Out of boredom comes a review of the various replacement camera leather suppliers. I've tried several but some I've only used maybe once so take this as just one person's experience. Feel free to add your own experiences if you've used any of these or know of other suppliers.
CameraLeather (
http://www.cameraleather.com/)
Based somewhere in the US, CameraLeather is the grand daddy of them all. Not sure when they started but they've been around a long time. It's probably, at least, ten years since I've used them and they are definitely not the same as they were then. At the time they had a large range of different pre-cut covers in a huge range of leathers including some genuine exotic leathers. They were also accommodating and did a custom cut leather for me at no extra charge.
Unfortunately, things went bad and the last order I sent them didn't get fulfilled and I had to resort to Paypal to get my money back. They seemed to have tried to re-launch themselves and were creating a new website but that doesn't seem to have changed since around February 2020 and most of the site doesn't work.
There's lots of discussions about them in the usual forums (RFF and Phototrio especially) much of which is bad but the most recent posts are generally favourable.
When I did use them, their covers were of good quality and I would use them again if I could be sure of getting what I want - I just don't think I could do that at present.
Aki-Asahi (
http://aki-asahi.com/store/index.php)
Aki is based in Japan and is my regular supplier. Their leathers are good quality of the right thickness. They do a couple of simulated leathers too which I haven't tried but they've sent me a few freebies in simulated leathers and they seemed OK - but they were not their stock ones.
They have a fair range of pre-cut leathers for different cameras but many are for modern cameras and not classics. They have a limited range of colours and finishes. They also do uncut sheets if you want to cut your own.
Customer service is second to none. They always respond quickly. I placed an order Boxing day and got confirmation within 24 hours. Order was shipped 24 hours later. I usually receive shipments, here in the UK, in around 10 days.
The only issue I have with Aki is some of their covers seem a bit stiff and I've had them lift off where they get wrapped around the corners. Aki replaced one set for me but I've now changed my procedure and apply a layer of glue where edges are near corners and allow it to dry before applying the covers. This is Aki's recommended way of attaching the covers so can't really complain. And I've had no further problems since.
Milly's Cameras (
https://cameramill.co.uk/)
Based in the UK, Milly's has a very limited range of covers and leathers. They do uncut sheets and have a wider range of uncut leathers than the pre-cut ones. The range of sheets tends to change.
The pre-cut covers I've used have only been black ones and they seem to be cut from, what I think is, goat leather. It's quite soft and, I think, too thin. It is easy to stretch it and then it doesn't fit and you end up with wrinkles in it. I know I'm not the only one who has had this problem.
I know most of the sheet leathers are the same material but some are not. I've used a few other colours of sheet materials and some have been OK but it's not clear from the website exactly what material is used in each case.
Japan Hobby Tool (
https://japanhobbytool.com/ or
https://japanhobbytool.co.jp/)
Based in Japan, I've only used them once and I got what I wanted without any problem. They do some pre-cut covers but only for modern cameras. Nothing for film cameras. They do have a reasonable range of different black leather finishes in sheet form so may be worth considering if you're looking for a particular type of finish.
Oldkamerafuchs (
http://oldkamerafuchs.de/)
Based in Germany. They are the most recent of the suppliers I've discovered. I've only bought from them once. All their material seems to come WITHOUT adhesive on the back whereas all the other suppliers supply self adhesive covers. I bought a single sheet of material from them which came folded. Not a sharp crease but I'm not sure if it might show in a finished piece. I haven't used it as the colour wasn't exactly as on the website. The material is NOT leather. It's described as leather on the website but it's a cloth material with a textured covering. I think it's what's called PU leather, used for covering furniture and the like.
They sell a range of pre-cut covers but the prices are expensive considering they are not self adhesive and not really leather.
They do have a good range of colours so, if you're looking for a particular colour, they might be worth considering but note, as I found out, the colours may not be exactly as they appear on the website.
Custom Camera Covers (
https://hugostudio.com)
Based in the US. Hugo does a wide range of materials and pre-cut covers. I've only used them once which was a bad experience. Maybe I'll try them again if they happen to have something I can't live without. I bought their recycled leather, two-tone red, croc finish. It wasn't what I would call two-tone. It had a very glossy finish which doesn't show in the example photo, and it came with glue smeared across the front of one of the pieces. I tried to clean off the glue but the dye came out of the leather and the surface turned to a sticky mess. They did replace the single part but I had to chase them for it and I got the feeling everything was just too much trouble.
I know others have been happy with Hugo so maybe I was just unlucky but I don't think I would try their recycled leather again. I might try one of their genuine leathers.
Other suppliersThere are a couple of other suppliers I've seen selling covers on ebay. I haven't used any of them. I'll just mention one. He resells Aki-Asahi covers at greatly inflated prices. He goes by the name of 'le_prestige_camera_japon'. An example is a cover you can buy from Aki for $24 he sells for $170! Not one I can recommend.
