Camera Leather?

I just received an M8 and I find the "leatherette" rather slippery. There is a company, Camera Leather,

offering replacement coverings (some of them quite gaudy IMO). However, I have fond memories of the soft leather

covering of the original Contax RTS, so I'm considering replacing the Leica covering. The site says it's quite

easy to do this, but has anyone ever bought from them or replaced the covering themselves?

I've bought lots of coverings from Camera Leather. They are a fine outfit.

 

The hardest part of what you want to do, may be getting the M8 covering off. And I assume you are past the warranty?

 

If you are still under the warranty, would you consider trying a Zhou half-case? That is what I used and it is great.

 

Vick

Camera Leather is a great outfit. I had them do one custom item for me that they did not have in their "library" of templates, and I have ordered leather from them and done it myself. Just follow their instructions and it is very straightforward. My incredibly Art Deco red Exakta was done with their real kid leather kit ( see http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00NSzV ).

Zhou makes a M8 half case which gives you some grip surfaces plus bump protection for the surfaces. The leather looks good too.

I think leather can be quite slippery too, especially when treated with a preservative. I think covering with leather would be primarily a cosmetic change change.

I've used Camera Leather products twice and it was a piece of cake. I also sent an old Leica Elmar lens to Mr. Sparks to recover a leather section of the focusing mount to match the crumbled leather on it. FANTASTIC job!

Camera Leather makes a material call Griptac that might be ideal for your M8. I would let Mr. Sparks do the work.

Frankly, however, you do not know at this point whether your M8 is defective and has to be replaced. I solved my grip

problem by getting the bottom plate with a grip.

Camera leather is nice. But don't expect real fast service. Do it your self. Get wild. Gaudy is better.

Have you considered perhaps sparing yourself the trouble of stripping the leatherette and perhaps opting for a nice leather case instead. Maybe a Luigi? Then again, if you were to recover it with something nifty, you would have quite a unique M8. I would love to see any Leica done in a genuine shagreen (stingray) skin. http://www.galartintl.com/shagreen.htm

The Contax leather is nice for a while but is not hard wearing. I would stick to the Leica material. Mike Contax had to be re-covered.

I've never used a half-case but to me it looks like they would make an M very bulky in use. Also the cosmetics don't appeal to me one bit. It makes me think of Lederhosen ;-).

 

I hadn't thought about Griptac. That sounds like something good.

I would be curious as to what kind of adhesive would be best to use in applying a new skin, or perhaps what kind is used by the kits by camera leather? I use contact cement for many things, but I'm not sure if I would use it on a Leica. It can soften in heat and the new skin might get edge peel. I imagine Leica uses a special vacum system in applying their coverings to draw out all the air between the covering and the base metal, which is why they likely would have such a tight bond.

Camera Leather is a great company and Morgan is very responsive. I have a Griptac covering on my MP and it has transformed the handling of the camera. I would stay away from leather no matter what climate you live in because of the high potential for mold. I think Griptac and vulcanit are your best bets, both are leatherette. Griptac is a 3M product and was originally designed for the handles of golf clubs.

I have had several SLR's recovered with kits from cameraleather and can confirm that they are excellent. Well made and look great and are easy to apply. I also agree with the last post that a non-leather covering might be your best bet.