THUMB REST LEVER FOR LEICA M10
People who know me know that I am a sucker for after- market gadgets that are made to fit Leica cameras and perform some function that is otherwise difficult to bring off. I even gave a talk at the Annual Meeting a few years ago about all such gadgets that I had accumulated over the years. So, this is probably why Editor Rosauer tasked me with reporting on a new accessory: the Thumb Rest Lever for M10. This device, designed and made by Hobby, Japan, and sold by Map Camera in Japan, is somewhat similar to Tim Isaac’s better-known Thumbs-Up, but allows the motion, and to a degree, the feel of a film Leica M wind lever. Or, to be more current, a Leica M10-D. This accessory promises the ergonomic and stable one-hand grip that photographers who cut their teeth on film M cameras used to use instinctively.
I was loaned a Thumb Rest Lever in chromed brass to test. It also comes in black chrome. It only fits the M10 or M10-P. In fit and finish it matches reasonably well the silver chrome of my M10, and its contours nestle cleverly and neatly into and against those of the camera body. The “wind lever” has mild detents both when closed against the camera body and when fully open, and is reasonably smooth to open, but nowhere near to the silky feel of an M Leica wind-on. A look underneath the device shows that the wind lever mechanism’s underside is brass moving in a chromed channel, which pairing of metals, if I remember correctly, lowers the coefficient of friction to a degree. From what I read online, the entire device is CNC’d out of solid brass.
Shortly after receipt, I mounted the accessory onto my camera and took it out for a brief photoshoot. It mounted quite securely. While pleasant memories of outings with my film Ms filled my thoughts, there were a few minor issues with the new device. The edges of the “wind lever” portion were too sharply milled and tended slightly to cut into my thumb as I held the camera in my right hand with the lever extended. Clearly, if I owned the Thumb Rest Lever, I would use emery cloth to dull these edges slightly – not a deal breaker, however.
Second, the wind lever felt a bit thin and had a slight vertical wobble, at least as compared to one of my M2s which I pulled out of the drawer for comparison. The lever on the M2 wobbled also, but not so much. The thickness of the wind lever however was 2.00 mm, the same as on the M2, so this parameter was not causing the issue; the cause was in the brass portion moving ever so slightly in its channel. Again, slight, but a concern nevertheless, especially when the instruction sheet cautioned against forcing the lever too strongly, as this might cause the mechanism to loosen. I found myself wondering how well it would stand up in active daily shooting.
The instruction sheet that came with the device also warns that dirt or grit may get between the device and the camera, causing scratches on the top plate. On a hunch, I carefully cleaned the groove in which the wind lever mechanism rides, and its smoothness improved a bit. It seems possible that a small amount of dirt had accumulated in it. In use, one might have to clean this periodically.
For my own personal use, I feel the device might benefit from some additional refinement: close the groove and use grease that would smooth the lever’s travel, damp its movements, and keep dirt out. I would also like it to have its own accessory shoe for external viewfinder mounting. I have some concern about its overall robustness, but if I owned it, I would treat it with care, just like I might treat Leica optics or external viewfinders.
The proof of the pudding is how any accessory actually helps performance. Wind-on levers on film Ms were very useful in facilitating rock-steady shooting, as they greatly stabilized the camera, locking in place the right thumb while the remaining fingers encircled the right end of the camera body. I used the accessory in this manner in the accompanying hand held shot of Fall foliage, here with a 180/3.4 Apo Telyt-R mounted on an M10. Shot was at f/6.3, about 1/360 sec at ISO 800. I took 4 such shots, and 2 were quite sharp, as here. I think I would have had more difficulty getting this level of sharpness without the accessory, given the parameters of my shooting.
I later used the Thumb Rest Lever for street shooting while at LHSA’s Boston Annual Meeting, and felt it to be helpful for readying myself in anticipation of the next shot. I had to catch myself repeatedly, though, when it would not wind on after firing the shutter the way a Leica M does. Old habits die hard.
Nothing loosened up or changed as I used the device repeatedly over several days. It felt solid.
The bottom line for me is that I like this accessory.
The price of the Thumb Rest Lever from Map Camera is around $450.00.