Crafty Lens Cap for Leica M Hides AirTags

A vintage Leica camera and a silver lens are displayed separately on a blue background, each with their lens caps and accessories neatly arranged around them.

To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a photographer in possession of valuable equipment must be in want of protection against theft. It’s just part of the reason why Apple’s AirTags have become so popular.

Now, PPP Cameras from Birmingham, U.K., have designed a lens cap and a body cap for the Leica M system that can discreetly house an AirTag for added peace of mind.

A vintage silver and black camera with a black lens cap marked "PPP" rests on a blue surface next to a detached camera lens with a silver and black finish featuring numbered settings.

Some thieves will look to see if an AirTag is present on their stolen loot, so an innocuous part where one of the slim tracking devices can slip into unnoticed is no bad thing.

A vintage film camera with a black textured body and silver details is placed on a bright blue background. The camera has a round black lens cap and several buttons and dials visible.

Top view of a vintage silver Leica M2 film camera body against a solid blue background, showing the dials, shutter button, and engraved branding.

A vintage film camera with no lens attached is placed on a blue background, with two lens caps positioned below it.

A vintage Leica M2 camera and three lens-related items, including two black lens caps and a white camera part, are arranged neatly on a bright blue background.

The Leica M body cap is branded with PPP, and as well as guarding against the precious internals of an M-mount camera, it has a secret compartment that can be unscrewed at the back of the lens cap where there is space for an AirTag.

The Leica M rear lens cap has a similar design that can also be unscrewed. A thief rifling through your gear would likely never notice that an AirTag is being held inside.

A camera lens and its components, including a lens cap and mounting ring, are arranged vertically in an exploded view against a bright blue background.

A camera lens with a silver top and black textured bottom is centered on a solid blue background. The focus and aperture markings are visible on the lens barrel.

A silver camera lens with focus markings is placed above two black lens caps on a solid blue background.

The example that PPP shows is the lens cap on a silver Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH lens. One of those can set you back over $7,000 so a little extra security seems like a no-brainer.

Speaking of price, the AirTag body cap comes in at just £30 ($40) while the AirTag lens cap is priced up at £35 ($47). Both items are available from the PPP Cameras’ website under Leica.

The lens caps aren’t the only clever accessory that the Pierro Pozella of PPP Cameras has come up with for Leica: last year, PetaPixel reported on how Pozella designed a screen cover for the Leica M10 and M11 to give photographers a more “filmic way of shooting.”

Pozella, who started out his career as a camera repairer, also came up with a stunning, Leica-inspired watch that features a red dot in homage to the iconic brand’s long-running rangefinder cameras. He followed that up with a custom Casio watch that pays tribute to Nikon, featuring a black and yellow color scheme.


Image credits: PPP Cameras

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