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Gin Ichi Leica MP rewind crank accessory

For as much as I like the MP, the rewind crank knob was a source of minor irritation. It is supposed to be stonger than the jauntily tilted one of an M4-M7. It takes a little longer to rewind the film since you must twist the knob (snicker) as opposed to the cranking around the little lever set-up that is on later Ms. It’s been said that the tilted style can break easier but if the rest of a camera body can end up looking like this and the rewind crank still works, then the decision to make the MP’s crank like that of the M3 was a choice of style, not reliability. Actually, I always liked that tilted rewind crank ever since I first saw Dave Read’s M6 in my first semester of photo at UNL.

There have been various adapters made to make rewinding film easier, and Leica makes their own version as well. But for the price I figured the tips of my thumb and pointer finger could make due. However at Gin Ichi yesterday I saw a bunch of third party crank adapters at a “reasonable” price and now one of them will be on my MP forever. This is one of those things where the initial suprise of “how did I ever manage to get by without this product” is felt from the first time you use it.
It’s like only ever being able to kick start your Harley with just the shaft that sticks out of the engine, and so this adapter would then be a nice wide pedal with which to stomp your foot down on.

Gin Ichi Leica MP rewind crank adapter: 8600 yen
Rating: A +++