Customise Your Camera (10 ideas for Leica)

Looking to customise your Camera? Coming up are 10 ideas to personalise your camera and make it individual to you. (I use Leica cameras but suggestions can be applied to other camera brands too). YouTube videos included*

Cool cameras improve your photography?

Before we jump in I just want to point out the obvious. Your camera will take exactly the same photos however good (or bad) it looks on the outside. No matter if it’s an A++ mint camera or a well used “beater” camera they all capture the same images (if serviced).

Enjoy your camera = Take better photos

This article will not help you improve your photography directly but if it means you start carrying your camera everywhere, the bi-product will be more photos (and as a result, eventually better photos). When your camera becomes part of your daily outfit (because it looks so good), more photos taken equals more keepers. (It’s simply a numbers game).

Warning – Expect conversation

One drawback of walking around with a “well finished” customised Leica camera, it will draw attention. If I see you in the street I’ll be sure to approach you to say hello! The good news is you can have “stealthy custom Leica cameras” (perhaps all black), “loud and proud custom Leica cameras” (perhaps lots of colour) or something in-between, to reflect your personality and mood that day.

What does your camera say about you?

The beauty of customising your camera is you can let your personality shine through. Many people reflect their personality with the clothes they wear, either deliberately or unknowingly. The same can be true for your camera choice with a little customisation.

Extrovert Matt vs Introvert Matt

I have my “extrovert” Leica camera setup with splashes of vibrant red for model photography or Patreon meet-ups. This is the more creative me (real me) and I love the colour red. I then have my “recovering introvert” stealthy all-black Leica camera combo for when I prefer to blend in on the streets and keep out the limelight.

10 ideas to customise your camera

Coming up are 10 ideas to customise your camera. I use Leica M cameras so let’s use those as an example.

1 – Stylish Leica camera strap

When you buy a new Leica camera it is supplied with a standard black Leica branded leather strap. The easiest way to brighten up your new camera is to first attach a new strap.

1.1 – Common types of camera straps 

Common camera strap designs for Leica users included leather straps, nylon straps and rope straps. Most camera straps are available as neck straps or wrist straps to suit your preference. I use both types.

Wrist straps are great if I carry one or multiple camera in my small camera bag. (I dip in as I need the camera). Neck straps are perfect for street photos or travel if I’m trying to use one camera, one lens. (Tip – When I’m using multiple cameras (film cameras and digital) on a model shoot having one camera on a neck strap frees up my hands to shoot).

1.2 – Quick release camera straps 

If you enjoy using multiple cameras (like me) having straps with the Peak Design attachment (“PD anchor”) is much better so you can switch your favourites strap(s) across multiple cameras.

Historically, premium camera strap brands didn’t offer a PD anchors option but thankfully now companies like Wotancraft do.

1.3 – Camera strap leather bumpers

To protect your nice camera I recommend adding bumpers around the eyelets where the strap joins the camera. This prevents the metal O-ring attachment from rubbing against the camera body.

1.4 – Wotancraft camera straps

My premium camera straps of choice are made by Wotancraft. I prefer classic slim leather straps and Wotancraft give the option to order camera straps with and without PD anchor attachments.

1.5 – Embossed camera straps

Wotancraft camera straps also have the option to have your initials embossed which adds a nice personal touch. I have “MO” embossed on my straps but maybe it should be “ML” for Mr Leica!

2 – Colour match your camera 

If you are fashion conscious, you might like to match your camera to your outfit. I love the colour red so I wrote to Wotancraft and asked if they could make a red leather watch strap and matching red leather camera straps if I ordered from their website. 

2.1 – Wotancraft watch straps

If you buy a camera strap from the Wotancraft website you can now send them an email to request a matching watch strap. As I own a few watches, I ordered 6 leather camera straps (3 wrist straps + 3 neck straps)(in 3 different colours of leather) and then 3 matching watch straps. 

2.2 – Red camera strap for fun

If I want a splash of red for my outfit I wear my watch with the red strap, a red leather belt and camera my camera on a matching red leather strap. This can be fun for model photoshoots and it’s an easy way to brighten up a monochromatic style.

2.3 – Black camera strap for stealth

If I’m planning to do street photography and want to blend into the crowds I use a black strap on a black camera with a black watch strap. These are hard to see against black or dark clothes.

2.4 – The easiest way to give a camera a fresh look

Adding an eye-catching quality camera strap is the fastest way to give any camera a fresh look. Fitting a vibrant strap to a vintage Leica makes it look like new again. I especially like my red straps and tan straps on vintage silver film cameras.

2.5 – Wotancraft leather bumpers

If you want the full look Wotancraft now offer leather bumpers in matching leather to your camera strap. I love this attention to detail and it looks far better than mismatched bumpers and straps. I’ve added the leather protection rings or bumpers to all my Leica cameras.

3 – Reskin your Leica

Continuing the colour theme, another popular option for creative Leica owners is to reskin your favourite camera in a more jazzy leather. This could be your favourite colour or a stylish pattern. 

3.1 – How to reskin a Leica

To reskin a Leica camera, you first buy a piece of leather and then use a diagram of a Leica leatherette (for your specific camera) to stencil the design onto the leather. You’ll then need a sharp knife to cut out the pattern before gluing it in place. (You can also buy pre-cut pieces of leather online).

3.2 – Replace the leather on your Leica camera

I’m not sure I’m brave enough to do this myself yet but Patreon friend Tobi reskinned two of his Leica M9 cameras and they look great. (Some Leica repairmen will also offer to fit a new leather to your Leica if you send in your camera). 

Read Tobi’s article on how he reskinned his Leica M9 cameras –

4 – Repaint your Leica

When it comes to repainting your Leica camera I feel you have two main options. First is to only touch up existing paintwork with the original colours. The second option is to completely repaint your entire camera.

4.1 – How to repaint a Leica camera

To repaint my Leica cameras I used Humbrol enamel model paint to re-paint the lettering in on my Leica MD-a and others.  You can find the paints and thinners available on Amazon.

4.2 – Best service to repaint a Leica camera

The second option is to fully repaint your camera. This is definitely not something I’d dare to approach myself but some companies are well known for offering excellent repaint services for Leica cameras. If you are based in the UK Cameraworks-uk offer a Leica repaint service.

4.3 – Black paint Leica M3? Safari Green?

When it comes to repainting your Leica camera would you stick to the original paint colour or get more creative? Perhaps a Safari green repaint of a silver chrome Leica MP or make your own black paint Leica M3. (Original black paint Leica M3 (and M2) are super expensive so a cheaper option is to create one yourself. 

4.4 – Does painting a Leica reduce the value?

Repainting your Leica camera will likely reduce the resale value of your camera however if it is done well it might actually add value. I love the idea of having a Safari green vintage Leica M camera one day!

5 – Matching your lens

If you are interested in the visual appearance of your camera you might want to colour match your lenses to your camera body.

5.1 – Black lens or silver lens?

Personally, I enjoy black lenses on black cameras as it’s more discrete. Silver on silver also looks great but I’m less of a fan of black lens on silver cameras.

5.2 – Leica lens manufacturers + black paint lenses

Lens companies including Leica often offer lenses in both black and silver finishes. For Leica cameras the choice is normally silver chrome or black chrome lenses. What if you own a black paint Leica MP or M10-R? Sometimes you can find black paint lenses to match your black paint camera.

5.3 – Who makes lenses for Leica cameras?

If you’re looking for a specific lens for your Leica camera consider the following brands for Leica M mount lenses –

• Leica
• Voigtlander
• Zeiss
• TTArtisan
• 7Artisans
• Thypoch
• Light Lens Lab

Smaller brands also include –

• Funleader
• Mr Ding
• Artralab

This video gives an overview of the most popular brands that make lenses for Leica –

5.4 – Light Lens Lab lenses for Leica

One of the best lens manufacturers for finish options are Light Lens Lab. LLL lenses are often finished in silver, black, blank paint, titanium, gold and even pre-brassed black. I treated myself to the brassed black Light Lens Lab Elcan to match my brassed 1930s Leica iii camera while they were available.

5.5 – Asking companies to give us more options

Thypoch make their excellent 50mm f2 Eureka lens (this video) in silver only so I’ve asked them to make us a black copy (and a screw mount version to fit Leica iii cameras).  Fingers crossed!

6 – Leica shutter release button

A simple add-on to any Leica camera is a customised shutter release button. These are made by both Leica and third parties and come in many designs. Shutter release buttons screw into the thread of your shutter button and can be removed if you ever want to use a shutter release cable.   

6.1 Squarehood shutter release button

The tiny shutter release buttons I use are made by Squarehood (the guys that make the premium metal square lens hoods for popular Leica lenses – see this video).

It’s nice to colour match your shutter release button to your themed look so I use red buttons with my red camera strap and red watch strap. When I want to be more stealthy I can use all black.

7 – Leica hotshoe cover

Another simple customisation you can make to your Leica camera is to find a custom hotshoe cover. New Leica cameras are supplied with a blank black plastic cover but these can be replaced with fun metal covers (or other materials). 

7.1 – Get creative with your hotshoe covers

Patreon Tobi has some really interesting hotshoe cover designs on his Leica M9-P cameras

7.2 – Pros and cons of hotshoe covers

Hotshoe covers are perhaps not for everyone. Reasons to not buy a custom hotshoe cover would be if you use the hotshoe for other purposes. Examples include –

• On camera flash
• Trigger for off camera flash
• Thumb grip for ergonomics*
• Wide-angle viewfinder
• Electronic viewfinders (EVF)

*Some decorated hotshoe covers come with the integrated thumb grip design

7.3 – Thumb grips for Leica Camera

I highly recommend using a thumb grip on your camera instead of only a hotshoe cover. Thumb grips are especially valuable when using larger heavier lenses on your digital Leica M camera. I used a thumb grip even back in the early days on my Leica M9 when I was using the heavier Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.0 or Leica Summicron 90mm f2 Pre-ASPH lenses.

Tobi’s hotshoe cover comes with the integrated thumb grip so he benefits from both the custom design and the functionally.

7.4 – Basic thumb grip

Personally I use the basic plain thumb grip on my Leica M10-P and Leica M262. Fun fact, I just started using these grips on my vintage Leica iii cameras too (especially when using them with visoflex housing). It helps with the ergonomics enormously.

8 – Leica camera hand grip

If you have big hands and / or enjoy using bigger heavier lenses, a camera hand grip can improve the ergonomics of your Leica M camera. Students coming to my Leica workshops often use Leica grips on their various cameras.

8.1 – Leica hand grip vs third party grips

You can find hand grips for Leica cameras from both Leica and third party companies. Many camera grips are quite standard but sometimes you can find more creative custom options. Tobi bought a matching set of camera grip, hotshoe cover and shutter release button and then modified the grip to fit a Leica M camera. 

8.2 – Wooden hand grip for Leica camera

When doing research to make the YouTube video on customising your Leica camera I found these wooden hand grips on Amazon.

8.3 – Camera hand grips (love hate)

Grips do improve camera ergonomics but I love a small setup so I usually use my Leica cameras without hand grips. When it comes to my Nikon film cameras, the Nikon FM3a feels so good with the motordrive/ grip attached.

If I was a studio based photographer rather than someone that is always flying to photoshoots, I would get a grip for sure.

9 – Leica camera cases 

You can continue the customisation of your camera when it comes to your camera case.  You can buy Leica half cases and full cases, both branded and unbranded in a variety of designs and colours.

9.1 – Premium leather Leica half cases 

Personally for M cameras I prefer to use camera bags not half cases as I often carry multiple cameras and lenses. 

I use the premium Italian leather Luigi half cases for Leica on some of my black paint Leica iii cameras and the quality is fantastic. Luigi also makes half cases for Leica M cameras too.

9.2 – Affordable half cases for Leica camera

If you want a cheap lightweight no frills half case to protect your Leica camera then check out the 3D printed options from Akaralabs. I have used these in the past but currently I don’t have them on the cameras.

Watch this video on coding your Leica lenses as Akaralabs are the same brand that make both half cases and the lens coding kit.

10 – Leica camera bags

Leica don’t make Leica branded camera bags but if you go to a Leica store popular bags for Leica cameras include those from Billingham, Oberswerth and Wotancraft. 

10.1 – Best bag for Leica cameras?

In the past I used a Billingham bag (and briefly a Ona bag), but now I’m fully converted to Wotancraft bags. Wotancraft Pilot bags come in both canvas and leather options. Canvas bags are lighter but leather looks more premium. 

10.2 – Wotancraft camera bags for Leica

Wotancraft bags for Leica cameras come in all shapes and sizes. Personally my favourites are the 3.5L Pilot bags or 3.5L Wotancraft Canteener EDC which I combine with my 18L Wotancraft backpack. 3.5L bags carry two Leica M cameras with lenses attached plus a few extras. I use black camera bags for street photography if I want an all black look and the khaki canvas bags for everything else.

If you are a Leica SL series user you will likely prefer the Wotancraft 7L Pilot bags (especially if you carry multiple lenses). I use the 7L bags when I need more capacity such as using my Hasselblad H3D-39.

10.3 – Best small camera bag for flying?

Pro tip – Get the 18L Wotancraft backpack and remove the top compartment. Replace this with a 3.5L Wotancraft Pilot bag or 3.5L Wotancraft EDC Canteener. Both small bags can fit inside the backpack perfectly.

I often fly with one small backpack on low cost carrier aircraft such as Ryanair. My camera bag of choice is the Wotancraft 18L Pilot rucksack which fits within the carrier cabin bag size restrictions. (Note – Dimensions look slightly larger on paper but in practice it works fine if you don’t overfill the bag). I load a smaller 3.5L bag inside as my top compartment and this setup works great for a 3-4 day photo trip abroad, rain or shine.

An added bonus of having everything in your free “hand luggage” is there is normally no weight restriction. (See the “What’s in my bag” videos on Patreon where I share more info).

Bonus Tip – Engrave your Leica camera

One way to really personalise your camera is to have it permanently engraved. Leica Wetzlar offer a service where you can engrave the top plate of your camera for 200 Euros.

B1 – Leica script on my Leica M10

I’ve always loved the look of the classic Leica M3 style script and writing on the top plate. When I bought my Leica M10 and saw my camera next to my workshop students Leica M10-P or Leica M11-P cameras I always wished I’d bought the P version (Leica script and no red dot). Eventually I decided to convert my Leica M10 to a Leica M10-P (partial upgrade offered by Wetzlar). Now I love how it looks.

B2 – Engraving my black Leica M-A

When I bought my black Leica M-A (A gift to myself for reaching 40K subscribers on YouTube) it looked a little to plain compared to my converted Leica M10-P. I decided to ask Wetzlar to engrave the top plate of my Leica M-A camera to match my Leica M10-P.

Note, my script design is the same script as found on the silver chrome Leica M-A (standard on the silver chrome but normally absent on a black chrome Leica M-A).

I’m a finer details guy so I also requested Leica Wetzlar to paint the “Leica M-A” engraving on the hotshoe in white paint. This now matches the Leica M10-P styling. See the photos below showing before and after.

B3 – Custom Leica M10(P) + Leica M-A

After all the above-mentioned work was completed, this is how my custom Leica M10-P and Leica M-A cameras look. I couldn’t be happier.

More ways to customise your camera?

Other ways you could customise your camera could include the following. Some are more function over styling but I will include both –

• Add small toys, charms or mascots (often on the hotshoe)
• Hang beads from your camera strap lugs
• Apply fun stickers to personalise your camera
• Camera cages can be added (more for video use)
• Tripod mounts or L brackets (for frequent tripod use)
• Use matte LCD screen protector (No fingerprints)*
• Add a Light Lens Lab 1.4x viewfinder diopter magnifier*

* A must have for my Leica M cameras

Customise your camera – Watch on YouTube

I made a video providing an overview of many of the points covered in this article –

Check out Wotancraft straps and bags

If you notice the finer details and love a quality product to last you years, check out Wotancraft. My camera bags, camera straps and watch straps are now all made my Wotancraft (and I have the option to use any brand on the market).

Finally you can colour match your camera strap and watch strap to your outfit –

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