jaapv Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share #21 Posted November 3, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Any pro craftsman cares for his tools. The old man from the Age of Real Leather (my Grampa was a blacksaddler) True, but nor does he mind normal marks of use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 3, 2009 Posted November 3, 2009 Hi jaapv, Take a look here Durability of black paint. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Mauribix Posted November 4, 2009 Share #22 Posted November 4, 2009 Anyway, I've got some concerns about the grey paint of my M9... My (ex)M8 had more than 2 years of use, and probably something about 30.000 shots, I used it in the desert as well as on top of the mountains, with rainy days and moisture, and into the bright shiny Death Valley. Anyway, my silver chrome top and bottom plate wear just minor signs, and while they may appeared a bit "lucid", they looked like they were the first day I had my M8. At least for what that concerns colors. The grey paint of my M9 it's not gonna last the same, I'm pretty sure about that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted November 4, 2009 Share #23 Posted November 4, 2009 .......... unless some thief fancies a Luigi 1/2 case; then it will be Lars that gets bashed first! (sorry Lars, couldn't resist ) . . . But Lars is a Viking . . no self respecting thief would ever bash one of them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Morrison Posted November 4, 2009 Share #24 Posted November 4, 2009 I have to disagree quite emphatically - the black chrome finish I had on an M6 in the mid-1990s wore very quickly despite the camera getting only very light use. Moreover the black chrome was applied over a zinc alloy which showed through as a dull mid-grey on worn edges and looked awful. I suppose it matters what base the finish is applied to. I have an early M4-P with brass top and bottom plates (later M4-Ps were die-cast zinc) and black chrome. My camera is well-used with paint completely off the back door and the vucanite cracked and chipped in places. But the black chrome finish is all there except around the strap eyelets where bright chrome shows through. Given that the M9 has brass top and bottom plates, I would expect wear for black chrome to be similar to that of a brass M4-P. The black chrome finish is a very workman-like finish, always looking rather dirty but very unobtrusive. It is the finish of choice for my cameras which I use. Yours, R.Morrison Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted November 4, 2009 Share #25 Posted November 4, 2009 . . . But Lars is a Viking . . no self respecting thief would ever bash one of them Jono, you are soooo right! I too have Viking ancestors and I should have known better. I am so ashamed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted November 4, 2009 Share #26 Posted November 4, 2009 It used to be that aspiring photo-reporters attacked their black-paint Nikons and Leicas with sandpaper to look like seasoned veterans. I guess times have changed:rolleyes: My take is that one or two misguided wannabes did that and it ended up part of photography folklore. I highly doubt too many chaps whohad talent ever did that. Does a pro really care for a few scratches on his camera? That seems more like a fondler amateur thing to me. I don't know about press photographers, because they typically don't own the gear they use, and because they've a reputation for being a bit rough about the edges, but paying clients aren't impressed by gear that looks like it's been through a war, in fact it's quite the confidence-killer. Unlike amateur shutterbugs steeped in folklore, most clients equate beat-up gear with slovenliness. A few minor nicks however, are of no concern to anyone who isn't either OCD, a camera collector, or someone more concerned with resale value than making photographs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted November 4, 2009 Share #27 Posted November 4, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) If Robert Capa could use an eveready case, so can I. But he was of course a softskinned amateur compared to you. The old man from the Age of Real Leather I often wondered if Capa wasn't fiddling with gettting his ERC off and on to change a film, when he stepped on that landmine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted November 4, 2009 Share #28 Posted November 4, 2009 I often wondered if Capa wasn't fiddling with gettting his ERC off and on to change a film, when he stepped on that landmine :) That's so good it must be true! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted November 4, 2009 Share #29 Posted November 4, 2009 He left the road in a place where he shouldn't have done that. I don't think he left it because he had to change film. Possibly to take a pee. But probably to get a different angle. The Surgeon General has determined that taking photographs can be detrimental to your survival. The old man from the Age of Robert Capa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted November 4, 2009 Share #30 Posted November 4, 2009 ....paying clients aren't impressed by gear that looks like it's been through a war, in fact it's quite the confidence-killer. Oh, please! If your work is good enough, no one cares about your camera cosmetics. If it isn't good enough, no one cares - period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EarlBurrellPhoto Posted November 4, 2009 Share #31 Posted November 4, 2009 Oh, please! If your work is good enough, no one cares about your camera cosmetics. If it isn't good enough, no one cares - period. I agree with the last sentence, but the first one is pure rubbish. Well, perhaps not if you're Annie Lebowitz. But most of the time in the real world nobody is looking to hire a visionary, nor are they that discerning. Often it comes down to which of several competing photographers looks to be the more financially successful. Image is everything. Ask any respected business consultant. What you say may be true if you're shooting for stock, or journalism, or freelancing, or for coffee table books et al, but corporate clients are very image-conscious. A few scratches on a camera and nobody cares, true. But walk in with your gear looking like it's been through a lapidary tumbler and the average layman client will think to himself "How can he possibly take good photographs with that beat-up piece of junk?" Sure it's an assinine attitude, but as they say "The customer is always right." Of course you are entitled to your opinion, and perhaps in your business it doesn't matter what your gear looks like. Then, how would you know how many jobs you may have lost as a result? It's not as if a client is going to tell you to your face he hired the other chap because your equipment looked like you got it at a pawn shop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted January 18, 2010 Share #32 Posted January 18, 2010 Fine scratches already appearing on the top plate of my M9. I'm so careful with this camera most of you would consider me to be obsessive. The black paint finish just isn't tough enough. As soon as a Satin Chrome version comes out I'll be right there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share #33 Posted January 18, 2010 After four months I can only sat my M9 shows fewer scratches than the chrome M8 cameras did at that point of time. I don't coddle my cameras, so the M9 bottom plate is a bit scuffed and scratched, but as said less so than bright chrome and the top is nearly like new. The edge of the on/off switch shows some minimal brassing - nice- but I am less impressed by the shutter release collar - it is the original M8 black chrome and it is already starting to show that greyish-coppery sheen that black chrome M8 cameras have on the worn places. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scc Posted January 18, 2010 Share #34 Posted January 18, 2010 I couldn't care less if my M9 picks up a few scuffs here and there, from normal usage, with the exception of the LCD screen, which I have a cover on. As long as it works normally, I don't really care how it looks. My black paint LHSA M6TTL has seen plenty of wear, showing some scuffs on the baseplate and some brassing on some edges, and the overall finish still looks great. Once you have the first mark in the paint, it actually frees the mind a little and lets you get on with what you bought the camera for in the first place! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted January 18, 2010 Share #35 Posted January 18, 2010 Once you have the first mark in the paint, it actually frees the mind a little and lets you get on with what you bought the camera for in the first place! I have to agree with this. I just wish I wasn't so precious about my kit sometimes. I'm one of those guys you really want to by second hand stuff from. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted January 18, 2010 Share #36 Posted January 18, 2010 Black M9 after 4 months - some definite chewing along the back lower rim of the bottom plate, but then I tend to let it sit on car floors where it can slide around on whatever sand and stuff has impregnated the floor matts. Top plate - no wear at all on the sharp edges/corners - one scratch on the flat top surface above the eyepiece that reaches down to the brass in a couple of pinpoints. Seems to be on a par, or perhaps even slightly better than, the black paint on an FM2 - which is fine by me. Obsessive types may find a half-case a good idea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noah_addis Posted January 18, 2010 Share #37 Posted January 18, 2010 ...Does a pro really care for a few scratches on his camera? That seems more like a fondler amateur thing to me. Nope. I don't care, nor do my clients. The black chrome on my M8s and M6ttls (which I've had since 2001ish) wore quite a bit. The M8s are gone but the M6s show quite a bit of finish loss around the edges. The finish on my M9s is holding up quite well, I've noticed a tiny bit of brassing on one edge. But, I really don't care too much. I have a slight preference for brass showing through instead of dull grey zinc, but it's not a major issue and the finish of a camera doesn't even factor in my decision of what camera to use. Had the M9 been offered in black chrome and black paint at the same price, I would have gone with the latter since I do like the look. But if one finish were cheaper and/or more readily available, then that one would have been my choice. I would never use a half-case. To me they slow things down, clutter up the camera and serve no real purpose. But again that's a personal preference, and the idea that a pro can't use one is positively idiotic. A pro uses whatever works best for his or her needs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neli Posted January 18, 2010 Share #38 Posted January 18, 2010 I have to agree with this. I just wish I wasn't so precious about my kit sometimes. I'm one of those guys you really want to by second hand stuff from. What are you selling? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted January 19, 2010 Share #39 Posted January 19, 2010 I'm like Noah. Could care less as long as it works. As a pro I swore I would never own a silver camera but Leica accidently sent me one as a replacement for my black M8. I totally fell for the beauty of it and decided to keep it. And it worked. M9 I got in black though - can't say I cared much for the gray. Never used a case either but have a Zhou half case on the way to just give it a go. At $68 shipped I really can't lose if I end up not liking it. The Luigi cases are nice I'm sure but just a bit too dear in comparison. Wouldn't use it on a job but for personal carrying around might be nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted January 19, 2010 Share #40 Posted January 19, 2010 What are you selling? That depends. What are you buying? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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