DIY Leica M10 screen cover for minimalistic look

[TomB_tx]

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On 4/15/2024 at 11:07 AM, yukosteel said:

Here's more info on my 3D print setup (non-affiliated links):

• FDM printer ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro
• ELEGOO PLA 1kg
• YT video on printer assembly and setup (6.5 min)

Yeah, designing of 3D model takes time and it may be calculated as costly effort, though I'm doing it as a hobby and happy to share models for free.

There are tons of other free to print models many people design and share for cameras, you may be surprised how many hundreds thousands people are involving 3D printing into their routine home activities these days.

Thanks for all the information. I've been thinking of adding 3-D printing to my shop for prototypes for my consulting business, as milling & turning metal models is time consuming. So investigating your recommendations got me to order this printer from Amazon - cheap enough to experiment with. Now to upgrade my aging CAD program...

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[yukosteel]

5 hours ago, Robert Blanko said:

 

But as I own a 3D printer in the meantime, I should consider a solution similar to yours! Ideally with a hinge at the bottom, so that one may fold the protector down.

 

I was working on that yesterday and published one intermittent 3D print option of minimalistic Leica M10 bottom plate cover

The LCD cover on pictures is still attached using adhesive tape, but I need to update its bottom area to add material shape for thin paperclip posts. A bit of precise drilling will allow to connect LCD cover to bottom plate cover and make it flip out funciton.

 

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[dpitt]

Thanks for showing this.
Just a wild thought.
It would be really minimalistic if you could maybe fit the cover by sliding it upwards on the original Leica bottom plate. Maybe it could fit in the stand mount by just a pin with a snug fit. Then there would not be a need for a printed bottom plate with hinges, just a flat plate integrated with the cover and with the pin at the right place would do.

Do you think that could work?
 

Edited April 17, 2024 by dpitt

[yukosteel]

1 hour ago, dpitt said:

Thanks for showing this.
Just a wild thought.
It would be really minimalistic if you could maybe fit the cover by sliding it upwards on the original Leica bottom plate. Maybe it could fit in the stand mount by just a pin with a snug fit. Then there would not be a need for a printed bottom plate with hinges, just a flat plate integrated with the cover and with the pin at the right place would do.

Do you think that could work?
 

Yeah, good point, I was considering first making thin 1mm plate as a flat cover over bottom plate, but it's really hard to get it connected to bottom plate without using strong adhesive materials, because PLA material is not attaching well to regular adhesive double-side tape. I was thinking also about printing smaller plate to connect tripod socket with LCD cover, but it's a hard task to design and position exact radial angle of tripod mount bolt. In reality the PLA is also flexing, unless printed quite thick.

I'm not a big fan of latest solution, that cover is making bottom plate bulkier and unpleasant to hold camera. So yes, I'm still looking for even more compact solution.

Edited April 17, 2024 by yukosteel

[dpitt]

10 hours ago, yukosteel said:

Yeah, good point, I was considering first making thin 1mm plate as a flat cover over bottom plate, but it's really hard to get it connected to bottom plate without using strong adhesive materials, because PLA material is not attaching well to regular adhesive double-side tape. I was thinking also about printing smaller plate to connect tripod socket with LCD cover, but it's a hard task to design and position exact radial angle of tripod mount bolt. In reality the PLA is also flexing, unless printed quite thick.

I'm not a big fan of latest solution, that cover is making bottom plate bulkier and unpleasant to hold camera. So yes, I'm still looking for even more compact solution.

Not that I am a great expert in 3D printing. But I have a friend who did a 3D print job for me once. He offered all kind of material options, from basic plastics (PE) to ABS or even reinforced plastics with carbon fiber. Maybe that is something you could look into.

Also, my initial idea was to print the cover together with the bottom part that fits in the stand hole + perhaps a bit more for allignment to the back of the Leica bottom plate, all in one go so you would not need to think about attaching options. Not sure if that would work for your printer or even any 3D printer or 3D printing material. Just an idea.... At least I think it would need not make the sides and front side of the bottom plate any bulkier.

[yukosteel]

15 hours ago, dpitt said:

Also, my initial idea was to print the cover together with the bottom part that fits in the stand hole + perhaps a bit more for allignment to the back of the Leica bottom plate, all in one go so you would not need to think about attaching options. Not sure if that would work for your printer or even any 3D printer or 3D printing material. Just an idea.... At least I think it would need not make the sides and front side of the bottom plate any bulkier.

Yes, it is a good idea. If I understand it right, you are proposing to print LCD cover together with horizontal plate to go under bottom plate, with small pin to capture the tripod socket hole. I was also thinking about similar way to keep LCD cover, but it is harder to print L shape. The way 3D FDM printer works - it is adding layer of material on top, so if "L" shaped part is standing up, bottom plate will be more durable and vertical panel is less durable and easier to break. Perhaps if I print that by placing "L" shaped plate on the side - that may work but plate walls will be thicker than 0.4mm. I'll experiment in that direction, thanks for keep following up on this idea.

[dpitt]

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5 hours ago, yukosteel said:

Yes, it is a good idea. If I understand it right, you are proposing to print LCD cover together with horizontal plate to go under bottom plate, with small pin to capture the tripod socket hole. I was also thinking about similar way to keep LCD cover, but it is harder to print L shape. The way 3D FDM printer works - it is adding layer of material on top, so if "L" shaped part is standing up, bottom plate will be more durable and vertical panel is less durable and easier to break. Perhaps if I print that by placing "L" shaped plate on the side - that may work but plate walls will be thicker than 0.4mm. I'll experiment in that direction, thanks for keep following up on this idea.

Yes that was my idea, print it all in one go. As said, I have not much experience with 3D printing, so I was not aware of the difference in strength caused by the printing direction. If it would only affect the pin that could possibly be fixed by printing a pin or plug separately that fits in the tripod socket, or even use a metal pin for that. But I hoped that printing the bottom plate in one go together with the cover (L shaped) would be strong enough for a workable thickness. Not sure which material options are available for your printer...

I hope this helped a bit and I wish you success with this project.

[250swb]

On 4/15/2024 at 3:38 PM, NigelG said:

I took is to mean that $250 was the initial cost of buying your own printer + plastic to make your own copy. Might be worth it if you have other things to produce eg lens caps…

But if your camera annoys you so much why not just leave it at home and avoid any expense?

[yukosteel]

1 hour ago, dpitt said:

Yes that was my idea, print it all in one go. As said, I have not much experience with 3D printing, so I was not aware of the difference in strength caused by the printing direction. If it would only affect the pin that could possibly be fixed by printing a pin or plug separately that fits in the tripod socket, or even use a metal pin for that. But I hoped that printing the bottom plate in one go together with the cover (L shaped) would be strong enough for a workable thickness. Not sure which material options are available for your printer...

I hope this helped a bit and I wish you success with this project.

Thank you very much Dirk for elaborating more on this idea. The tripod socket bolts are typically quite large and would add significant bulk in the bottom. So I was thinking more on minimalistic workarounds today, then designed and printed "L shaped" LCD protector with small and thin base - about 1.8mm thick. The base is also wide enough to allow camera to stay straight on flat surface on centered weight. I don't have other materials but PLA, and result is a bit flexing, so protector is easily falling off.

Securing with metal bolt works, I found the smaller one to fit that thin plate, though you can't put camera on flat surface due to bolt head is protruding. One solution could be to cut away bolt head, but instead I explored how to design 3D printable bolts and designed one for this purpose. It is screwing in flat with bottom plate and holding plate from sliding. The result is now much more comfortable than using whole bottom plate cover. Well, that comfort comes at cost of unscrewing tripod mount bolt to remove LCD cover and bottom plate, but it's easily doable with bare hands.

 

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[yukosteel]

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[dpitt]

@yukosteel Thanks for the picture, it starts to look good and very minimal. I can understand that it is a hassle to unscrew it for removal.

One afterthought... Maybe the bolt you designed does not have to have a screw thread, instead could be pushed in and pulled out. With some experimenting it could be possible to design one that fits snugly enough to keep the cover in place and allows for removing it without unscrewing it. Maybe something shaped similar to this would work. Maybe it could even be printed in one go with the bottom plate.

 

FYI : I found this one here

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Edited April 19, 2024 by dpitt

[yukosteel]

Using bolt without thread would make it more difficult I think, because pulling it out may be problematic, and the plate itself is not flexible enough to be removed without taking off bolt first. That may be different with another print materials though.

Posted model here: https://www.printables.com/model/849783-leica-m10-lcd-screen-cover-protector-version-ii

[evikne]

I'm not too much of a fan of the bottom plate. And I also don't think it is necessary that it can be tilted outwards with a hinge. Isn't it possible to make it fit so tightly around the edge of the screen that it can just be pressed on like a cap? The simplest is often the best.

[250swb]

So where do you now mount a tripod or plate? The more you refine it the less usable it becomes.

[yukosteel]

23 hours ago, evikne said:

I'm not too much of a fan of the bottom plate. And I also don't think it is necessary that it can be tilted outwards with a hinge. Isn't it possible to make it fit so tightly around the edge of the screen that it can just be pressed on like a cap? The simplest is often the best.

My initial expectation was to have snap on plate, and first version is most close to it. It mostly depends on print material properties to reduce flexing. Maybe if I try ASA one day it will have that more rigid frame. The screen border is very thin and it's edge is not 90 degrees but rather 95, so snap on border does not hold well. The protector stays when you hold camera but may get loose when it's on a shoulder strap. 

22 hours ago, 250swb said:

So where do you now mount a tripod or plate? The more you refine it the less usable it becomes.

Right, though for more rare cases when tripod use is needed, it's easy to just remove the plate. Alternatively, replacing tripod mount bolt to 2mm longer version allowing to securely mount camera with LCD cover attached. It's still mounting well with about 1.5 rotations with standard bolt size. Personally I almost never using tripod with this camera, it works great handheld.

[250swb]

28 minutes ago, yukosteel said:

Right, though for more rare cases when tripod use is needed, it's easy to just remove the plate. Alternatively, replacing tripod mount bolt to 2mm longer version allowing to securely mount camera with LCD cover attached. It's still mounting well with about 1.5 rotations with standard bolt size. Personally I almost never using tripod with this camera, it works great handheld.

Equally I don’t need a blanking screen not to look at an LCD, just don’t look at it. Or is it for virtue signalling, like to demonstrate ‘I don’t need an LCD’. In which case electrical tape over the LCD is even more effective as it doesn’t increase thickness of the body and costs less than a penny, and is even more hardcore because it doesn’t just unclip to cheat the commitment to ‘purity’?

[evikne]

58 minutes ago, 250swb said:

Equally I don’t need a blanking screen not to look at an LCD, just don’t look at it. Or is it for virtue signalling, like to demonstrate ‘I don’t need an LCD’. In which case electrical tape over the LCD is even more effective as it doesn’t increase thickness of the body and costs less than a penny, and is even more hardcore because it doesn’t just unclip to cheat the commitment to ‘purity’?

This is pretty much the same discussion we've had countless times about the screenless D models. I don't care why others want them, but for me it's primarily for tactile reasons: I want to rest my thumb on a leather(ish) surface rather than a cold glass plate. The lack of a screen also makes the camera a little thinner.

A cover like this one wouldn't help with the thickness, but it could at least be a cheap solution to the first.

Edited April 20, 2024 by evikne

[250swb]

12 minutes ago, evikne said:

This is pretty much the same discussion we've had countless times regarding the screenless D models. I want one too, but mainly for tactile reasons: I want to rest my thumb on a leather surface rather than a cold glass plate. The lack of a screen also makes the camera a little thinner.

A cover like this one wouldn't help with the thickness, but it could at least be a cheap solution to the first.

I've obviously never understood that if I don't rest my thumb on a cold glass surface it affects the photographs for the better. I'll have to try it someday but meanwhile I'll consign it to performative nonsense. I admit I mostly use film, but if there was some devious way my film camera that could cross check with my brain and tell me if the exposure I made was 'good' or 'bad' without having to develop the film first I'd take it. It would be intelligent photography using facts and stuff like that, my time is precious and not to be squandered. And yet you have the world in your grasp in a digital camera and throw away access to facts unless you cheat the high bound principle of 'no LCD'.

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[evikne]

11 minutes ago, 250swb said:

I've obviously never understood that if I don't rest my thumb on a cold glass surface it affects the photographs for the better. I'll have to try it someday but meanwhile I'll consign it to performative nonsense. I admit I mostly use film, but if there was some devious way my film camera that could cross check with my brain and tell me if the exposure I made was 'good' or 'bad' without having to develop the film first I'd take it. It would be intelligent photography using facts and stuff like that, my time is precious and not to be squandered. And yet you have the world in your grasp in a digital camera and throw away access to facts unless you cheat the high bound principle of 'no LCD'.

If my only goal with photography was to get the best possible images, I would probably use something other than a Leica. But for me, the user experience is just as important. A screenless model extends that experience even further.

[yukosteel]

3 hours ago, evikne said:

This is pretty much the same discussion we've had countless times about the screenless D models. I don't care why others want them, but for me it's primarily for tactile reasons: I want to rest my thumb on a leather(ish) surface rather than a cold glass plate. The lack of a screen also makes the camera a little thinner.

A cover like this one wouldn't help with the thickness, but it could at least be a cheap solution to the first.

The LCD cover borders are making it look thicker , though in fact 3mm of that thickness is the screen frame itself, and only 0.4mm on top is the protector.

I'm with you on that tactile point, many modern cameras having that large slippery LCD on the back, that doesn't help to grab it with similar comfort as grabbing film camera. I was shooting for a while with Fuji X-Pro3 and realized that larger back grip area not occupied with screen is much more comfortable. Now I've introduced similar experience to M10P and like how it feels.