Black vs. Silver lens

[SilentShutter]

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Just people who care more about gear than about photos - ask about silver vs black I guess. 

[M11 for me]

Just people who care more about gear than about photos - ask about silver vs black I guess. 

 

 

Uiiiuiuiuiui :-)

 

But you might be right. Still it is unlikely to be true. 

 

For me is true: If the M10 would have been an ugly cam then I would not have bought it :-) Still I mind my photos a lot!!!! I love the sharpness and the colours. You get that only with silver lenses as stated several times.

 

Its getting philosophical now . . .

Edited July 14, 2017 by Alex U.

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[pedaes]

And the Summicron 35 asph ? (surely my "old" one... maybe the current one no more ?)

 

(btw.. around 40% of the brass in Europe "passes" through my town... so that I like its usage...)

 

Not sure Luigi. In the technical specifications they give one weight for both finishes.

[M11 for me]

depends on which lens. the Lux 50mm ist over 100g heavier in silver than in black

[NB23]

The weird thing about the 28 Summaron is that if you take it off the camera and hold it in your hand it feels like it's made from depleted uranium. However, if you put it on the camera it doesn't seem to weigh anything at all.

 

This brass fetish is also odd. I'm also a sucker for brass bits on a Leica (the horror of a zinc or aluminium top plate!) but if you go and buy a box of brass screws from B&Q you quickly realise that the material is as cheap as chips.

It's alla about the feel. Brass sticks to your hands. Wears beaitifully. Brass helicoids are smooooth. Brass is soft. The screws hitting each other in your hand provide a good, pleasing experience.

 

Keys are brass for good reasons. I once has an aluminum door key. I hated that thing so much it was incredible. It's not about fetish but simply about the right material for the right product.

[luigi bertolotti]

Not sure Luigi. In the technical specifications they give one weight for both finishes.

True.. I found the infos rather easily : the current listed are 11673 (black) and 118674 (silver) - same weight (252g "naked lens")

 

at the times of mine they were 11879 (black - 255g) and 11882 (chrome on brass - 340g)

 

a no negligible difference... but I love so much chrome on brass that has of this kind even my Summicron 90 (690g vs. 475g ... )

Edited July 14, 2017 by luigi bertolotti

[willeica]

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The answer is neither. Nickel lenses are the best. Nothing made today is as nice as these ones, Hektor, Elmar and Summar, from the 1930s. Not only do they look nice, they also take great pictures. They are, of course, all made by Leica.

 

 

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William

[jdlaing]

It's alla about the feel. Brass sticks to your hands. Wears beaitifully. Brass helicoids are smooooth. Brass is soft. The screws hitting each other in your hand provide a good, pleasing experience.

 

Keys are brass for good reasons. I once has an aluminum door key. I hated that thing so much it was incredible. It's not about fetish but simply about the right material for the right product.

Let's review:

 

A. You're not touching brass. You're touching chrome or nickel plating.

B. The helicoids are brass no mater what the outside barrel is.

C. Keys are brass so machining is easy and it doesn't rust. It also doesn't wear the tumbler pins.

[colint544]

Leica seem to be moving away from making lenses with brass barrels altogether. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's cheaper.

 

I have one of those 50mm Summicron 50 Jahre lenses. It's silver chrome, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a brass outer barrel. It's still a super lens - it can take lovely pictures, and I think it looks nice on my M Monochrom mk1. I know many don't agree, but I like a silver lens on a black body.

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Edited July 14, 2017 by colint544

[Irakly Shanidze]

Over the years I have owned at least a dozen M lenses but I have never owned or used a silver colored one.  I know the optical performance is the same between the two but my question is whether there is a physical/mechanical difference between the two.  I see that the silver colored ones are heavier and I understand that the base metal is brass.  Do they feel or behave (physically) different?

 

Thank you,

Mark

 

Of course! They are much more effective when used for protection. Throwing a silver lens into an assailant's face will result in a much more profound structural damage to his scull, while the lens will most likely survive the impact.

[Ko.Fe.]

Just people who care more about gear than about photos - ask about silver vs black I guess. 

 

Actually it is not.

 

Where is two ways of taking pictures with M mount lenses mounted on Leica RF. One is for those who takes color of lens exterior as not important. They are limited to slow focusing with RF patch. They don't see the lens while they focus. It is OK. 

And then where are those like me. We pretend what we could focus by positioning of the focus tab, but it is happening not always. We are using lens scales, for distances and even for DoF. 

We are also switching lens aperture by looking at the aperture ring and not by looking into the exposure indicator in VF. And here is the drill why some of use (those who cares about photos and gear ) would prefer black over silver or versa. It is about reading. Some shiny lenses with tiny black or red numbers are less easy to read. Black lens with white (yellow for some) numbers for some of us is easier to read.

 

Where are some non-Leica manufacturers with shiny lenses and numbers not so easy to read, BTW. 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Ko.Fe.

[Martin B]

I am using both - a silver 50/2, the rest of my Leica M lenses is all black. Also experienced that my silver 50/2 raised more attention than any of my black ones. I personally don't care too much about this difference in M lenses, but I admit that the silver one gives me a more rigid lens body feel than the black ones. But being inconspicuous with M lenses and cameras is my first priority still - and that's done best with black on black IMO.  

[lpeeples]

Of course! They are much more effective when used for protection. Throwing a silver lens into an assailant's face will result in a much more profound structural damage to his scull, while the lens will most likely survive the impact.

 

As a bonus, they may get a .95 indented in their forehead.

[Ko.Fe.]

I am using both - a silver 50/2, the rest of my Leica M lenses is all black. Also experienced that my silver 50/2 raised more attention than any of my black ones. I personally don't care too much about this difference in M lenses, but I admit that the silver one gives me a more rigid lens body feel than the black ones. But being inconspicuous with M lenses and cameras is my first priority still - and that's done best with black on black IMO.  

 

I think if people see big lens they tend to have "paparazzi" impression more often.

 

Where is known optical illusion for black making object slimmer in appearance than white. On previous weekend I  was documenting annual street sale. Wearing red Canadian flag t-short. I had black Minolta Rokkor 40 f2 on chrome M3. I was documenting (working openly and taking my time) but people after seeing original ribber hood on tiny lens where not alert anymore

Edited July 14, 2017 by Ko.Fe.

[Martin B]

I think if people see big lens they tend to have "paparazzi" impression more often.

 

Where is known optical illusion for black making object slimmer in appearance than white. On previous weekend I  was documenting annual street sale. Wearing red Canadian flag t-short. I had black Minolta Rokkor 40 f2 on chrome M3. I was documenting (working openly and taking my time) but people after seeing original ribber hood on tiny lens where not alert anymore

 

Quick question for you off-topic here: When you used the 40/2 on the M3, is the filed of view with the 40 mm about the same as what you see in the whole viewfinder image outside the 50 mm framelines? This would be very interesting because it would allow a wider than 50 mm lens to be used with the M3 without needing an external viewfinder or roughly guessing the field of view?

Edited July 14, 2017 by Martin B

[Ko.Fe.]

Quick question for you off-topic here: When you used the 40/2 on the M3, is the filed of view with the 40 mm about the same as what you see in the whole viewfinder image outside the 50 mm framelines? This would be very interesting because it would allow a wider than 50 mm lens to be used with the M3 without needing an external viewfinder or roughly guessing the field of view?

 

 

It is not. M3 50 framelines are perfect match only for 50 mm lens. With 40mm lens in 50 framelines you need to frame closer if you want to print full frame. They say, also, (I didn't checked it) if 40mm is framed by 50mm framelines it works as crop for 8x10 prints.

[NB23]

Let's review:

 

A. You're not touching brass. You're touching chrome or nickel plating.

B. The helicoids are brass no mater what the outside barrel is.

C. Keys are brass so machining is easy and it doesn't rust. It also doesn't wear the tumbler pins.

A: keys made of brass, you're not touching brass but the plating, and yet, you get the full feel of Brass.

And focusing a Brass lens gives youthis better feeling. The warmth to the touch of brass lenses shows through the plating (how comes a silver chrome lens does not slip nearly as easily as a Black Chrome lens? It''s because the plating finish can never be the same).

 

B: it is brass for a reason.

And brass lenses with their better feel (seeA) and combined with their weight, will always feel smooter.

 

C: Exactly, hence why it's Brass.

As I said. I once had an Alu key and touching and handling that thing was a very weird experience.

[earleygallery]

I heard that the best optics are used for the chrome lenses and the rest get left for black lenses because they consider people who opt for chrome are more fastidious and likely to reject anything less than 100% perfect.

 

Same with the M bodies. The chrome ones get the best sensors with zero dead pixels.

[Exodies]

"Paint it black" is factory slang for what to do with optical assemblies which fail QC.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[pgk]

For those who worry about longevity and suchlike try reading the section under 'Dyeing' here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing#Dyeing

 

I may be wrong but I think that even the modern lenses may well still use brass helicoids - Aluminium would be prone to wear I would guess. So the thing is that older lenses used heavier materials in construction which gave them a hefty feel and increased solidity. Modern lenses use aluminium where possible to save weight and the aluminium is anodised and dyed to create the colour. I'd be extremely surprised if there is any difference in black/silver lenses other than the dye and subsequent colour. Its good to have colour choice especially when there is no other reason for its existence than just choice.