cheewai_m6 Posted December 8, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) just curious, and wondering if anyone knows. why did leica develop/change or try new finishes on the m9 when for so many years, the finishes have proven to be so robust? i read on this forum somewhere that in mid october, the grey finish was hardened or changed. i know it's a bit different from the chrome finish... i know the black painted mp was purposely designed to wear off easilier, and the m9 is designed to be a lot more durable. is the black paint on the m9 different to the m8's? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 Hi cheewai_m6, Take a look here finishes on the m9. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
brt3 Posted December 8, 2009 Share #2 Posted December 8, 2009 just curious, and wondering if anyone knows. why did leica develop/change or try new finishes on the m9 when for so many years, the finishes have proven to be so robust? I don't know this for a fact, but many other industries have struggled to cope with the problem of having high standards of finish in a low VOC world, as new environmental codes have banished many of the old finishing methods to the scrap heap. This could be one reason -- but I am by no means a Certified Leica Genius... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted December 9, 2009 Share #3 Posted December 9, 2009 Electro plating is an environmental nightmare. Older tough paints have bad emissions when drying so they are banned. That leaves you with soft paint, plastic, unfinished metal. or Leica could set up a plating operation at the south pole where there probably are no laws. I saw a Leaf studio camera a year ago. It was a box like a Hassy, and it was blue/green. I have no idea how it was made. Being $20.000, I did not ask to many questions. Looking down the top, the image thru the Schneider was OUTSTANDING. I could not wait to put it down before something happened to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted December 9, 2009 Share #4 Posted December 9, 2009 Yeah well, one thing is sure, the M9 finishes do not seem as strong as the M8 finish. Not sure what to make of the holding the camera thing, but it does seem more comfortable in the hand. Just now I realized that maybe the balance have changed, I will have to find the CG for my M8 and M9 when I have some time. changing the CG could significantly affect how the camera feels in the hand. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted December 9, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 9, 2009 Yeah well, one thing is sure, the M9 finishes do not seem as strong as the M8 finish. Not sure what to make of the holding the camera thing, but it does seem more comfortable in the hand. Just now I realized that maybe the balance have changed, I will have to find the CG for my M8 and M9 when I have some time. changing the CG could significantly affect how the camera feels in the hand. . How is one supposed to know what is a CG?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted December 9, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 9, 2009 How is one supposed to know what is a CG?? The minimal understanding of physics that is part of being an educated person? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted December 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted December 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) The minimal understanding of physics that is part of being an educated person? Ah, you mean SFC? You should have popped earlier. Thanks for the clarification. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted December 9, 2009 Share #8 Posted December 9, 2009 Electro plating is an environmental nightmare. Older tough paints have bad emissions when drying so they are banned. That leaves you with soft paint, plastic, unfinished metal. or Leica could set up a plating operation at the south pole where there probably are no laws. I don't buy this. Leading Japanese camera manufacturers have no trouble producing hard, durable finishes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted December 9, 2009 Share #9 Posted December 9, 2009 That leaves you with soft paint, plastic, unfinished metal. or Leica could set up a plating operation at the south pole where there probably are no laws. I think you'll find that the whole of Antarctica has about the toughest environmental regulations on the planet. So it's probably not the best place to start a factory of any kind. Nice idea though. Just imagine how cool a Penguin would look with an M around its neck? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 9, 2009 Share #10 Posted December 9, 2009 The black coating on the M9 is clearly more durable than the older paint finishes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaiste Posted December 9, 2009 Share #11 Posted December 9, 2009 The black coating on the M9 is clearly more durable than the older paint finishes. And the M8 black chrome was not aging nicely. It became grayish and uneven. I much prefer the M9 black paint. Lucien Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted December 9, 2009 Share #12 Posted December 9, 2009 The black coating on the M9 is clearly more durable than the older paint finishes. I hope so. Mine arrives tomorrow I would have much preferred a silver chrome version though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 9, 2009 Share #13 Posted December 9, 2009 So did I; I would have gone for bright chrome. But I have to admit that my bright chrome M8 cameras and other M cameras before that picked up scratches and scuffs more easily than this black M9. And the way the M9 looks has won me over to black... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoersch Posted December 9, 2009 Share #14 Posted December 9, 2009 But then, don't forget the CGs in this VOC world! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted December 9, 2009 Share #15 Posted December 9, 2009 If you look at the paint of the black M9 under a microscope it appears to be composed of fused spherical globules. I suspect it's a baked on hard powder coat. So far mine has proven to be very durable . Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d2mini Posted December 9, 2009 Share #16 Posted December 9, 2009 If you look at the paint of the black M9 under a microscope Me thinks you're taking that pixel peeping a little too far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beamon Posted December 9, 2009 Share #17 Posted December 9, 2009 How is one supposed to know what is a CG?? "CG" = Center of Gravity Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted December 9, 2009 Share #18 Posted December 9, 2009 NB23, as Roger just said, basically grab the camera with two fingers and find the point where the body no longer rotate right or left... that is the center of the camera's mass. or the CG. Adjusting this by moving heavy parts could have quite a influence on how the camera "feels" in the hand when working with it. Though Im not really convinced there is actually a significant different to be found. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 9, 2009 Share #19 Posted December 9, 2009 I am fascinated by the way legends develop. As soon as the words "black and grey paint" were out there were screams of anguish that it would not be as durable as the good old chrome.It may well be true, or not. But nobody has complained as yet about the strength of the coating afaik. Yet it is presented as a given that it is fast-wearing stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted December 9, 2009 Share #20 Posted December 9, 2009 Jaap, Unscientific testing, though somewhat empirical in its method, stuff the M9 into my backpack each and every day, handle and use each day, after a month compare to old M8 finish and discover a lot of nicks and marks. Im not saying the paint is soft, just that visible marks picks up a LOT faster than any previous M I have owned. If some M's shipped with uncured paint, I will happily take a new one and revise the above statement. If somebody in LA have a hardness tester for surface paints, I have a baseplate they are welcome to make another mark on. Im sure we could put another nick in the M8 and M6 baseplates for grins and datapoints. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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