Leica M8 Black or Silver

[farnz]

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Fates,

 

In truth, it'll probably be your body language, demeanour and attitude that will cause unwanted attention much more than black or silver. Personally my M8 is black and I tried the stealth approach with all the logos hidden for a while and I'm fortunate to have had no unwelcome attention either way.

 

As far as I remember the only time someone noticed my M8 was a passing man who asked me why I shoot with such an ancient camera and have I tried a digital one yet? But I try to look relaxed, wear a smile and blend in to my surroundings when streetshooting and I think that's probably the reason I've been left alone rather than a black or chrome camera.

 

Pete.

[CatWorthy]

Farnz,

Guess you're right. I dug up old threads on this topic as related to theft and security and was disappointed to see that there are many other who agreed with you. Just when I thought I could get away with avoiding unwanted attention simply by picking the camera color.... Thanks for your reply.

[Sintran]

I bought a black 8.2 yesterday. Black might be convenient if you want to be discreet when taking street photos. ( I guess that's the reason coloring the Leica sign black)

 

But i guess a chromed house will stay chromed after some years. The black paint will probably go off on the corners due to usage.

[Maggie_O]

I'm a Leica newbie and don't own an M camera yet, just a d-lux4 for now. I doing researches and hoping to pull the trigger on an 8.2 with 24 Elmarit in the next few months.

 

Cosmetics aside, how do you feel taking street photos with a chrome vs a black camera?

I want to fly low and be as un-noticeable as I could be. What about when you travel to more challenging destinations? Which color attract less unwanted attention?

 

I'm eyeing a chrome but not sure how to tape over the red dot and the M8 lettering and still have a decent looking camera.

 

Thanks.

 

Use silver duck tape and it'll look all retro-lo-fi, "no you don't want to steal this old piece of crap."

 

That said, I never put tape on mine and no one has ever noticed me or my camera, except one kid who was mowing a lawn in my neighborhood and was a PJ major at UNL.

[thinkfloyd]

I use a chrome one, and funnily enough, it catches less attention than my black RD-1 because by being silver, it looks more "vintage." With the RD-1, I don't know why, but they still think it's digital despite looking more like a film camera. Though of course, the silver M8 gets noticed if the observer is a fellow photographer

[John Mosand]

My black M6 from 1985 still looks like NEW.

Now, I want to sell my M6 body....after I bought an M8 :-)