How do you custom your M camera/lenses?

[Dennis]

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I do custom mine. 

Some lenses are used only at certain f/stop. Some settings are covered for best practice. Fewer distractions, fewer options to choose from. I'm faster, more efficient, and I enjoy more the process of shooting. Aesthetically some items are ugly, some much better. But I don't care. 

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How much do you custom your cameras/lenses? How unique and/or personalized is your M gear? Please share some delightful possibilities.

Photos by Q2M

[pippy]

I haven't done anything to any of my M kit since I was a student. Back then (mid-1980's) there was a very different vibe in the air here in the UK and people were more uncomfortable and suspicious about anyone snapping on the streets so I resorted to the tried'n'tested route of covering my M2 in black tape.

I left it like that for the next 20 years which might not have been so bad had I not used electricians insulating tape which left such a mess when I finally took it off...

Cue gratuitous snap from circa '86;

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Philip.

EDIT : The shape of the hood (which got a LOT worse than that!) illustrates why I always use have a hood on my lenses..............

Edited December 10, 2021 by pippy

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[pippy]

2 hours ago, Dennis said:

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

I knew about your preference for the 'simplification' of apertures etc., Dennis, but do you not - or only rarely - use any shutter-speeds between 1/60th and 1/500th?

Philip.

[Dennis]

40 minutes ago, pippy said:

I haven't done anything to any of my M kit since I was a student. Back then (mid-1980's) there was a very different vibe in the air here in the UK and people were more uncomfortable and suspicious about anyone snapping on the streets so I resorted to the tried'n'tested route of covering my M2 in black tape.

I left it like that for the next 20 years which might not have been so bad had I not used electricians insulating tape which left such a mess when I finally took it off...

Cue gratuitous snap from circa '86;

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!

Philip.

EDIT : The shape of the hood (which got a LOT worse than that!) illustrates why I always use have a hood on my lenses..............

Such a great snapshot and memory to keep. Black tape is enough customization, very minimalism for your specific purpose back then. I guess the majority of users here don’t custom cameras, for many legitime reasons. There is no point…. I guess

 

[Dennis]

5 minutes ago, pippy said:

I knew about your preference for the 'simplification' of apertures etc., Dennis, but do you not - or only rarely - use any shutter-speeds between 1/60th and 1/500th?

Philip.

TBH, rarely. Sometime I may under/over expose one stop. But because usually I expose for the highlights, everything remain under control.

[cboy]

3 hours ago, Dennis said:

I do custom mine. 

Some lenses are used only at certain f/stop. Some settings are covered for best practice. Fewer distractions, fewer options to choose from. I'm faster, more efficient, and I enjoy more the process of shooting. Aesthetically some items are ugly, some much better. But I don't care. 

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!

 

How much do you custom your cameras/lenses? How unique and/or personalized is your M gear? Please share some delightful possibilities.

Photos by Q2M

Geez...You didn't have to massacre your lenses for the sake of effeciency....

But then again it forces you to keep your personalised lens lest selling them for cheap lol

The closest I had for a custom is putting washi tape over the red dot 🤣

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by cboy

[Herr Barnack]

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I customize my M cameras and lenses, but I use a ball peen hammer and an orbital sander.

I think of it as creating sort of a Lenny Kravitz “Correspondent” Special Edition set on steroids.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[pippy]

11 minutes ago, cboy said:

Geez...You didn't have to massacre your lenses for the sake of effeciency....The closest I had for a custom is putting washi tape over the red dot 🤣

 

I rather suspect Dennis has also just put black tape over the numbers he rarely uses......

Philip.

[Dennis]

12 minutes ago, cboy said:

But then again it forces you to keep your personalised lens lest selling them for cheap lol

Because I don't (usually) sell them, I can custom them as I want, right? Not worry about the price, just for my MO and a better experience. But except for the red dot, which I used the wrong tape at the beginning, I now use one that doesn't leave anything when I take it off. Because also I lose some, from time to time. And my patient wife helps me with the DIY magic. 

13 minutes ago, cboy said:

The closest I had for a custom is putting washi tape over the red dot

It's a start.

[Dennis]

2 minutes ago, pippy said:

I rather suspect Dennis has also just put black tape over the numbers he rarely uses......

Philip.

Correct. Tape is on certain fstops, SS, ISO, distances, and all feet measures 😅

[pippy]

36 minutes ago, Dennis said:

TBH, rarely. Sometime I may under/over expose one stop. But because usually I expose for the highlights, everything remain under control.

Interesting choice of speeds, though, Dennis.

I know we both have different shooting styles and routines not to mention subject matter but the range from 1/60th to 1/250 is my 'base-camp' from where things will only change when necessary.

Of course shooting the 50mm f1.5 Summarit wide-open for the whole of a snow-filled March DID require that change and I'm still delighted that your post led me down that particular garden path! An experience which will probably come in very useful with the recently-new-to-me 35mm v2 Summilux now effectively welded on to the M-D....

Philip.

Edited December 11, 2021 by pippy

[cboy]

Oh sorry I thought it was paint haha. Good you opted the sensible option 👍

[Dennis]

 

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Edited December 11, 2021 by Dennis
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[Dennis]

1 hour ago, pippy said:

Interesting choice of speeds, though, Dennis.

I know we both have different shooting styles and routines not to mention subject matter but the range from 1/60th to 1/250 is my 'base-camp' from where things will only change when necessary.

Of course shooting the 50mm f1.5 Summarit wide-open for the whole of a snow-filled March DID require that change and I'm still delighted that your post led me down that particular garden path! An experience which will probably come in very useful with the recently-new-to-me 35mm v2 Summilux now effectively welded on to the M-D....

Philip.

  You can leave alone the 1/60 to 1/250 and tape the rest Anyway, if you need an extra stop, you know is there, don’t need to have it.

Glad you enjoy your Summarit challenge for a month. Now it’s time for your new 35 lux v2, I would suggest from 15 dec to 15 Jan… It’s the perfect time 🙂

 

[Dennis]

1 hour ago, cboy said:

Oh sorry I thought it was paint haha. Good you opted the sensible option 👍

Correct. And using your answer, I want to specify that it's all black time. It is easily removable. I also used it in DSLR, then sold the bodies w/ everything clean and not sticky. It's 100% reversible. Quickly.

The only exception could be the regular electrician's kind of tape on the red dot. This is the only one that (maybe) it would leave the part a little sticky. If I want to take it off or sell the camera. But any of this will happen. It's my first Leica ever, and it will always stay with me. And covered.

[Dennis]

My thread is curious it’s. It's about to know if someone here custom the camera and lenses, in any way out of the ordinary. Don't know. DIY half case or grip, velcro somewhere, straps with something attached, three filters with no glass as a hood, a post-it in the base plate with Exif, any kind of personalization that makes your camera unique. It could be aesthetics, functionality, trends. Or just because it makes sense for you.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Dennis

[cboy]

Well if your mentioning diy half cases I use the m240 ever ready case and used a seam ripper to seperate the magnetic  back cover from the half case so that's detachable....very useful

I've also used the seam ripper to remove velcro  and brand name tags in my domke bag that don't appeal to me.

If I was more mechanically inclined I'd love to black chrome out the lens mount. But alas I ain't lol

Edited December 11, 2021 by cboy

[Dennis]

15 minutes ago, cboy said:

Well if your mentioning diy half cases I use the m240 ever ready case and used a seam ripper to seperate the magnetic  back cover from the half case so that's detachable....very useful

I think so, smart and super useful. DIY solutions.

 

[Dennis]

18 minutes ago, cboy said:

If I was more mechanically inclined I'd love to black chrome out the lens mount. But alas I ain't lol

I’m sure someone can do it for you. Because, as you said, you would love to.

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[KFo]

I'll put a strip of gaffer's tape here and there as needed.  On this particular lens (1972 Summilux 35) I find that I accidentally change the aperture so I tape it in place.  I'll also tape some lenses at hyperfocal or at a particular distance occasionally.  It's usually black gaffer's tape, but my roll of black lost it's stick completely.  This camera used to have a scannable IG account logo taped on the baseplate, but I've just removed because I'm changing things around.

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Back when I was using a Fuji XPRO and X100, I found it necessary to use a lot of tape to hold things in place.  On the Leica, I haven't seen the need, the occasional aperture ring or focus position aside.

Another customisation that I've done is adding a step up ring to my 28 f5.6 summaron.  I did that to keep my finger out of the picture