New Camera Leather

<p>I need to re-upholster my M6, as the vulcanite has a few chunks missing. Is Cameraleather.com taking orders at this time of year?</p>

 

<p>As far as I know, he's in business year-around. Contact him from his website at <a href="http://www.cameraleather.com/">http://www.cameraleather.com/</a>.</p>

<p>I highly recommend his products and his services.</p>

<p>Wonderful. Thanks JDM von Weinberg. They've got some really nice material :)</p>

<p>I covered the back door on my M4 with Cameraleather's material. Excellent product and a very good match.</p>

<p>Nice that it matches well, John :)<br>

Has anyone tried that Griptac material?</p>

<p>Usually as a preservation-mined person, I am for replacing the original with as close to the original as is possible, but there are some times that the red kid leather is too compelling to ignore. :) (<a href="../classic-cameras-forum/00NSzV">link to red Exakta</a>)</p>

<p>Some of the really fine leathers offered are a considerable temptation, in fact.</p>

<p>Thumbs up for Morgan Sparks at Cameraleather.com. My Yashica GSN had the griptac. It was pretty and <strong>very</strong> grippy but kind of hard feeling. Good for an everyday shooter especially if you have moist hands or shoot in the rain/snow. The Indian Red Kid leather on my buddy's M3 looked fantastic and is <em>very</em> supple with a wonderful feel but expensive. For a more economical covering for my Ftb I used a composite in Claret. I was surprised how nice it was. Not as sumptuous as the Kid, but a very nice feel with just the right amount of "give"and I just love the color. A picture of it is here:<br>

<a href="../canon-fd-camera-forum/00SdF0">http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00SdF0</a><br /><br /></p>

<p>A couple of years ago I recovered a RF (not Leica) with a brown crocodile patterned leather, which Morgan didn't have a pattern for, and he worked with me to cut the pieces so that they would be an exact fit...which they were - an interesting exercise in measuring and shrinkage planning. A year or two later I sold the camera in an instant for about twice what I paid for it + the recovering. I then asked Morgan to recover an old 90/2.8 M Elmarit focusing sleeve for me which was literally cracking to pieces. He did an outstanding job, and today when people see me with the lens, they frequently ask how I managed to keep the leather in such wonderful condition for the last half century. IMHO it would be hard to go wrong, and you can always call him to discuss the right choice for your particular situation.</p>

<p>I have the griptac too but I expected it to be more grippy. Its a hard rubber material so the camera feels closer to your hands.</p>

<p>I ordered the griptac in black, after reading your thoughts about it. I now fancy the brown lizardskin for my OM-1 :)</p>

<p>What do you guys think the "ultimate" color is for a black camera?</p>

<p>What color tie do you wear with your black shoes? Just kidding, the question seemed rather unanswerable. Personally I prefer black coverings on black cameras, but I've seen a lot of alternative colors which on the right camera were pretty neat looking. It depends on the statement you want to make.</p>

<p>I am not sure there was ever an M6 covered with vulcanite.</p>

<p>My M3 has Griptac on it and is eminently usable for that reason. On occasion I ogle the camera too, and it does not hurt the eye.</p>

<p>The best color for a black camera would be like a dark brown lizard, or a dark textured green. If you opt for a black leather covering, a coarse-textured one is good..</p>

<p>You're right, David. My mistake. The M6 had real leather.</p>

<p>For black cameras it depends on what I want from it. As a serious shooter, I would go for the "black" griptac. For a user which I sometimes ogle, it will be the black kidskin. For a user that I ogle a lot, then the dark brown kid. For a pure ogler... maybe the cobalt blue or the darker blue... or something outrageous like pink :)</p>

<p>Haha, Chuck, as Mark said, brown could be really classy, pink, well..that would be a statement! Dark green and black is also a nice combo.</p>

<p>I have Griptac in Black on my M2 and also on a couple of other cameras. I highly recommend this material.</p>

<p>Camera leather gave me quick service and I am considering doing an OM-1 in this material.</p>

<p>Leo</p>

<p> </p>

<p>JDM's Exakta in neon red is the only camera I've seen that looks great in it!</p>

<p>FWIW, I alse recommend Aki Asahi in Japan, who sent me replacement "vulcanite" for my IIIa - easy to apply and great looking. And I paid around 20 USD including shipping from Japan to Europe. Very nice. Except that his website says that his services are temporarily unavailable, I just noticed... <a href="http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/"><br /><br />http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/</a><br /><br />Hope this helps anyway...<br /><br />Soeren</p>

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<p>Aki-Asahi is still out of the store. Meanwhile, I just got the Griptac from Cameraleather.com;<br />I like the Griptac; it's softer than what others have described it as. And it looks a whole lot nicer in person than in any pictures of it.</p>