Enquiry to cameraleather.com

[marknorton]

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I contacted cameraleather.com about leathers for the M8 and this is what they said...

 

Thanks for your inquiry. We're getting asked daily about this subject.

 

There is no technical reason we can't send you a kit for your M8. But we have a good relationship with Leica, and we don't want to upstage their A-la-carte program for the M8. I expected they would have unveiled this much sooner, but I think they are still trying to keep up with demand for the stock kit. So many of our customers are agitating for a M8 kit--and Leica knows this--that I expect them to do something before the holidays.

 

The "electronics" don't interfere with removal or replacement of the M8 covering. However, they are vulnerable (read on) and we have more concern with M8 owners doing a DIY job on their cameras, than with other M bodies.

 

The factory covering uses an acrylic adhesive and if removed with care, most of the adhesive comes off with it. But there are usually bits of the old goo left on the body, and in some cases there are large swaths of adhesive remaining. (This is always the case on the MP and M7 backs.) This material is stubborn; acrylic adhesives cannot be thinned or dissolved without chemicals . . . and our main concern is what the M8 owner might do in his or her frustration in getting the stuff off. No fluid of any kind, never mind the harsh stuff, should be allowed to seep anywhere inside the body. The M8 in particular has a tangle of circuitry within the shell, much more so than the M7 or MP. I would hate to think what even a bit of paint stripper would do to a tiny ribbon cable.

I would say most M8 owners, including yourself, would do a fine job. But all it takes is one horror story on the blogosphere, and every Leica forum around the world will be buzzing within 30 minutes. And along those lines, we can't decide who is or is not capable of applying their own leather kit, without engendering similar tirades!

I expect we will offer a pre-cut kit when the M8 starts coming off warranty, with very specific directions on how to proceed. To be clear, a successful recovering today will not invalidate the warranty, under Federal consumer protection laws, and I suspect EU statutes too. Any new product with cosmetic "aftermarket" treatments (cars, computers, guitars, cameras . . .

 

anything) must still be supported under warranty as long as the mods do not affect function. The only item where the buyer might come up short, is if Leica has to strip off one of our coverings for service, and it can't be re-applied. We always "piggy back" on the Leica warranty, so in this case we replace any covering without charge, and also apply it without charge, if we originally did the work.

 

Please feel free to post any and all of my remarks, since my fingers are getting cramped from repeating them!

 

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[sdai]

I wouldn't worry a lot if I have three M8, Mark.

 

Here's something you can try right away ... don't blame me if you screw up.

 

Leica Camera Leather

[marknorton]

These are just pieces of leather not cut to shape.

 

I think cutting it to shape around the lens release button and frame lever would be difficult and I expect my effort would look like the output of a First Grade arts and crafts class.

 

I've gone back to him saying we'll need leather for the grip as well.

[Guest tummydoc]

I contacted cameraleather.com about leathers for the M8 and this is what they said...

 

we have a good relationship with Leica, and we don't want to upstage their A-la-carte program for the M8.

 

'Good relationship'??? Are they not direct competitors in the Leica-covering market? They certainly didn't seem to show any deference to Leica's a-la-carte programme w.r.t. the MP and M7, in fact looking at the chronology of events one might even postulate that Cameraleather was at least in part responsible for sparking the impetus in Leica's product development department. There are certainly no patent or copyright infringements involved; Cameraleather doesn't need Leica's co-operation in terms of blue-prints to concoct their aftermarket covers. The only type of 'good relationship' I can imagine an aftermarket company would have with Leica that would inhibit them from taking advantage of a profit-making opportunity would be if that company were to be, or seeking to become, an OEM supplier

 

As to the adhesive-remnant issue, their excuse sounds a bit like Leica's excuse for not implementing a lens-code selection in the M8 menu...protect us from our own ineptitude. All it would take for the aftermarket maker to protect themselves from liability is a properly-worded legal disclaimer, that use of any liquid or chemical to remove adhesive remnants is purely at the customer's own risk. Seepage of chemical adhesive stripper into the workings of an M5, M6, M7, MP or any other camera with even elementary electonic circuitry, or for that matter any plastic, would have a potential for serious damage.

 

Perhaps Mr. Aki-Asahi will step in with a faux-Vulcanite cover for the M8 to satisfy the significant demand from people who dislike the MP material.

[marknorton]

I too think their excuses are a bit limp, all it needs is a competitor for those excuses to suddenly evaporate.

[mat_mcdermott]

Well, that repsonse is progress from a few months ago when they weren't sure about what they could do with the M8. Interesting though that there is no mention of them offering to do a recovering like they do for other cameras. The website is mute on the subject as well.

[gravastar]

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..............................The factory covering uses an acrylic adhesive and if removed with care, most of the adhesive comes off with it. But there are usually bits of the old goo left on the body, and in some cases there are large swaths of adhesive remaining. (This is always the case on the MP and M7 backs.) This material is stubborn; acrylic adhesives cannot be thinned or dissolved without chemicals . . . and our main concern is what the M8 owner might do in his or her frustration in getting the stuff off. No fluid of any kind, never mind the harsh stuff, should be allowed to seep anywhere inside the body........................

 

My experience with acrylic adhesives has been that there's a simple solution to this problem. You repeatedly use a piece of strong adhesive tape to pull off the residual goo. You soon learn how how fast to pull off the tape to maximise the amount removed at each pull. As the adhesive accumulates on the tape it enhances the amount removed. No need for solvents at all.

 

Bob.