Black or silver – and does it matter

[satijntje]

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The black area right above 5.6 in red a few mms thick adjoining the lens mount - is that black the attachable rearward part of the silver lens? (I've never noticed this before) 

 

 

 

The black area must be part of that old summaron lens as it is not visible on my M10 + new summaron Combo!

John

[Paul J]

My Scottish roots are silver. I don't care if it turns blue as long as it don't turn loose.

 

 

 

Not much brassing there either.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Paul J

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[jdlaing]

 

 

Not much brassing there either.

A few years back I had massive chemo and radiation and it stayed like that. Didn't lose my hair.

 

The hair Gods looked kindly on me.

[coup de foudre]

I'm intrigued by the black body / silver lens combo because of the silver lens mount that protrudes from the body. 

 

When the lens is silver the transition is seamless, however when the lens is black the [silver] lens mount is jarring to my eyes. 

 

So I like the continuity of the silver lens + mount, but I'm curious in the picture below - what the black ring is between what looks like the lens and the lens mount. 

 

The black area right above 5.6 in red a few mms thick adjoining the lens mount - is that black the attachable rearward part of the silver lens? (I've never noticed this before) 

 

 

It looks like an LTM to M adaptor for old screw mount lenses... I don't recalll ever seeing the adaptors in silver, but I could be wrong... I'm at CDG right now, with none of my screw mounts packed, so I can't tell you first hand.

[coup de foudre]

 

 

Not much brassing there either.

 

I am major brass (but a little, okay more than a little) silver...

 

No Scot's blood but I live with one -- does that count?

[01af]

Oh dear, there are soo many good arguments in favour of silver— about just as many as for black. At the end of the day, you'll get what you like better. And next morning you'll start wondering if the other choice would have been nicer

 

Overall, I like silver chrome best, closely followed by black paint. Black chrome looks gorgeous as long as it's new but it is going to look shabby when the first signs of use appear. Black paint will age way more gracefully. So I wish the M10 was available in black paint rather than black chrome ... oh well.

 

Anyway, I settled for this rule: My digital Leica M cameras are black; my film Leica M cameras are silver chrome. So I ordered my M10 in black, even though it's chrome. And a patch of black tape (you know what for) looks better on a black camera, too. My silver Leica M cameras (which amount to one altogether) don't have red logos so no tape required.

 

And oh, by the way—even though I like my silver-chrome Leica M-A very much, here's a picture from my ongoing series 'Waiting Dog' where I wish it was black (the camera, not the dog):

 

 

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Edited February 7, 2017 by 01af

[hollisd]

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<snip> Black chrome looks gorgeous as long as it's new but it is going to look shabby when the first signs of use appear. Black paint will age way more gracefully. So I wish the M10 was available in black paint rather than black chrome ... oh well.

 

 

Examples of well used black chrome bodies please, anyone? 

Edited February 7, 2017 by hollisd

[UliWer]

It looks like an LTM to M adaptor for old screw mount lenses... I don't recalll ever seeing the adaptors in silver, but I could be wrong... I'm at CDG right now, with none of my screw mounts packed, so I can't tell you first hand.

The original LTM-to-M-Adapters by Leitz were all in silver, so the "black ring" on the photo, which obviously shows an adapter, looks odd.

 

Perhaps it was bought to solve a problem, the M (typ 240) had in beginning. Usually the adapters for 28/90mm lenses have a spareout exactly at the space where the 6-bit-code is read by the camera. When this region  wasn't covered for the M (Type 240), you couldn't use liveview, for the camera "thought" it had no lens. 

 

This was only changed by a firmware update some months after the M came to the market. I hope they thought to imply this new firmware function for the M10 from the very beginning. Otherwise the search for adapters without spareout starts again (original ones from Leitz are very rare)).

[coup de foudre]

Examples of well used black chrome bodies please, anyone? 

 

I'm travelling, so not from me right now.

 

However, I disagree about the black chrome looking shabby. I have a well-used M8  and it has just faded down to a distinguished dark grey that I find quite stunning. It's understated.

 

But then I' one of those who could give a fig about what colour lens I use on what colour body. IMO, it's all about the glass.

[UliWer]

...

But somehow black lens on silver body is OK but not as nice

 

...

 

Same for me. I always think it looks "M4-ish". I have nothing against the M4, though it came during the times when the lenses started to be regularly black. So you often see the combination of a silver camera - as everybody was used to this finish from the times of M2/M3 - and black lenses. Looks like the start of the crisis for Leica cameras.  

[coup de foudre]

The original LTM-to-M-Adapters by Leitz were all in silver, so the "black ring" on the photo, which obviously shows an adapter, looks odd.

 

Perhaps it was bought to solve a problem, the M (typ 240) had in beginning. Usually the adapters for 28/90mm lenses have a spareout exactly at the space where the 6-bit-code is read by the camera. When this region  wasn't covered for the M (Type 240), you couldn't use liveview, for the camera "thought" it had no lens. 

 

This was only changed by a firmware update some months after the M came to the market. I hope they thought to imply this new firmware function for the M10 from the very beginning. Otherwise the search for adapters without spareout starts again (original ones from Leitz are very rare)).

 

Thank you -- that's something I didn't know.

 

I first used screw mount lenses on my R-D1 and bought the adaptors from CameraQuest. As the camera was black and the lenses were silver,  I don't think I ever asked. I just wanted something that would make my new-to-me lens work on the camera.

[UliWer]

Examples of well used black chrome bodies please, anyone? 

 

Not so heavily used  - though the Leica Customer Care classified the M8 "with strong signs of usage" once. At the M6 you see the scratches from the lever movements (M6 from 2000 and M8 from 2007)

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[skater75]

It looks like an LTM to M adaptor for old screw mount lenses... I don't recalll ever seeing the adaptors in silver, but I could be wrong... I'm at CDG right now, with none of my screw mounts packed, so I can't tell you first hand.

 

A tiny silver lens on the black body looks ... good. I wonder how a silver Noctilux would look like on the black body...?

[Stonewall Brigade]

so then they should make an aluminum one

The Fuji X-T1 and new X-T2, in graphite, comes with a metal matching color hot shoe cover.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Stonewall Brigade

[UliWer]

No Noctilux here (and the flash caused some ugly reflections):

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cliff S]

So here's my take. The M screams retro. Manual everything. No programmed exposures for portraits, snow, sports, backlight etc. No auto focus. No programmable buttons. The silver looks retro and IMHO complements the philosophy of the camera. Photography as art.

 

In my eye, satin black is today. The Q. The SL. These are black cameras. The M? Vintage. The camera your grandfather had. It was silver and black.

 

When I hold my Q or SL, I feel the technology at work. Helping JG me but also unless I revert everything to manual, partially letting technology control me. When u hold the M10, it's all me. I control everything and rely on my skill and artistic view of the scene to decide how to shoot.

 

So that's why I have a silver M10. It inspires me to be creative. Old school and original. I actually feel silly using MF on the SL or Q because the AF is as good as MF so why do I bother?

 

The opinions stated above reflect the authors personal opinion and should not be taken as a rule.

[skanga]

Re: Black or Silver?

 

The UR-Leica I borrowed from the case at the Leica museum only comes in black, so I'm stuck! Anyway, I'm going back out to poke around behind Gare St. Lazare to see if that guy will jump over the puddle again. 

[Dirk Mandeville]

My M9 is black. But my heart says to go with a silver M10. I agree with Cliff's logic. The M10 is somewhat of a retro camera compared to previous digital M's and silver screams retro.

[otto.f]

I must say, I have a silver one since 12 days and it feels as if I have it for ages. It looks perfectly natural with the black lenses on it. I chose for silver rather quickly, with my heart perhaps yes. I don't see any logic in my list of my M's owned for or against black or silver. Although I can feel that it would have been completely inappropriate at the time to have taken a silver M9 or M8.2. and the same counts for my silver M7, couldn't have been black *at all*.

Edited February 8, 2017 by otto.f

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Peter H]

I told the shop where I placed my order that I'd take whatever became available first.

 

I'm going to ask the shop not to tell me what colour it is when they phone for payment and to confirm delivery, so I get a surprise when it comes.

 

I'm trying hard not to grow up.