My take on The One Thing Leica Users Get Wrong

[John Ricard]

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I'm sure many of you will dismiss the video for its clickbait title, but I think the point I'm making here is valid nevertheless.

 

[earleygallery]

The sticker is very important, it has information to tell you how to dispose of the camera when you're done with it!

 

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[LeicaS2]

Ouch! Watching the plastic being removed was like watching a band-aid being removed. 
John, you were so brave.

I love your initials design. I forgot Leica would do that. Maybe I didn’t ever know. Thanks.

[adan]

Glad you got that off your chest! Worth the 8 minutes to get to know you better.

But a few points:

1) I personally - doing PJ rather than commercial - don't give a rat's #%& what the camera looks like. I use mine just like you use your Nikon Z6, or as Don McCullin said, "I only use the camera like I use a toothbrush. It does the job." I use gaffer's tape to cover the Leica logo on silver bodies (horrors!).

I don't waste time removing the plastic (and label) - I just leave them on until they are so shredded and worn that they fall off on their own. But then my sales are "over the transom" so I don't have to sell my image, just my images. So no criticism implied.

2) "Vulcanite," as the name suggests, was a cladding made of vulcanized hard rubber, that was heat-molded onto the cameras. It went away around 1985 in the transition from the M4-P to the M6, and textured vinyl has been the standard "skin" ever since (except for the "ostrich-skin" special editions). The adhesive vinyl may have various textures embossed into it ("leatherette," "sharkskin," etc.)

Real vulcanite is pretty easy to identify - by this time it is usually very hard and brittle, and "cracks off" as shrapnel shards rather than peeling off. I dropped an M4-2 around 2002, and it was like a grenade had gone off - vulcanite scraps scattered up to 20 feet away.

(trivia - there is also a rare mineral called vulcanite. It is not used to cover cameras. )

3) The M10 ISO knob is not based on the M4 rewind CRANK (which is both larger - and tilted), but on the knobs of the M2, M3, MP, and M-A.

Comparison picture here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/hands-on-review/classic-camera-review-the-leica-m4

 

[Al Brown]

10 hours ago, John Ricard said:

I'm sure many of you will dismiss the video for its clickbait title, but I think the point I'm making here is valid nevertheless.

 

I have engraved the top plate of my M240 a few years ago at the local engraver with my vector design for $15. Top notch job. They did not charge shipping either.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Al Brown

[KFo]

With all due respect, I might suggest that the beat up equipment is in fact a cultivated esthetic image.  In particular covering the red dot…

 

 

[LocalHero1953]

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35 minutes ago, KFo said:

With all due respect, I might suggest that the beat up equipment is in fact a cultivated esthetic image.  In particular covering the red dot…

 

 

The OP does say that people buy Leicas for their looks rather than Nikons, which do a better job cheaper - I'm not clear from this video if he does the same.

But hey, not everyone on the internet has to think alike.

[Kriehuber]

Unrelated from what's said in the Video I also hate the clear plastic stickers / protectors on the base plate and always remove it. But when someone chooses to keep them on their Camera its their choice.

[strohscw]

This video has now led me to remove this foil and the sticker on the bottom plate.
Looks better now.

[earleygallery]

3 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

The OP does say that people buy Leicas for their looks rather than Nikons, which do a better job cheaper - I'm not clear from this video if he does the same.

But hey, not everyone on the internet has to think alike.

A lot of people think the Leica rangefinder camera looks unique but of course when the M line was launched there were hundreds of similar looking rangefinder cameras on the market. Just as so many EVF and DSLR's look alike now.

[goofballsupersized]

Done it even before putting the battery in my M10-R BP, looks and feel way cooler. The little battery certification sticker however is a tremendous pain to remove. I removed the sticker but the glue stayed. After appling some screen cleaner it's finally gone.

[LocalHero1953]

There undoubtedly are people who buy Leicas for their looks and prestige. There are also plenty of people who buy Nikon and Canon because they are safe ("no one ever got fired for buying IBM Canon/Nikon"). I was asked for advice on buying a camera by a friend who I had done portrait shoot for: she wanted it for (a) small children and (b) birds. As her main experience was with P&S I suggested one of the Olympus MFT cameras. Her partner bought her a massive Canon DSLR, which I've never seen her using.

[John Ricard]

7 hours ago, adan said:

 

3) The M10 ISO knob is not based on the M4 rewind CRANK (which is both larger - and tilted), but on the knobs of the M2, M3, MP, and M-A.

 

 

Yeah, I was going to put a picture of an M4 into the video at that spot and when I looked it up I saw it had the titled crank   The MP was the camera I was thinking of.

[Stef63]

Why am I keeping focused in this video on the lens hood that is more than 5° off to the right of a perfect alignment with the horizontal body axis ?  Is it just me?  

[Guest]

The video just stereotypes every leica user as a certain type of person who gets the camera for a set reason and cares about looks  blah blah.

The Op has shown a lack of intelligence as well as a smug condescending view of painting everyone with the same brush.

The plastic thing is not relevant to anything in my view.

[John Ricard]

4 hours ago, Stef63 said:

Why am I keeping focused in this video on the lens hood that is more than 5° off to the right of a perfect alignment with the horizontal body axis ?  Is it just me?  

No, it's not just you.  It's me as well. When I looked over the video I kept noticing the same thing.  Rest assure, it's not that way when I'm actually shooting

[Robert Blanko]

I have solved said first-world problem by using a half case.

And for my initials I just used a small black pen to blacken most of the white letters of „Leica Camera Wetzlar Made in Germany“ engraved on the back side, so that my initials remain unblackened on the black chrome body (my forum name is just my pseudonym, so no RB required). 😁

[charlesphoto99]

I've always removed the stickers straight away, first day. Takes about five minutes, less time than that video (I watched a good 15 seconds). One caveat though, which could be a tough lesson: might want to wait a bit on removing to make sure the camera shakes out in case of needing a return. 

[John Ricard]

6 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

I've always removed the stickers straight away, first day. Takes about five minutes, less time than that video (I watched a good 15 seconds). One caveat though, which could be a tough lesson: might want to wait a bit on removing to make sure the camera shakes out in case of needing a return. 

True, but mine was engraved so there is no way anyone was taking it back!

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Hallo,

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[IkarusJohn]

I think the “biggest mistake Leica owners make” is to futz about the clear plastic and sticker on the bottom. 

PS - why is this post #1?

Edited October 27, 2021 by IkarusJohn