Leica M8 Ever Ready Cases

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I am contemplating the purchase of a Full Case for my M8 and in that am curious as to how the Leica

M8 Ever Ready Case has been received. In particular how it stands up to relatively extensive use. Any

input would be appreciated.

[Ed_Ingold]

A "never ready" case will distinguish you as a duffer with more money than sense ;-) If you need to keep it out of the rain, use a fanny pack or small shoulder bag. Leicas are for shooters and collectors. If you are afraid of getting dings in it, leave in a curio case and carry a P&S. I have never seen anyone under the age of 85 with an encased Leica. If you're 85, God bless you. You can do anything you want and care less what I think.

[ron_breeze2]

Hi Howard, well I'm not 85 yet but I did originally purchase the Leica ever ready case when I purchased my M8 and found it to be too stiff, too hard to get the camera in the shooting position from the case and overall too bulky to carry around my neck so I sent it back. I had an old german soft case in my junk box made by Benser that protects it when I'm hiking and is easy to remove from the camera when using it. The M8 fits in nicely even with the 21mm lens and viewfinder attached. I see them occasionally on the big auction site for chump change.

[frank uhlig]

I would suggest the Zing neoprene "Action case". It has its own rubber belt that holds the case on your waist when the camera sees action. It holds the camera by its strap when the camera is stuck away.

 

ANY Camera! (But it looks geeky .) So does a Leica otr any RF, so what ...

 

It is actually needed when you hike, cross streams, climb mountains etc etc. And it holds the camera (ANY CAMERA) snugly to your body when you rather not have it swing into the mud, tree, rock by your side.

 

Of course there is no such danger in street-shooting, is there? Of course it protects the camera when you are tokyoed into a subway car with 200 extra people etc.

 

Just do not be blase and do not avoid the wilds of rain, terrain, and cities just to be a true "under 85" street shooter as a previous poster calls you.

 

Of course in actual street-shooting, the camera is out and about and naked, but I also know there is a safety/rainproof Zing bag on my hip when i have to cram myself back into that bus to get home.

[dan flanders]

Don't let the snolly-gasters and nay-sayers cow you! If you need an ERC then get one if you can afford it. My 65 year old Leica is in excellent shape because it's always had a case for general protection. OTOH, as a long time leather worker I deplore the poor construction and outrageous prices of current cases. Also with modern lenses, they have acquired so much bulk as to cancel their utility and hardly serve the purpose the originals were designed for. I would recommend the Luigi half-case even at its cost because of its inherent quality. It is hand sewn and will probably never come apart at the seams. It's purely a matter of utility -- not fashion or snobbery! ((;~[

[charles_stobbs3]

By all means get an eveready case. As a skier I have toppled, tumbled, fallen. slid, down acres of slopes with no damage to my cameras. A real neveready camera is one that is in the repair shop. Having said that a case with a snap on/off top may be ueful for those situations when you wish to appear as a "PHOTOGRAPHER".

[seb v.]

I use an eveready case in place of a camera bag while travelling. It protects the camera beautifully and when I get to my destination I take off the two parts of the case and use it normally.

[aplumpton]

The Luigi half case is a good compromise to protect your camera while

shooting, and when not, it goes into a small padded bag (Cullman) for overall

protection.

 

I wish Luigi would make the sides and back of his case higher as this would

be best, and you could still shoot like a Paris Match or Life reporter without

trashing the body. His swing down back is better, in my mind, than the

detachable one, as it doesn't get in the way of shooting or get lost.

[doug_hagerman]

I recently bought a Leica neoprene case and it doesn't really fit all that well (M6TTL). But a never-ready case is nice for keeping your camera from getting bunged up in the car or backpack...just take it off when using the camera.

[torben_daltoft]

What Edward said!

[jeffrey_ying1]

Along the lines of ever-ready cases, I can't believe how ugly modern ones have gotten.

 

They seem cheaply made, the material looks plasticky, and overall, the utility aspect seems even lesser than the old ones which were hardly very ergonomic though the Contarex one was nice in that you could detach the top-half easily.

 

Truly, they don't make them like they used to, at least in this regard.

[dan flanders]

I made a case for my M6 using the form and general design of the old Barnack style cases except that I used the abbreviated snout (1/2") & one or another of the collapsible lenses. I wouldn't say it is pretty but it looks a hell of a lot better than any issued since the advent of the Xenon 1.5 which made the outfit look like a peasant's codpiece from a Bruegel painting.

[raymond_tai]

The ERC has its uses. Suppose you are traveling with one body/lens combo and have soft luggage like a backpack, the ERC keeps your camera nice and secure in your pack until you get to where you are going. You can remove the snout and only use the half case for when you are shooting. While the Luigi half case is nicely made it offers no protection for the top of the camera and is really only used as a sort of a grip.

[iansky]

Regardless of what Edward said in his reply, when I was working as a PJ, I and many of my colleagues who carried "M's" for close up/silent shooting used the half case - if you have the M around your neck, and SLR's on shoulders there is the chance of a collision! the half case had many a scratch & ding on it that would otherwise have been on the body!

 

It does not take much longer to remove the half case to change film either when you do it for a living! so I say, ignore the adverse comments and if you want one buy one.

[Ed_Ingold]

Ian,

 

In over 40 years, I have never seen a pro use a half-case or any other on the camera itself. My colleagues and I regarded Leicas as tools, not a collector's items. Mine are not dinged up despite heavy use before switching to Nikon. My Nikons have faired equally well, never sheathed and often used in pairs. There is no "dress code", just a job to do. Time is everything, including time to reload! - a fact lost on dilitantes.

 

As an amateur, you can do anything you want. You can even wear white slacks and deck shoes to go with the camera. If you don't have anything to do, do it in style :-)

[gary_ferguson1]

Howard, only a fool subjects his equipment to uneccessary damage or risk. If your

photography can be accomodated within the inevitable constraints of an ever ready case then

ignore all the wannabe war photographer fantasists on this site and press ahead. It's your

camera, you protect it your way.