Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/07/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Andrew wrote: >I'm a little self conscious (sp?) about carrying the M6 around slung over >my shoulder (and even more so when it's around my neck, facing forward). >I simply don't care for the attention it attracts.>>>>>>> Hi Andrew, I think you maybe slightly over-reacting to what you perceive as the "attention the camera brings." It would seem it has more to do with you personally feeling uncomfortable with a camera on your shoulder or neck. If you were to wear Canon or Nikon or any other do you think you would feel differently? >With the black body M6, black electrical tape over the "LEICA M6" and >the red dot(s) would work well.>>>>>> The theory that black taping stops attraction s something I have never believed in as I think the tape merely adds to the attraction simply because it makes it look like you are hiding something. <<<<<<What about the chrome body? One could paint the lettering and dot(s) with a silver metallic marker, I suppose, but even then the silver top and bottom really stand out.>>>>>>> The first mistake if you wish to be discreet is to purchase a chrome body of any camera, as it glistens and shines/reflects light and acts like a sparkler hanging around your neck. besides with a chrome M6 defacing the letters with silver paint would be a was of money and time.. just buy black. >I'm not so concerned about Leica thieves,>>>>> Well 99.9% of them don't know a Leica from a lemon! <<<<but more about how distracting (however subtle) the camera itself is to subjects. Black electrical tape could still work, if one covered much more than just the dot(s) and lettering. Any other tricks?>>>>>> Yep the most important is yourself and your body language as you walk about the world taking your pictures. If you stand out like a sore thumb you are going to create attraction and it has nothing to do with the camera. However, if you just move about in a very nonchalant manner looking like you are taking in the whole world and not concentrating on any one element no one will pay attention to you. Even Chandos at 6'4" can move through a crowd taking pictures and people wouldn't give him anymore attention than any other 6'4" human being. And the camera wouldn't have any bearing on it. If you are shooting on the street one trick is for you to work from the shadows or shadow side of the street, then it acts as a sort of cover of you to those people in the sunlight looking back into the shadows. >I'm also interested in hearing about easy ways to carry the camera, >unless it's a FAQ for which I'll get flamed :)>>>>>>>>> Nope not from me, as there are easy and easier ways to carrying cameras. If you are using a long lens the camera is slung from the shoulder allowing the lens to ride towards your body and towards your backside. In this manner the lens and the camera are afforded the best protection from accidental bangs. Also acts as a cover because it is behind your arm and towards your butt. The strap should be long enough to easily swing it up to your eye without the strap binding on the shoulder or chest. I actually carry two or three M6's in this manner on the same shoulder, but each one has the strap adjusted to allow the cameras to be one above the other to avoid thumping against each other. Then if they are required to hang from the neck they are ready to hang down your front for very quick use. Each body with a different lens and the heaviest or longest lens on the bottom body <<<<<I find the strap that Leica provides doesn't slide easily over clothing, so using the camera from a slung-over-the-shoulder position isn't easy. >>>>>> But that is the point of the strap, as it wont "slip off your shoulder easily and fall smashingly to the concrete. :) <<<So far the best method I've found is to use only a hand strap on the camera, and carry it in a generic cloth case, with the case strap slung over the shoulder. I can pull the camera out of the bag easily, and it doesn't yell "Leica here!" when the camera is inside.>>>>> You are over reacting to your camera as you think everyone in the world knows you have a Leica in the bag or when it is out for use. When in reality the majority of people don't know a Leica from a P&S plastic box. You know it isn't, I know it isn't, but the rest of the world don't give a damn.>>>>> <<<<I'd still prefer to have the camera itself on a shoulder strap, but I can't find a case or protective covering that doesn't get in the way of the camera controls. Is this the whole idea behind the "ever ready" cases?>>>>> There aren't any covers that work and with an M camera you might as well get used to having it in your hand shooting or hanging from your shoulder or neck. There isn't anything in this world that is "Ever ready" that covers a camera....They maybe called that, but actually they are nothing more than "Never ready cases" Never ready to do anything but frustrate you when you the need the camera the most and the quickest. >Ideas?>>>>> Hopefully this helps, as it takes time to build the right feel of carrying cameras, as quite often the most difficult part is getting over your own self consciousness. Ted Grant This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler. http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant