I'm a new M6 user. Thanks. Why in the world would I want to put tape over the red circle. When I've finally got what I wanted all these years, why cover it up. I hear of many people that do this. I am not at all ashamed to shoot Leica. I'm more proud than ever. WHY?

-- Brian E. Harvey (bharvey423@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002

Answers

The most useful accessory for your Leica M kit is ALL PERILS INSURANCE

Get it and sleep easier at night. And don't worry about the occasional ding or two. Means your using the camera.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.

Taping the Leica red dot is totally dumb.

Putting Hello Kitty stickers on my Leica M3 I am extremely proud of. Now I have a Hello Kitty special edition M3.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), April 13, 2002.

I never understood this either. 99.99% of the public has no idea what a Leica is, and the 0.01% that do, would spot it a mile away red dot or not. Just shoot.

-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.

Taping over the red dot is essential to achieve red-eye-reduction when using the SF20 flash in the TTL mode with the newer M6 bodies. Many modern consumer point-and-shoots have this as an optional function, but the mechanical M cameras depend on a liberal use of black electricians tape to achieve this goal. If you do not use tape over your red dot, you will be able to see this in the pupils of your subject with your handy 46X lupe. Hope this helps.

-- William Bob (funn@mindspring.com), April 13, 2002.

Sorry, but you haven't yet been initiated into the society [I note you are a new user]. Yes, we know you are out there and, when you deserve the knowledge, we will tell you.

Until then, we must keep this a secret of THE society. If you REALLY want to know, we'll tell you, but then we'd have to kill you and retrieve your M6. Now, you don't want that to happen, do you?

Just keep quiet about this and we'll get back to you at the right time.

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), April 13, 2002.

Alec:

You were dangerously close to stepping over the line with that last comment. Should you persist you may yourself get a visit from the society henchmen. Alehey the Otdeh.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), April 14, 2002.

Brian, Taping the red dot is a measure which is close not walking under a ladder or having a fear of Friday the 13th.

My R7 has also a Red Dot, No one really care.

Keep shooting but keep your camera (even a point and shoot) in a bag, no one will notice your presence.

Welcome to this strange forum... X.

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Because it's better looking. For me anyway. I find that when you cover le red dot and the white LEICA M6 on the front with closely matched black tape, the design of the M6 appears much better and really stands out.

Now I agree that in the street nobody cares about the Leica.

-- Stephane Bosman (stephane_bosman@yahoo.co.uk), April 14, 2002.

Conversly my research has shown that taping a red dot to my Holga has not made me more vulnerable to street muggings.

-- Art McLaughlin (captmcl1@aol.com), April 14, 2002.

Covering the red dot and the Leica (or M6 or M7, whatever) lettering on the front of a black body does make it better looking, cuts down on the bragging (NOT on the pride, which is entirely different) and also helps a tiny little bit as far as candid shooting is concerned. People usually WILL try to read whatever is writtent on anything (try it with a cap, a tee-shirt, a name tag, a book you carry...) and, on a camera, this slight hesitation may be enough to ruin true candidness. But as far as muggers are concerned, I think, too, that a mugger looking for a Leica will spot it, red dot or not. The whole thing is just a little innocuous habit. But what a piece of conversation, it seems!

-- Olivier Reichenbach (olreiche@videotron.ca), April 14, 2002.

Oh great Alehey the Otdeh please forgive. It was a weak moment for me!

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), April 14, 2002.

Your indiscretions have been noted. This is your final warning.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), April 14, 2002.

Brian,

Just cover it! Don't ask "why?" Next you'll want to know "why" objects fall down and not up. Covering The Red Dot is as immutable a law of Leica ownership as gravity is of physics, except more so. Accept it. That's it; subject closed. Cover it NOW! Period. :>)

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), April 14, 2002.

Actually I cover the red dot in order to reclaim the naming rights to my cameras. Those naming rights then become available for lease - just as with other high-visibility properties such as sports arenas.

Any company - including Leica - is then free to bid for those naming rights. The bidding, coincidentally, starts at US $1950 for an M6ttl and $2350 for an M7.

8^)

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), April 14, 2002.

Just don't want to give out free advertising. I wish I have a plain Leice M6 with no brand name or letterings whatsoever - so that my wife doesn't know it is an expensive camera.

Tom Tong

-- tom tong (tom.tong@ckh.com.hk), April 14, 2002.

If you want to get your camera stolen for insurance reasons you should tape off the red dot with a sticker saying Canon or Nikon.

-- ReinierV (rvlaam@xs4all.nl), April 15, 2002.

Where would I get some chrome-colored gaffer's tape to cover the red circle on my chrome M6?

Joe

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), April 15, 2002.

WHy cover? That's because this site has RED TAPES all over.

-- Lux (leica@sumicron.com), April 15, 2002.