intends that piece of film to stay there.

Do I mind?  I don't notice it, to be honest.  As, when I put my M cameras down, I rest them on the baseplate, it provides nice protection from scratches.  That said, none of my other cameras have them, that I've noticed.  I'm more vexed by climate change, what seems to be happening to liberal democracies around the world and packing my house to move in just over two weeks ...

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On 9/29/2019 at 10:24 AM, scott kirkpatrick said:

Yep.  And it's viewfinder.  Very '50s.  I got  both of them in Chicago sometime around 1969.

I got mine from Jon B. at Helix, Chicago, in '71 or so.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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On 5/17/2018 at 10:05 AM, pedaes said:

If you have a full service in Wetzlar they replace the plastic foil. Having it in place seems to be important come sale time.

I really dońt understand that. So you have a used M and if really used you will see wear on the edges of the base plate and everywhere where ther is no plastic. So you have a clean baseplate only under the plastic. Wow...just great. IMO it just looks better without the plastic and I never had a problem selling my M´s without the plastic...

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8 minutes ago, dasjak said:

I really dońt understand that. So you have a used M and if really used you will see wear on the edges of the base plate and everywhere where ther is no plastic. So you have a clean baseplate only under the plastic. Wow...just great. IMO it just looks better without the plastic and I never had a problem selling my M´s without the plastic...

Good to have choices. No problem you like it that way.😊

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On 9/28/2019 at 3:49 PM, scott kirkpatrick said:

Here's vulcanite on my M2, after about 40 years of use

RIMG3329small by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

The all purpose camera bag is made of genyouwine US Army unobtanium.

My father came back from WWII with one of those bags.  It had a gas mask in it.  I was around 6yrs old when I found it and his other gear in a box.  He saw me playing around in the garage while I was sorting thru this box and he carefully reminded me to never put that mask on as it had been used and the filter could hurt me.  When I was older, I removed the mask and used it to carry my first film SLR in the mid 70’s.  A Nikkormat FTN.  I still have this bag in a storage room...in a box.  I miss my father.   Thank you for this image.

Edited by rrdiaz30
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