Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/09

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Subject: Re: [Leica] my camera bag cost JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN eight dollars...
From: "William Gower" <wgower@eco-tec.com>
Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2000 14:48:32 +0000

Hello LUG'ers

I agree with the approach most of the folks on the list when it comes to
lightweight gear and non-camera looking camera bags.

I travel allot (India, Asia, South America) on business and I always pack
light. Originally, I travelled with my Rollie 35S in my briefcase. It's a
wonderful little camera with an very sweet,  sharp 2.8 Zeiss lens. But the
damn thing is not exactly "user - friendly". Although I haven't missed any
particular shots, I haven't exactly managed to "nail" any with the little
bugger either.

The trouble with non-camera bags is the inherent lack of padding and an over
abundance of metal to scratch the cameras finish. I tend to bang my camera
bags more than I'd like to admit, and the padding  has always managed to
save them. Trouble is, whenever I travel I tend to stand out from the
locals, and to get the good shots, you are sometimes forced off the beaten
track. A nicely filled LOWEPRO is a nice target for thieves, and anything
with a Leica logo say's "I'm not supposed to be here, rob me" when you're
far from the local Hilton.

I discovered these great padded "wraps" from DOMKE. They are essentially a
nice piece of square material, generously padded with a gentle scratch-proof
covering. Four velco tabs allow you to wrap up your camera bodies and lenses
for extra protection. And I find the grey colour close enough to 18% to
meter off of. I think I paid 20 Bucks for the large and 15 for the medium
one.

I pack a body, a 50mm and a 35mm, meter, filters, film and a hood in these
wraps, stick them in big freezer bag with a desiccant package (invaluable
for travelling in very humid areas), then stick them in a mid-size fanny
type pack. When I arrive at my destination, I set up and keep the body handy
and whatever lens I need, then leave the rest either in the bag and/or
jacket pocket.

Has anyone ever used that Leica attachment that screws onto the tripod
socket and mounts a second lens to the body ? I was wondering how well it
works, or if it throws off the balance of the camera.

Kind regards

William

- ----------
>From: Martin Howard <howard.390@osu.edu>
>To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Subject: Re: [Leica] my camera bag cost eight dollars
>Date: Fri, Jun 9, 2000, 5:10 PM
>

> kyle cassidy jotted down the following:
>
>> what's with all this bickering about bags? i found one new for eight bucks
>> in about five minutes in the most obvious place. no problem. practically
>> built for the leica M....
>>
>> http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/equipment/bags/
>>
>
> Yep.  Mine was $12: A black map-case bought at the Army-Navy store.  A wide,
> padded strap was another $8, for a grand whopping total of $20.  With a
> little ingenuity, you can squeeze two M-bodies with mounted lenses, six
> rolls of film, a light meter and a few odds and ends in there.  And it
> *sure* doens't look like any camera bag.
>
> I found a link that is as close as I could find on the Internet:
>
>    http://www.imsplus.com/ims5c.html
>
> Second bag in the list (map case shoulder bag).
>
> M.
>
> --
> Martin Howard                     | iCon          iDole       iRate
> Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU       | iDeal         iDull       iMage
> email: howard.390@osu.edu         | iSue          iOn         iGnorance
> www: http://mvhoward.i.am/        +---------------------------------------
>
>