Leica D Lux 109 (and D Lux 7-8) Alternative Lens Protection Cap

For my Leica D-Lux Type 109, I picked up one of those so-called “ever ready” leather cases. Turns out, the only thing it’s ever ready to do is sprinkle my lens with little red fuzzies from the lining—especially if I dare to leave the lens cap off. And if you try to juggle removing both the leather front and the lens cap, you’ll start feeling like a circus performer.

So, I took a peek at the original Leica automatic lens cap. To mount it, you simply remove the little ring at the front of the lens, then the auto cap snaps on like a bayonet fitting—easy! The clever bit: it’s made up of three petals that spring open as soon as you power on the camera and the lens pops out. Brilliant! …until you see the price tag: about €79. That’s quite a sum for something whose main job is not getting lost in your pocket.

On the hunt for an alternative, I stumbled onto the JJC ALC-LX100. That one runs about €30 here in Belgium, plus another €6 for shipping—already a friendlier price. But a bit more digging and I landed on the AliExpress special, under the code “JJC DMW-LFAC1 Auto Lens Cap Cover for LEICA D-Lux8, D-LUX 7, D-LUX (Typ 109), Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100, DMC-LX100II, DC-LX100M2.” Price? €13.39, shipping included. Not long after, a shiny new Chinese auto lens cap arrived at my door.

And now the camera’s sporting its new cap—check out the short video for a quick look!

https://youtube.com/shorts/YZc-MmuIwms