I love my… I love my MP

[nitrox1]

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My black paint leicavit m showed up today. 3 days shipping from halfway around the world, and less than half the price from BH here in the states. Brand new in sealed box and packaging with int warranty card. Gorgeous little gadgety addition to my bp MP. It'll probably live on there forever.

 

 

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[Tytan]

Has anyone here seen or come into contact with the Leica MP "Blue Stain"?

Not much info online other than the same few sites that reported on this edition.

It certainly looks gorgeous.

https://leicarumors.com/2017/03/20/leica-mp-blue-stain-limited-edition-camera.aspx/

Edited May 23, 2017 by Tytan

[wattsy]

It certainly looks gorgeous.

https://leicarumors.com/2017/03/20/leica-mp-blue-stain-limited-edition-camera.aspx/

 

 

Not my bag, I have to say. For me, there's something contrived looking about leaving the lens and body engravings unfilled. Just looks unfinished.

 

Usually with product design, when you have a bit of a classic, the original (as conceived by the product designer) remains the most satisfying.

[Guest )-(]

Reading the PR copy, it sounds like it is expertly unfinished.

 

"Blue Stain (german: "Blaubeize") is an intermediate step in production and stretches as the carrier surface for a later painting. Instead of the varnish we sealed the blue stain two times."

 

It looks a little difficult to read the aperture, shutter speed and focus scale.

[NB23]

Silver strap lugs. Serious faux-pas.

[semi-ambivalent]

Silver strap lugs. Serious faux-pas.

Yes, it ruins the Leica's magical stealthy-acity.

 

s-a

[NB23]

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Yes, it ruins the Leica's magical stealthy-acity.

 

s-a

I'd qualify it more as a lazy-ass forgetfulness.

[semi-ambivalent]

I'd qualify it more as a lazy-ass forgetfulness.

I doubt a company that remembered to mill out part of the "4" on the M-A's shutter speed dial could be accused of 'lazy-ass forgetfulness'. I don't know anymore just what Leica is selling exactly but they appear to be pretty good with cameras. Perhaps it's just that silver strap lugs look better when worn than do blue ones that have a lot of the bluing worn off. But that assumes these cameras will be users rather than shelf queens so you might have a point there. Does anyone complain about silver lugs on black chrome bodies? Black paint bodies? Safaris?

 

Is this the same bluing I used to mark on metal bar stock in shop class, circa 1968? My instructor once used a quick tap from a rubber mallet to press down the lid on a can of that stuff and it shotgunned the front of his white shirt. RIP Mr. Monty.

s-a

[michaelwj]

I though the M-A shutter dial was the ultimate laziness. They didn't even think where the slot would go and just chopped it off. Hardly a case for Leica being really thoughtful.

[Michael Geschlecht]

I though the M-A shutter dial was the ultimate laziness. They didn't even think where the slot would go and just chopped it off. Hardly a case for Leica being really thoughtful.

 

Hello Michael,

 

Actually, the reason that part of the "4" is engraved away is because the first M3's have a shutter sequence that is B - 1 - 2 - 5 .............

 

And the original clip on meters have a pin that fits in the cut out that is in the middle between the "2' and the "5".

 

When later M3's changed the shutter sequence to B - 1 - 2 - 4 ...........

 

Then the slot for the pin was left where it had been before so that earlier meters could be used on later cameras.

 

This notch hitting the "4" is on all later cameras that accept clip on meters.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited May 24, 2017 by Michael Geschlecht

[NB23]

Leica laziness:

 

The notch on the M-A speed dial, supposed to accept an super obsolete light meter, and no new production in sight (50 years later!)

 

The M8 IR-block filter fiasco

 

The filter thread Fiasco on the Black 50mm summilux special edition

 

The mega useless half-assed sliding hoods on the various 50mm summicrons, including the APO and BP millenium summilux and 75 cron.

 

Silver hot shoe instead of black on the Leica MPs.

 

Super awkward meter interface on the M7, and especially the AE-L feature.

 

Leica could have gone full badass by making a FULLY hybrid mechanical shutter, not a lazy-ass 1/60 + 1/125 only

 

Plastic ISO dial on the MP and M7

 

Reverse speed dial on the M6 ttl and M7 (this was a major pita in the Leica world)

 

Zinc top plates as a lazy-ass cost-cutting measure

 

And so much more

[michaelwj]

Hi Michael,

 

I understand why it is where it is, but they could have done a lot of more elegant things rather than just chopping off the number....

 

On another note, some M-As have 'off' on the shutter speed dial. If that's not the ultimate in laziness then I don't know what is.

[wattsy]

On another note, some M-As have 'off' on the shutter speed dial.

 

 

Presumably an unintentional mistake rather than they ran out of the "M-A" variety? Nothing should surprise me but surely Leica aren't so cynical that they would deliberately use the wrong part on a camera that they are now asking £3,750 for?

[wattsy]

Leica laziness:

 

The notch on the M-A speed dial, supposed to accept an super obsolete light meter, and no new production in sight (50 years later!)

 

The M8 IR-block filter fiasco

 

The filter thread Fiasco on the Black 50mm summilux special edition

 

The mega useless half-assed sliding hoods on the various 50mm summicrons, including the APO and BP millenium summilux and 75 cron.

 

Silver hot shoe instead of black on the Leica MPs.

 

Super awkward meter interface on the M7, and especially the AE-L feature.

 

Leica could have gone full badass by making a FULLY hybrid mechanical shutter, not a lazy-ass 1/60 + 1/125 only

 

Plastic ISO dial on the MP and M7

 

Reverse speed dial on the M6 ttl and M7 (this was a major pita in the Leica world)

 

Zinc top plates as a lazy-ass cost-cutting measure

 

And so much more

 

I don't agree with most of what you list (at least I don't think "laziness" is the reason behind all of them) but you are missing one:

 

• The black chrome back door on a black paint MP.

[gbealnz]

I don't agree with most of what you list (at least I don't think "laziness" is the reason behind all of them) but you are missing one:

 

• The black chrome back door on a black paint MP.

Darn, that's cruel Ian, I wish I hadn't read that.

 

In fact I was so sure it was a wind up that I have just checked mine, and bother me (being polite here), it is black chrome too.

 

What to do? Worry about it and get the 180 grit out, and then paint it, or just use it and try to blank out this post.

 

Gary

[michaelwj]

Presumably an unintentional mistake rather than they ran out of the "M-A" variety? Nothing should surprise me but surely Leica aren't so cynical that they would deliberately use the wrong part on a camera that they are now asking £3,750 for?

I will replace laziness with sloppiness. Perhaps it is more fitting.

It is just sloppy to let a $4500 camera leave the factory with the wrong part.

[michaelwj]

Darn, that's cruel Ian, I wish I hadn't read that.

 

In fact I was so sure it was a wind up that I have just checked mine, and bother me (being polite here), it is black chrome too.

 

What to do? Worry about it and get the 180 grit out, and then paint it, or just use it and try to blank out this post.

 

Gary

I presume it is because the door is not brass, so it would not wear the same as the rest of the camera and look wrong. Alternatively you can swap it for an M6, I mean my M6...

[wattsy]

I will replace laziness with sloppiness. Perhaps it is more fitting.

It is just sloppy to let a $4500 camera leave the factory with the wrong part.

 

 

Oh, absolutely but I'm no longer so surprised by the sloppiness. Seems to increasingly be par for the course with leica (Jaap may be along soon to suggest that the sloppiness is part of the charm of a "hand finished" product – something you don't get with robot built "plastic CaNikons" ). Do you remember the example of the 75 Summicron that had the aperture ring on upside down (or something like that)?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[wattsy]

The notch on the M-A speed dial, supposed to accept an super obsolete light meter, and no new production in sight (50 years later!)

 

I actually like the notch even though I have no intention of ever adding a meter that can take advantage of it. It's just a functional nod to the heritage. I like that Leica added it to both the M-A and the MP Classic, recognising the distinctiveness of those cameras' meterlessness. Where Leica went astray – and were sloppy or lazy – is that they included a notch on the shutter speed dial of the metered LHSA MP3 camera.

[wattsy]

Darn, that's cruel Ian, I wish I hadn't read that.

 

In fact I was so sure it was a wind up that I have just checked mine, and bother me (being polite here), it is black chrome too.

 

What to do? Worry about it and get the 180 grit out, and then paint it, or just use it and try to blank out this post.

 

 

All black paint MP bodies are like it, Gary, as far as I know. Even if you go a la carte (say a black paint M7) I think you will get a black chrome door. I think some black paint M4 bodies also had a black chrome back door so it's not a recent example of sloppiness/laziness. Exceptions to the recent rule are the MP Classic (the meterless one) and, I think, the Millennium M6TTL (maybe also the LHSA M6TTL and MP3?) – these have a nice black paint back door.