pico Posted April 28, 2016 Share #1 Â Posted April 28, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Searching the big auction site finds dozens of 'repainted' Leicas, mainly M2 and M3, at reasonable prices which brings to me the question, are any of these any good for mechanical quality? What is required to make these things? Do they just remove the top and bottom plate and put them into an assembly line to strip and repaint them? I could believe the later because they all come from Asia. Â What is going on? Who buys these things? . Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 28, 2016 Posted April 28, 2016 Hi pico, Take a look here All these repaints!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
NB23 Posted April 28, 2016 Share #2 Â Posted April 28, 2016 Lots of bad stuff out there. Yes, Asia. Â I avoid buying anything Leica from Asia as there is a big risk that the item has been tampered with at one point. Repaints. Cameras subject to massive diy repairs. Parts switched. And so on. Â Even lenses. I've heard stories where sellers have switched lens elements from different lenses to make their copy good and then sell the other reassembled lenses. Even expert lens molding and switching. Lots of stories. Â Asian camera business is a jungle. I stay out of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted April 29, 2016 Share #3  Posted April 29, 2016 A few things combine. The Japanese market that adores black paint Leica's. Rangefinder Forum and their DIY approach. Easy to buy Leica tools. Easy to buy chrome and nickel stripping kits. Cans of aerosol paint. Plenty of M2 and M3 on Ebay. And finally lots of idle hands.  Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 29, 2016 Share #4  Posted April 29, 2016 What's wrong with it? Plenty of beat-up M3s out there. People like to have a nice-looking tool. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumolux Posted April 29, 2016 Share #5 Â Posted April 29, 2016 Not all are bad....The Japanese still can perform extensive nickel plating industrially, and make some very nice black repaints as well. Anyway, if a dealer has top ratings on the 'Bay from numerous sources, then you will likely not have issues, or be able to exchange/return. Â I would be more concerned about rust forming on internal parts in camera's that have spent years in the Far East under 99% humidity! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernstk Posted April 29, 2016 Share #6 Â Posted April 29, 2016 Very good black paint work being done by this guy. He removes the chrome, takes all parts back to brass then repaints. Â Also does great service work. Â http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page3.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share #7  Posted April 29, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Asian camera business is a jungle. I stay out of it.  Sometimes it is difficult to know we are dealing with an Asian source because there are US brokers. I sold some expensive items at top-dollar and found the delivery address to be a small urban apartment, and for a few sales the address was an airport office. A friend who works for the US Post Office she said she is quite familiar with the airport address as a distributor to Asia.  As sumolux wrote, there is a lot of talent and mature industrial resources in Japan.  One item that flew off the 'Bay right away, and the broker pestered me frequently to deliver ASAP was an unobtainum lens shade for a LF (Linhof) 75mm Biogon. Unobtainum because I made it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 30, 2016 Share #8 Â Posted April 30, 2016 We see! Or did you design it (?found an old Datenblatt from Oberkochen?)and had it made in China ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share #9 Â Posted April 30, 2016 We see! Or did you design it (?found an old Datenblatt from Oberkochen?)and had it made in China ? Â I'm not so clever. I just salvaged a 100mm slip-on filter holder and epoxied it to a Chinese made lens shade. Still, it is the only feasible solution for that lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted April 30, 2016 Share #10 Â Posted April 30, 2016 3d printing will change the game for sure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share #11  Posted April 30, 2016 3d printing will change the game for sure  Yes! And its cousin 3D scanning right into CAD code, and simplified CAD manipulation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted May 13, 2016 Share #12 Â Posted May 13, 2016 Yes! And its cousin 3D scanning right into CAD code, and simplified CAD manipulation. Â This could be a solution to the 'plastic' section of the v.4 35mm Summicron which is unobtainable - I know of one repairer who would be very interested in such an item! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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