Review Half Case Leica M10 Light Line by Alan Weinschel (EN)

The Oberwerth line of bags and cases has always been very high quality. I have two Oberwerth camera bags that I use, including the commemorative bag for LHSA’s 50th anniversary. I have never been a big fan of camera cases, whether half cases or the very inaccurately named “everready” case, but when I had a chance to try the Oberwerth “Light Line” case for Leica M10, I was very pleasantly surprised. It makes for a really nice addition to my M10-R.

The case came in a beautiful box (fig 1.) with a fabric kind of look. This particular case is a dark
brown with some reddish tones. The photos accompanying show the case on my camera. The fit and finish are excellent. The leather feels good, and the stitching is very precise. The camera slides into the case and is secured with a screw that mates to the tripod socket of the camera. I don’t know about the other models but this one requires you to remove the baseplate. This was no issue for me, as the original baseplate for my M10-R was already off as I had been using a Leica handgrip. You can use a coin to tighten the screw.

As you can see, there is a discreet “Oberwerth” stamp on the bottom.

The fit around the strap lugs is sized very nicely so as not to interfere with the strap.

At the front, the case is tailored to all the front control buttons and levers.

At the rear, the fitting is excellent around the screen and buttons.

One of the best features of this case is that you do not need to remove it in order to access the compartment with the battery and SD card. In classic M camera fashion, using the OEM baseplate or the OEM handgrip requires you to remove the base when you need to change your battery or access the SD card. This case has a cleverly designed magnetic flap that solves this problem. The camera must recognize the magnet because there are no reminders that the baseplate is not present.

It remains to be seen whether the hinge for the magnetic flap will stand up to repeated flexing, but it looks like it is pretty well made. My only gripe, and it is minor, is that I would have preferred there to be just a bit more grip built in on the right side. The grip is an improvement over a "naked" camera, but provides less surface to grip than the OEM handgrip. The trade off of course is the protection offered by the case and the convenience of the bottom flap. On balance, I’d definitely say the case wins that battle and I am planning to keep the Oberwerth on my camera.