Terry Kelly Posted March 27, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 27, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Last week my house caught fire whichcompletely destroyed the first floor and took out the some of the ceilings on the ground floor as well (total loss housewise). My Leica was in it's Billingham bag under the desk, and as soon as the fire brigade allowed I went upstairs to the remains of my office to retreive it. Everything on the desk was toast, the desktop had burned and the PC and printer etc. had fallen to the floor where they had merrily joined the conflagration. The bag was sopping wet, singed, and the flap burned through in one place to the pocket beneath, but miraculously my M8 was completely intact (in the foam insert) as were my spare battery and flash etc. Even the spare memory cards survived. I have since used the camera to record the damage and some attempted salvage operations, all the images are perfect. Whether it's the Billingham bag, or the 'battleship' Leica construction I don't know, but mine survived ordeal by fire and water with nary a scratch. Much is said (by the great unwashed) on this forum about how bad the M8 is, but I doubt if the modern plasticky DSLRs would have fared as well in similar circumstances. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leolaksi Posted March 27, 2009 Share #2 Posted March 27, 2009 sorry to hear about your fire but great "survivor" story about your leica. like to see photo of your billingham bag. Leo Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andit Posted March 27, 2009 Share #3 Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Terry, Sorry to hear about your home. Hope the insurance company is not full of nonsense and that you get back on your feet real quickly. Andreas Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xing Posted March 27, 2009 Share #4 Posted March 27, 2009 The bag was sopping wet, singed, and the flap burned through in one place to the pocket beneath, but miraculously my M8 was completely intact (in the foam insert) as were my spare battery and flash etc. Even the spare memory cards survived.... Much is said (by the great unwashed) on this forum about how bad the M8 is, but I doubt if the modern plasticky DSLRs would have fared as well in similar circumstances. Yeah but washed or unwashed, anyone with a lick of intelligence can see that what saved your M8 was the combination of water to arrest the flames, and the waterproofing of the Billingham bag to save the contents from the water. That spare battery and memory cards are all "plasticky" in case that fact escaped you, not to mention the buttons and wheels around the LCD on the back of the M8. I'll chalk off your momentary lapse of reason to the shock of having your house catch fire, that has to suck majorly. Glad nobody was hurt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Luis D Posted March 27, 2009 Share #5 Posted March 27, 2009 Also I am happy that the outcome was not worse, but likewise I agree the survival of the M8 has little or nothing to do with the quality of the camera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmr Posted March 27, 2009 Share #6 Posted March 27, 2009 Terry... Sorry for your lost. I hope you are able to salvage some other important things. A house is easy to replace, a Home... is in your heart. Leica is tough... there are a bunch of factors, including the build, that saved it. It is just your luck. Again... I do hope you have better luck with the rest of your things. Enfield? Leeds United? Good luck... Robert. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 27, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 27, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) What a dreadful experience for you but glad to hear that your Leica survived, it must have helped to lift your spirits at least a little. Hope everything gets resolved quickly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aesop Posted March 27, 2009 Share #8 Posted March 27, 2009 ...chapeau, Billingham. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 28, 2009 Share #9 Posted March 28, 2009 Yeah but washed or unwashed, anyone with a lick of intelligence can see that what saved your M8 was the combination of water to arrest the flames, and the waterproofing of the Billingham bag to save the contents from the water. That spare battery and memory cards are all "plasticky" in case that fact escaped you, not to mention the buttons and wheels around the LCD on the back of the M8. I'll chalk off your momentary lapse of reason to the shock of having your house catch fire, that has to suck majorly. Glad nobody was hurt. Why spoil a good yarn? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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