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The Leica M 10 and its plastic...


Paulus

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Never thought, that I would still have the plastic on my M6 (bought in 1996). But after a check ... there it is! I don`t even realize the plastic and I didn`t over the years. I also have it on my M10 but not on my Monochrom, which I had bought used. On its baseplate I can see many signs of use (tripod etc.), much more than on any other part of the camera. Therefore I would say, that it makes sense to leave the plastic on the bottom.

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Of course the plastic should be removed.  To not remove it, suggests you don't understand the importance of the attention to detail that went into the design of the camera.  Every single aspect of the camera was designed with attention to appearance and feel.  The camera looks good.  And if feels good.  The matte vs glossy finish, the chrome vs black, the leather covering, the metal surfaces, the fonts, the red dot...every single detail has a purpose and was carefully thought out and all of the details work beautifully together. Not one detail looks out of place when you are looking at a Leica body.

The plastic strip on the bottom of the camera has nothing to do with the camera itself.  It was likely put there to ensure that the camera wasn't scratched when someone was examining it in the store. It was not put on the camera by the design team.  It was probably put there by something more akin to the camera returns department.  Not only is it not a part of the camera design, but it actually violates cohesiveness of the look and feel of design of the camera.

It reminds me a bit of a really old movie trailer.  You can take an amazing film like The Godfather where every single line of dialog and every shot in the film is beautiful and has a purpose.  And then you watch the original trailer....  It's horrible and has no real connection to the film itself.  It's clearly not created by Coppola.  It's not a work of art.  It's just a gaudy sales piece created by some guy who has a totally different agenda than Coppola did when he made the film. 

That's what the plastic is like on the bottom of the camera.  When you leave it on, in my view, you're just communicating that you have zero appreciation for the thought that went into what the camera is supposed to look and feel like.  It's like you think the plastic strip is a part of the design rather than being something added after the camera was designed (by someone other than a designer).

BTW, on my M10, not only did I remove the plastic from the bottom, but I also removed that sticker with all the odd letters on it (which was pretty difficult to do).  Like the plastic, the sticker has nothing to do with the purposeful design of the camera. It's there because of some import law or something....

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Edited by John Ricard
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vor 8 Stunden schrieb John Ricard:

Of course the plastic should be removed.  To not remove it, suggests you don't understand the importance of the attention to detail that went into the design of the camera.  Every single aspect of the camera was designed with attention to appearance and feel.  The camera looks good.  And if feels good.  The matte vs glossy finish, the chrome vs black, the leather covering, the metal surfaces, the fonts, the red dot...every single detail has a purpose and was carefully thought out and all of the details work beautifully together. Not one detail looks out of place when you are looking at a Leica body.

The plastic strip on the bottom of the camera has nothing to do with the camera itself.  It was likely put there to ensure that the camera wasn't scratched when someone was examining it in the store. It was not put on the camera by the design team.  It was probably put there by something more akin to the camera returns department.  Not only is it not a part of the camera design, but it actually violates cohesiveness of the look and feel of design of the camera.

It reminds me a bit of a really old movie trailer.  You can take an amazing film like The Godfather where every single line of dialog and every shot in the film is beautiful and has a purpose.  And then you watch the original trailer....  It's horrible and has no real connection to the film itself.  It's clearly not created by Coppola.  It's not a work of art.  It's just a gaudy sales piece created by some guy who has a totally different agenda than Coppola did when he made the film. 

That's what the plastic is like on the bottom of the camera.  When you leave it on, in my view, you're just communicating that you have zero appreciation for the thought that went into what the camera is supposed to look and feel like.  It's like you think the plastic strip is a part of the design rather than being something added after the camera was designed (by someone other than a designer).

BTW, on my M10, not only did I remove the plastic from the bottom, but I also removed that sticker with all the odd letters on it (which was pretty difficult to do).  Like the plastic, the sticker has nothing to do with the purposeful design of the camera. It's there because of some import law or something....

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Yes, I think this is a real good argument. The factor " art " " craftmanship " and appreciation for the concept of the Leica is important. But in defense of my own actions: I have an MP without plastic and an M240+ M10 with plastic bottom ( that even sounds wrong...). There is a psychological factor of acceptance and letting good ( let it be ) . 

The price and value of the camera especially a new camera is so high and great that it is difficult to let go of the fact, that it is mine entirely. The plastic on the bottom plate gives it a postponing feeling: Once the plastic is yours, you have to accept that you bought an incredible expensive camera and that you are not planning to let the camera go again... 

A few weeks ago a Leica owner said to me with proud: " I removed the plastic on the bottom plate of my M 10. " And I was a little proud of him. He, standing there, fully accepting the consequences of his deed. I admiring him for having the courage to take that extra large step: Taking full ownership and accepting that this camera was his forever. 

Thinking of this moment afterwards, I felt a little strange and decided to make this thread. 

 

 

 

Edited by Paulus
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vor 8 Minuten schrieb Chaemono:

I accept that I bought an incredibly expensive camera once I get an SMS that my plastic was charged 6,000 quid. 🤣 

Yes, I had this feeling with my Bike, not with my camera... I believe I'm not alone in this: 

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vor 2 Minuten schrieb Chaemono:

It sounds like Jean-Paul Sartre removed the plastic from the bicycle frame. It makes sense, it had no inherent value, let alone some pre-existing one, once he had paid for the bike. 

There is no evidence, that Sartre had plastic on his bike.... I don't know if they used that in the 50's.

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On 4/12/2019 at 8:18 PM, John Ricard said:

Of course the plastic should be removed.  To not remove it, suggests you don't understand the importance of the attention to detail that went into the design of the camera.  Every single aspect of the camera was designed with attention to appearance and feel.  The camera looks good.  And if feels good.  The matte vs glossy finish, the chrome vs black, the leather covering, the metal surfaces, the fonts, the red dot...every single detail has a purpose and was carefully thought out and all of the details work beautifully together. Not one detail looks out of place when you are looking at a Leica body.

The plastic strip on the bottom of the camera has nothing to do with the camera itself.  It was likely put there to ensure that the camera wasn't scratched when someone was examining it in the store. It was not put on the camera by the design team.  It was probably put there by something more akin to the camera returns department.  Not only is it not a part of the camera design, but it actually violates cohesiveness of the look and feel of design of the camera.

It reminds me a bit of a really old movie trailer.  You can take an amazing film like The Godfather where every single line of dialog and every shot in the film is beautiful and has a purpose.  And then you watch the original trailer....  It's horrible and has no real connection to the film itself.  It's clearly not created by Coppola.  It's not a work of art.  It's just a gaudy sales piece created by some guy who has a totally different agenda than Coppola did when he made the film. 

That's what the plastic is like on the bottom of the camera.  When you leave it on, in my view, you're just communicating that you have zero appreciation for the thought that went into what the camera is supposed to look and feel like.  It's like you think the plastic strip is a part of the design rather than being something added after the camera was designed (by someone other than a designer).

BTW, on my M10, not only did I remove the plastic from the bottom, but I also removed that sticker with all the odd letters on it (which was pretty difficult to do).  Like the plastic, the sticker has nothing to do with the purposeful design of the camera. It's there because of some import law or something....

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Doesn’t matter to me one way or the other, but it’s amusing to look at your scratched up bottom plate (and lens) after so much emphasis on appearance and detail.  Maybe that was the intent.

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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