My M10 and I took a hard fall, the M10 is in better shape than I am, and I am fine.

[hmathias]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I was injured in a crowd control accident while shooting in an ancient stone castle. I was walking up some steep stone steps in the old part of the building, when a crowd of people suddenly appeared that were coming down the steps. They swept me backwards propelled by those behind them, and  I fell back down a whole flight of steps backwards. I struck my right hip and left upper arm as I fell. My right hand was also injured. I landed with the back of my head hitting the ground. Other than some stitches and a few bandages no bones were broken.

I was wearing my Leica M 10 slung on a strap over my neck and one shoulder with a 35 mm Summilux  ASPH FLE lens on the camera. In a padded lens pouch on my waist I had a 50 mm Summilux ASPH lens on my Belt.

The only visible damage after the fall was two small dings on the front of the 35mm metal lens hood. But the front element group on the 35 mm Summilux now comes unthreaded if you rotate the lens hood in even the most gentle manner. So I believe there is damage to the lens barrel threads and possibly the lens is bent out of alignment with the optical center line.

I’m also concerned that the camera front may have been bent at the bayonet lens mount from the impact damage on the lens hood and will send it and the two lenses back to Wetzlar for alignment and  service. But other than not shooting with the 35 mm Summilux, I completed the shoot with the camera and my other lenses and even the 50mm worked flawlessly. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by hmathias

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Nick Milner]

Ouch! Glad to hear you're ok!

[hmathias]

Thanks!

[Peter Kilmister]

Cameras and lenses are replaceable and can be insured. Individual humans are irreplaceable. Thank heavens you weren't hurt too badly.

There can't be many castles in the American continent (north and south) , so I surmise you were in Europe or Asia where 90% of castles still stand. 

Where did this happen so others may be aware?

[mmradman]

Old castles can be tricky to conquer, or photograph, designed to favour defender fending off intruder climbing up stairs. Medieval castle designers were thinking more about chainmail, not so much XXI century tourist with M10 & Summilux FLE. 

[hmathias]

Yes it was in Europe and the issue was crowd control rather than the individual castle's medieval design.

Still the M10 took a hard nock (I don't even know how many steps it hit because I was busy falling) and is unscathed (not even scratched).