Unnecessary bling

[AdHox]

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My apologies in advance - I'm sure there must be threads on this from mid-2023, but I can't find one.

Leica allows Q3 owners to bring a little bling with lens caps, round lens hoods, thumb supports, hotshoe covers, and soft release buttons, in blasted brass, silver anodised aluminium or black anodised aluminium.

It seems like Leica missed some opportunities:

• Thread protection rings in blasted brass or silver anodised? I use the protection ring when I'm using filters as find filters and hoods never play together nicely.
• Red. Obviously red would never appeal to the black dot brigade, but neither should brass, and we have that. Red seems like such an obvious colour for bling. (I know the Danish fellow does red hoods, but I've seen too many red flags about him).
• Dark green. The dark green finish of the Reporter version could be completed with matching thumb supports &c.
• Vantablack. Maybe a special Vantablack dot so it appears to disappear into a void. I suppose this is more of an anti-bling ...

Apart from good taste, what have I missed?

[JNK100]

Why would anyone want to draw attention to themselves?

A camera is for taking photographs is it not?

 

 

 

[LocalHero1953]

I'm in the anti-bling brigade - I don't want to draw attention to my camera, and I have no use for thumb rests, shutter releases etc. The only thing on my camera is a wrist strap. But I'm a tolerant sort of guy, so if people want to deck their cameras out like a Christmas tree, then I am willing to pay tribute to the variety of human nature. And I can well understand that the more colours and the brighter the better.

Perhaps someone should sell luminous paint for improving the after-dark look - paint your signature on the front? Or mini flashing LEDs to stick on different parts of the body? And this is before we get to custom sound effects for when the shutter release is pressed (train crash? Saturn rocket lift-off? climactic squeal?).

[NigelG]

6 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Perhaps someone should sell luminous paint for improving the after-dark look - paint your signature on the front? Or mini flashing LEDs to stick on different parts of the body? And this is before we get to custom sound effects for when the shutter release is pressed (train crash? Saturn rocket lift-off? climactic squeal?).

Leica themselves could market the first - the “Stealth Edition” M came factory-finished with luminous paint.

I have had various Canons and Fujis over the years where you could choose everything from the start up tone and “splash screen” to the shutter sound. My Fuji X10 (which I still use occasionally) allowed the choice of a quite M-ish “snick”…

[Chris Nebard]

I’m definitely in the “classic look” camp. I only want to add accessories which might enhance that, not pimp it up. I’m happy that a few Leica accessories can be used across the Q range. My original Typ 116 sports the new Q3 hood, 116 grip and, occasionally, the brown Leica strap or a simple wrist strap. Each to their own though! 

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[Camaro5]

My bling, if you can call it that, is more on the practical side.  I use a black thumb rest on my Q3 and a nice half-case for it, but that's about it.  I use a Peak Design strap as the real fancy ones never appealed to me, and few are long enough to wear across your body.  

[bobtodrick]

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17 hours ago, AdHox said:

Apart from good taste, what have I missed?

That about sums it up 🤣

[Olaf_ZG]

I don’t like bling either, taped the red logo as well as all other holes the camera had (just in case).

Having an old leather strap, I must admit it fits nicely with the “wooden” grip I bought. Rather stylish.

Both strap and grip makes it also very nice to carry…

[AdHox]

Like many here, I mostly eschew bling on Leicas.

I use a thumb rest, black to match the body.

I use a Lim's half case, black of course.

Together, they allow a more relaxed grip for days when the Q3 is in hand for extended periods.

However ...

I will confess to having a brass lens cap, but only because I misplaced my black cap in Japan and the Leica Store at Tokyo Station only had brass in stock; I found the 'lost' black cap a couple of weeks later when I completely unpacked my case at home. I've decided that I like the brass cap because it is easier to find in the bottom of a bag than the black, and it's not attached to my camera when it is out of the bag.

 

[AdHox]

2 hours ago, bobtodrick said:

That about sums it up 🤣

To be fair, Leica doesn't always worry about the 'good taste' test.

 

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Edited December 4, 2024 by AdHox
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[bobtodrick]

1 hour ago, AdHox said:

To be fair, Leica doesn't always worry about the 'good taste' test.

 

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Gotta agree...this stuff makes them a lot of money, which means they stay in business to keep the rest of us happy...but boy, some of them are cringe worthy 😂

[steve edmunds]

When i bought my Q2 from red dot cameras in the UK [ ex demo model] i went and bought that ghastly gold coloured lens hood because i dislike the hood that comes with the camera but only used it a couple of times and bought a black metal vented hood instead.

We all make mistakes 

[Marc B-C]

20 hours ago, AdHox said:

To be fair, Leica doesn't always worry about the 'good taste' test.

 

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Hence the phrase: Don't cry over spilt milk. 😀

[Richard K]

On 12/3/2024 at 11:45 AM, Camaro5 said:

My bling, if you can call it that, is more on the practical side.  I use a black thumb rest on my Q3 and a nice half-case for it, but that's about it.  I use a Peak Design strap as the real fancy ones never appealed to me, and few are long enough to wear across your body.  

Same here. Lim's half case for the grip, Match Technical thumbs up. Oh and a black soft release button.

[Qwertynm]

I bling‘d down my Q3. Hope my lens cap doesn’t trigger you 🫣

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[MCINFANTRY]

15 hours ago, steve edmunds said:

When i bought my Q2 from red dot cameras in the UK [ ex demo model] i went and bought that ghastly gold coloured lens hood because i dislike the hood that comes with the camera but only used it a couple of times and bought a black metal vented hood instead.

We all make mistakes 

You know you can lightly sand it and stain it black.

[steve edmunds]

8 hours ago, MCINFANTRY said:

You know you can lightly sand it and stain it black.

Considering the used prices for the hood right now i might just keep it a while and see if they go even higher!!

[NZDavid]

Is there such a thing as "necessary" bling?

[jdlaing]

1 minute ago, NZDavid said:

Is there such a thing as "necessary" bling?

Yes. Considering the number of straps sold in the quest for the perfect one.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[DadDadDaddyo]

It all depends on one's intent, which is often unspoken. I'm referring to that intent which one speaks quietly to oneself, the rationale, the inner urge, the itch. The internal conversion that says, "What will people think?"

So.

--> Why is one using Leica equipment?

--> To see?

--> Or to be seen?

A presumption of the latter seems to have become so prevalent that those of us for whom it is the former must put up with a broad section of the photographing public who think one's motivation must be the latter. 

We've all run into it. It's the ""Why else would one choose such an expensive piece of gear?"" routine. "It must be to draw attention!"

So, yeah, no bling for me.

Nothing to see here, folks, I'm just trying to make pictures... 

Bling contributes nothing to photography.