Re: [Leica] Black Tape

[Dave Munroe <dmunroe@vcd.hp.com>]

D Khong wrote:

> I have heard that Leica owners use black tape to cover parts of their
> camera to prevent theft.

In most cases, they're fooling only themselves.

Thieves, for the most part, couldn't tell the difference between
a Konica C35 and a Leica, nor would they even care at the time they
attempted to steal it.  A thief, wanting to steal for quick cash,
is interested only in the fact that it is a camera.  Putting black
tape on a chrome camera doesn't really hide the camera (really now,
if you were a thief and looking for something to steal, would you
miss seeing a black camera, especially now that so many cameras
are black?).  Taping over the red logo assumes way too much about
the mentality of the common thief.  Anyone wise enough to know what
a Leica is isn't going to be fooled by a taped-over logo anyway.

Back in the late 1970s, one of the photo rag writers made a comment
to the effect that "pros use a black camera because it's less
conspicuous".  Considering that many of these pros were carrying a
couple Nikon F2's with motor drive, flash units, and extra lenses,
the use of black "to appear inconspicuous" sounded very silly.  That
remark did, however, spur sales of black cameras (at a higher price
of course) to poseurs and wannabe pros that just had to have a black
camera.

- -Dave, still miffed that I couldn't buy a new champagne F3/T in 1988