andrekeli Posted November 20, 2011 Share #1 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear all, Â I just met a friend earlier tonight who showed me his M3 Black (repaint). It was absolutely gorgeous! It was originally silver but repainted in black. He told me it was done by Leica itself. Â I know that original black paint M3s are rare and darn expensive. But the repaint seems to be working just fine for my wallet. I have a silver M3, and I am thinking of sending it in for CLA (and possibly black paint job ). So, before I ask Leica Germany (and get laughed at ), I would like to get opinions/experience from the forum here: Â 1. Has anybody come across/engaged in such a service with Leica? 2. If yes, how much does it cost? How long does it take? 3. Is it worth it? I mean, will it have trouble selling later on? 4. Any other alternative shop that can do the repaint job? Â Thank you much in advance.. Â Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 Hi andrekeli, Take a look here Repaint M3 in black. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
earleygallery Posted November 20, 2011 Share #2 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Leica don't offer such a service, so your friend is mistaken. Â There is some guy in Japan but he's unreliable from what I've read, and CRR in the UK. Check the repairers sticky thread for info. Â Personally I wouldn't bother, just use your camera or buy a black body if that's what you really want. Photos will be the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted November 20, 2011 Share #3 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Leica don't offer such a service, so your friend is mistaken. Â Not necessarily, Leica used to do factory repaint jobs and the OP doesn't mention when his friend had the M3 repainted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 20, 2011 Share #4 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Not necessarily, Leica used to do factory repaint jobs and the OP doesn't mention when his friend had the M3 repainted. Â Wasn't aware of that sorry, but not something they've done for some years, and they don't offer it now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted November 20, 2011 Share #5 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Leica may have done factory paint jobs by way of restorating an already black camera, but painting a chrome body is much more than a paint job. It requires the stripping of the chrome and nickel plating from all the parts that need to be painted black. I can't see Leica offering that service. Â Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdemas Posted November 20, 2011 Share #6 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Shintaro is one of the Japanese people who performs painting services. His results are fantastic. He isn't so much unreliable as incredibly busy, it will take a while if you send it off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 20, 2011 Share #7 Â Posted November 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I had mine done by Shintaro. He did a beautiful job, but lost track of the camera and didn't answer mails for two years, so I had written the whole thing off. Tom Abramsson was so kind as to intercede for me and the camera was found. The whole exercise took three years. The paint he uses is a bit less shiny than the paint that Leica used on their cameras. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 20, 2011 Share #8  Posted November 20, 2011 Leica may have done factory paint jobs by way of restorating an already black camera, but painting a chrome body is much more than a paint job. It requires the stripping of the chrome and nickel plating from all the parts that need to be painted black. I can't see Leica offering that service. Steve  I think they used to replace the parts in question, just like they do now with the M9 upgrade. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrekeli Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share #9 Â Posted November 21, 2011 I had mine done by Shintaro. He did a beautiful job, but lost track of the camera and didn't answer mails for two years, so I had written the whole thing off. Tom Abramsson was so kind as to intercede for me and the camera was found. The whole exercise took three years. The paint he uses is a bit less shiny than the paint that Leica used on their cameras. Â hmmm... tats a scary thought... Â i checked out his website, very nice.. Â the problem is my friend (who happened to be a leica dealer) is asking for usd6000 for that unit . Shintaro only charged something like usd700 for repaint jobs.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted November 21, 2011 Share #10 Â Posted November 21, 2011 A few months ago I saw a battered old M2 for sale cheaply and considered having the camera redone to my own liking. I was looking for a look similar to a black MP. I contacted Will van Manen (Dutch repair specialist) about everything they could do and what the cost would be like. What I found was that the topic is very controversial. Will van Manen, for instance, won't do black paint like that because it might be considered fraudulent. I have to say that I understand his reasons as Leica is very much a collectors brand and I have decided not to do it. Â I'm sure there are many different opinions about it, I simply didn't feel it important enough to get into all these different conflicting opinions. It's a personal choice and one I think important to consider. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted November 21, 2011 Share #11 Â Posted November 21, 2011 What I found was that the topic is very controversial. Will van Manen, for instance, won't do black paint like that because it might be considered fraudulent.I have to say that I understand his reasons as Leica is very much a collectors brand and I have decided not to do it. . Â I would have thought a collector would check the serial number to see if a camera is a genuine black paint model. It wasn't like it is today with mix-n-match serial numbers, M3's and M2's were made in specific batches that are well documented. Â Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted November 21, 2011 Share #12  Posted November 21, 2011 I would have thought a collector would check the serial number to see if a camera is a genuine black paint model. It wasn't like it is today with mix-n-match serial numbers, M3's and M2's were made in specific batches that are well documented. Steve I think it was mostly about making an unambiguous statement, something that is important for the image of a reputable specialist. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 21, 2011 Share #13 Â Posted November 21, 2011 A few months ago I saw a battered old M2 for sale cheaply and considered having the camera redone to my own liking. I was looking for a look similar to a black MP. I contacted Will van Manen (Dutch repair specialist) about everything they could do and what the cost would be like. What I found was that the topic is very controversial. Will van Manen, for instance, won't do black paint like that because it might be considered fraudulent.I have to say that I understand his reasons as Leica is very much a collectors brand and I have decided not to do it. Â I'm sure there are many different opinions about it, I simply didn't feel it important enough to get into all these different conflicting opinions. It's a personal choice and one I think important to consider. Fraudulent? Quite ridiculous - unless one tries to sell it as an original black paint M3 - which would only be possible to a buyer that is extremely gullible. Not only the serial number - but it is obvious that an unmarked black paint camera is most likely a repaint. Apart from the clear difference in paint. I would say that it is completely legitimate to paint one's own property in any color of the rainbow - or even all of them. And Will could even sign it on the inside at the bottom - "repainted by Will van Manen" to remove any doubt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted November 21, 2011 Share #14 Â Posted November 21, 2011 Fraudulent? Quite ridiculous - unless one tries to sell it as an original black paint M3 - which would only be possible to a buyer that is extremely gullible. Not only the serial number - but it is obvious that an unmarked black paint camera is most likely a repaint. Apart from the clear difference in paint. I would say that it is completely legitimate to paint one's own property in any color of the rainbow - or even all of them. And Will could even sign it on the inside at the bottom - "repainted by Will van Manen" to remove any doubt. Sure, I agree. I didn't see any harm in making an MP-like M2 that was obviously a custom job, and I would actually appreciate the specialist's mark on it as proof it was done by a reputable specialist. But I can still understand that some prefer to remain unambiguous in their work and stick to an "as original as possible" work ethic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted November 22, 2011 Share #15 Â Posted November 22, 2011 Sure, I agree. I didn't see any harm in making an MP-like M2 that was obviously a custom job, and I would actually appreciate the specialist's mark on it as proof it was done by a reputable specialist. But I can still understand that some prefer to remain unambiguous in their work and stick to an "as original as possible" work ethic. Â Sounds like a more inflated way of telling the customer: "I do not offer repainting as a service." Â Repaints are entirely to the enjoyment of a user on a black paint camera at the full cost to the user (usually repaints are not sold much, if at all over value of an original, untouched sample of the same camera and I see quite a few desperate sellers of their black paint camera, not getting their asking price with expensive repaints and CLA done on the body. Â I would consider a repaint only, if sourcing a terribly inexpensive donor body or parts, actually improving on the cosmetics (and usefulness!) of such a poor camera. Only then, it is a financially less painful exercise. Â Black paint cameras are the most beautiful btw ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted November 25, 2011 Share #16 Â Posted November 25, 2011 Hi Andrew, It's Norm here, glad that we met. So as I said when we met, that price is too much for any form of repaint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrekeli Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share #17 Â Posted November 25, 2011 Hi Andrew, It's Norm here, glad that we met. So as I said when we met, that price is too much for any form of repaint. Â Hi Norm... Glad to see u here, buddy.. hahaha... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted November 25, 2011 Share #18 Â Posted November 25, 2011 FWIW there have/are a few UK dealers who have been offering repainted Leica Ms recently. Some are advertised as factory repaints (so I assume these were originally black) and these seem to be offered at somewhat less than a well used original black body but substantially more than a chrome version. Others are described as repainted in black and clearly from the pix some are straightforward paint over chrome whilst others may have been stripped to brass - these seem to vary in price depending on how obviously repainted they are but are usually a bit to a lot more than a chrome version. Its not something I would go for but the info may be pertinent to this thread. Personally speaking, if I really wanted a black camera, I'd go for an original if I could find one that I could afford, warts and all;). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
acanalda Posted November 25, 2011 Share #19  Posted November 25, 2011 Hi Andrew,  I have mine CLA and repainted in black by CRR Luton.  Superb job, but long wait.  Regards,  Arturo Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/166754-repaint-m3-in-black/?do=findComment&comment=1853567'>More sharing options...
Shade Posted November 26, 2011 Share #20 Â Posted November 26, 2011 Arturo that is a magnificent paint job right there.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.