black tape

Do leica photographers with silver bodies use silver tape on their

leicas? And do blackpaint camera owners use brass tape to coincide

with that worn look.-daniel mcclenaghan

. . . ?

Or do those who really want their Leicas to not be noticed cover the whole thing with invisible Scotch tape?

I've seen Leicas covered in drool at photo shows.

With all due respect, I have no clue what you're talking about!

sorry for the confusion. i was trying to be funny. you see i have come across several leica users who put black tape over their cameras in various places to try and hide the fact that they're using a leica. i assume this only affects black body users . forgive me. it's raining out and i'm stuck inside.-daniel

Back in the 60's and 70's it was fairly common to cover the chrome of Leica bodies with 3M black photographic masking tape. Then when the M5 came out in black chrome, followed by the M4-2 available in black, the custom kind of dissapeared. It did keep the underlying silver chrome in mint condition, protected from minor dents and scratches.

Daniel,

 

I used black tape to cover up the Leica name and red dot on my M6 when

I went to Rio this past summer. Not that that would have stopped

someone who wanted the camera. I don't cover any of the camera with

tape to protect it from dents. Rather, I now keep the name covered to

protect myself from those who want to talk shop or are curious about

Le

I understaand...however, and no offense intended...since you paid a fine price for your leica and lenses...please, show it off to all those around you. It's kind of aan "ego" thing...No?

 

Also...no tape needed...just keep it near you at all times and never leave it unattended...and keep a very tight grip on it!

 

Why would you want to hide your Leica...I never hide my Minolta SRT101! ;>)

Personally, I'm tired of these "should I hide the red dot?" threads. We're

deluged with FS ads, then this inane topic. I've traveled extensively, & 99.9%

of people seeing you have no idea what a Leica is. Only other Leica shooters

recognize the camera. Give us all a break.

What color tape do those with the gold Leicas use ?

Todd,

It is not an "ego" thing with me at all. I didn't buy a Leica because

I wanted a Leica. Rather, I use my Leica because of sentimental

reasons. My father bought me my M6 body for my 39th birthday (2 years

ago), a year before he died because he thought it would be a nice

birthday gift. If he hadn't bought me the Leica body, I would have

expanded my Nikon gear. I don't use the most modern lenses nor do I

use only Leica glass. I can't tell the difference between a crappy

photo shot made with a Leica or a Nikon. My eyes are not that good

nor is my ego tha

Hi Daniel,

 

This is not the LUG. Black tape is discussed on the LUG.

 

Regards,

Doug

Black tape has also been discussed here (on photo.net) lots of times. Check the archives!

Actually, I have a good friend who is also a fine photographer (www.cabophoto.com) using almost exclusively Leicas M6 who really puts tape over the red dot and Leica engraving on the front. He uses silver duct tape for his chrome one and black electrician tape for the black bodies (what else? <vbg>). His argument is that it gives him an extra measure of peace of mind. Personally, I wouldn't do that even if I was shooting in a thieves liar, but then I've been known to put CV lenses on my M6. ;-)

Mikal..."It's an ego thing!"...just teasing! I have both a Leica and a Yashica TLR for sentimental reasons, and won't part with my Minolta SRT101 since it was given to me with love from a good friend, and works great, as well. I understand.

 

Patrick...we don't agree on the "for sales," and sometimes a lighthearted thread is a nice change from the heavier technical stuff...in my opinion.

 

BTW...does anyone know when and why the red dot was put on the Leicas. The early M's don't have it.

 

Trivia note: If you have a Leica with a red dot that says "Leitz" and you send it to Leica for repairs, they will replace the red "Leitz" dot with a red "Leica" dot without asking your permission...that happened on an early black M6 I had a few years back.

Not that I'd cover the name of my Leica -- but I couldn't find any

titanium colored tape. ;)

 

BTW, while walking around Wetzlar, a couple of elderly women said

they were glad to see someone with Leica cameras

Todd,

 

Your point's well taken. Thank goodness for humor.

But geez, I get tired of the same old topics. They seem to keep popping up like

old corks. But excuse the stern comment from me earlier; long week, I

suppose...

The thing with "old topic", as Patrick calls them in an irascible

way, is that they will keep surfacing back, for the simple reason

that the forum keeps welcoming new members (thank God for

that!) and new members shouldn't be expected to know ALL the

posts in ALL the threads about ALL the subjects.

 

I do put black tape to cover the "M7" engraving and the red dot on

my Leica, to: 1) not brag about owning a Leica, 2) get as

inconspicuous as possible. It's a known fact that people will tend

to try and read anything that's written on anything you wear

(name tags, T-shirts, caps, cameras...) The black tape will help a

bit with candid shooting... I guess.

Actually what we need is a tape that works like the coating on the Aston Martin in "Die Aother Day" - micro-video cameras embedded on the tape covering the back/sides project an image of your shirt/jacket/face onto the thin LCD coating of the tape on the front/sides of the camera - camouflaging it perfectly.

 

But remember where you set it down - it will be hard to find again!

 

8^)