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Question for M8.2 Black Paint Users


Luke_Miller

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In October I bought a Leica certified pre-owned M8.2 in Black Paint. This is my first M body since my Chrome M4 back in the 70's. The M8.2 body is mint, but the baseplate has some brassing on the bottom edges. I can buy a replacement baseplate for $339 from Leica-NJ. I take good care of my equipment and can generally avoid scuffs, scrapes, and paint wear on my Nikons. I do enjoy using my camera equipment so it gets used often.

 

My question: The M8.2 normally resides in a half case, but is brassing unavoidable with reasonable use? If the answer is yes I will skip replacing the baseplate and get on with enjoying my digital M. If no I would like to restore it to pristine condition.

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Brassing is normal, even considered desirable in Leica circles and as it does not have any impact on the functioning of the camera, I would put my $$ towards something else, if I were you.

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My M8.2 black also exhibits brassing, I'd wager most of it is from being tossed around in my bag (I carry it with lens on, no case).

 

Sure, none of my Canon bodies ever showed any signs of wear with similar treatment, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

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My M8.2 shows slight signs of brassing at some edges, e.g. at the power switch. The white paint of the letters "M8" pealed partly off after some very hot days with sweaty hands in Spain. I removed the rest of it and was happy that it came closer to the look of an MP.

 

After almost 2 years in Egypt my Canon body showed severe signs of use, i.e. pealing off of the upper layer of plastic/rubber of the handgrip. Actually I was proud of it and never bothered.

 

All this affects resale value only. Give the camera some protection by using a halfcase which imo also improves the ergonomics of the camera. Then let it pay off by using it heavily. If you finally used it to its death it might find a proud place in your display cabinet after many years of happy use.

 

Regards

Steve

 

PS: the cases made by Leicatime are very nice, I just received mine three days after ordering

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The stories of brassing in a short period of time surprise me.. I bought my M6 BP back in May last year and have been using it quite a lot but I have zero brassing on it..

 

Is it really black paint, or is it black chrome? I thought most of the M6s were black chrome like the M7, but I could be wrong.

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I appreciate your responses.

 

I understand the point of view that brassing or other signs of wear demonstrate that the owner is a Leica photographer and not someone who just possesses a Leica. My preference is to maintain the appearance it had when I first opened the box while using it regularly with reasonable care. The responses so far are mixed so it is not clear to me if that is possible. Any other thoughts?

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In October I bought a Leica certified pre-owned M8.2 in Black Paint. This is my first M body since my Chrome M4 back in the 70's. The M8.2 body is mint, but the baseplate has some brassing on the bottom edges. ... is brassing unavoidable with reasonable use?...

Yes it is. This is the difference between black paint (M8.2) and black chrome (most of film Ms), the latter being more wear resistant. My 30+ yo black chrome M4-2 is a bit grey but still clean. I don't expect the same with any black paint camera.

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