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A list of all BLACK PAINT M cameras - analog and digital


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Is there a list of all M models that came in black paint to be posted here? Just a simple list, like M3, M2, M4... to M7 and all the way to the latest M10-R? All special editions, both analog and digital included? Preferably with the year of issue for each M BP model. Only original Leica black paint. Thanks.
 

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Al, is there a reason why you don't compile such a list yourself? It is not a list I would personally find useful, but I imagine it is doable to fill in the last 20 years without too much online research - maybe even a fun task for someone that is interested.

Posting it here for review would likely fill any omissions. 

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1 hour ago, nitroplait said:

Al, is there a reason why you don't compile such a list yourself? It is not a list I would personally find useful, but I imagine it is doable to fill in the last 20 years without too much online research - maybe even a fun task for someone that is interested.

Posting it here for review would likely fill any omissions. 

Good point. Here is my list, please anyone feel free to add any omissions:

Leica M7 black paint (a la carte only) - 2002
Leica M9 black paint (including the M9-P) - 2009/2011
Leica M-P ‘Correspondent’ black paint by Lenny Kravitz - 2015
Leica M10R black paint - 2021

Edited by Al Brown
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15 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Good point. Here is my list, please anyone feel free to add any omissions:

Leica M7 black paint (a la carte only) - 2002
Leica M9 black paint (including the M9-P) - 2009/2011
Leica M-P ‘Correspondent’ black paint by Lenny Kravitz - 2015
Leica M10R black paint - 2021

I can add

MP BP that I had

M4 BP still have

M(typ 240)

M-D (typ 262)

...

list would be long 😉

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28 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

I can add

MP BP that I had

M4 BP still have

M(typ 240)

M-D (typ 262)

...

list would be long 😉

Plus -

M8 Black paint  2006

M8.2 Black paint  2008

M Monochrom  Black Paint  2012

M Monochrom (TYP 246) Black Paint  2015

M10 Black Paint  2017

M10-D Black Paint  2018

M10 Monochrom Black Paint  2020

I'm sure there are more!

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2 hours ago, JohnW. said:

M Monochrom (TYP 246) Black Paint  2015

M10 Black Paint  2017

M10-D Black Paint  2018

M10 Monochrom Black Paint  2020

Are there black paint finish on these models? Black chrome is not the same as black paint.

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Good question @ianman... For instance, I thought there were only Leica M8.2s in black paint but it seems that there was a production run at the end of the M8 cycle in 2008 when Leica put out anywhere between 100 and 300 black paint M8's. Then, there was a special edition Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) "Your Mark", designed in collaboration with the Leica Store San Francisco and Horween Leather Company - only 80 units produced and exclusive to US Leica stores.
OTOH I am quite positive there was NO M10/M10-D in black paint as the M10-R is supposedly the first "tenner" in BP.

Still looking for the ultimate black paint list.

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14 hours ago, JohnW. said:

Plus -

M8 Black paint  2006

M8.2 Black paint  2008

M Monochrom  Black Paint  2012

M Monochrom (TYP 246) Black Paint  2015

M10 Black Paint  2017

M10-D Black Paint  2018

M10 Monochrom Black Paint  2020

I'm sure there are more!

No, all black chrome except for M8.2, as far as I recall.

edit...don't know about small run of late M8's noted above

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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Why stop at M models? There are many black paint or lacquer LTM models. They are some of the nicest cameras ever made by Leitz/Leica. The BP M thing can come across as as a bit of a fetish at times and the price disparity cannot be explained on rational grounds. When chrome was introduced in 1933 it was more expensive than black paint.

In more recent years black paint has often appeared on special editions, because of the premium price that they can attract. I believe that there is no absolutely comprehensive list of BP M cameras, but if someone has time on their hands......

William 

 

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Another small run - Leica M246 Monochrom + 35mm f/2.0 ASPH black paint Andy Summers Edition (10920) limited to 50 pieces with red signature on top and his images as a decoration for the leather trim - from 2019.
The above mentioned "Your Mark" Leica M Monochrom 246 + 35mm 2.0 asph. black paint (10918) was a run of 80 pieces.

Edited by Al Brown
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More M-240 in black paint - the "50 years master of Leica" (or also called the "Ara Güler" edition, 10953) special edition (50 copies) sold only by Leica Camera Turkey with black painted Leica Summicron-M 1:2.0/35mm ASPH. The list price of the edition was about €20.000 but is at the moment available in set for €12.500. One sold on eBay for 4.700GBP a while ago.

Edited by Al Brown
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Tom Abrahamsson and I suggested the original revival of the classic black paint M camera. We began talking with Leica about doing this in 1996, and it took four years to eventually get it done with the LHSA M6 TTL camera. It was quite a struggle. The first reaction was, “Why do you want black paint, our black chrome finish is superior?”

The ability to do black paint was truly a lost art in Solms, and both the Millenium and our camera were subcontracted out to a firm in Austria to do the actual paint. I was actually allowed on the floor of the Montage to photograph some of our cameras being assembled in Solms. I’ll have to dig out those slides!

Long story short, Leica has used the black paint finish very successfully over the years, all because Tom and I had a love of the finish and wanted to revive it on a modern M camera. The rest is history as they say 🙂

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12 hours ago, Al Brown said:

@derleicaman what a cool story! Does LHSA not keep any record of BP camera models and special editions over the years?

Of the LHSA Special Editions I was responsible for, the Black Paint M6 TTL was over 1,200 units

The Hammertone MP with Leicavit and Retro 35/2 ASPH 1,000 units

MP3 with Leicavit and Retro 50/1.4 ASPH, 500 units in Black Paint, 500 units in Chrome

Retro 50/2 APO, 300 units in Black Paint and 200 in Chrome

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The original M8 was sold in a “panda edition” (black, chrome dials) during middle2008-2009 (I got mine from ffordes in feb 2009). The cameras came in boxes (mine did at least), marked “chrome” and had a black paint finish. According to a Leica Rep less than 150 pandas where made as a paint finish test for the M8.2. They never had an official part number at Leica. These where the only black paint M8:s made. M8.2 came in black paint and likewise the M9.

Edited by mmx_2
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5 hours ago, mmx_2 said:

The original M8 was sold in a “panda edition” (black, chrome dials) during middle2008-2009 (I got mine from ffordes in feb 2009). The cameras came in boxes (mine did at least), marked “chrome” and had a black paint finish. According to a Leica Rep less than 150 pandas where made as a paint finish test for the M8.2. They never had an official part number at Leica. These where the only black paint M8:s made. M8.2 came in black paint and likewise the M9.

The M8.2 was also the first regular production Leica with the black dot.

I specified the black dot on the LHSA Black Paint M6 TTL. When HP Coen, then CEO of Leica was looking at my prototype camera at PMA, he said, “Bill, there is something wrong with this camera!” I asked him what he was referring to. He said the dot was not red. I replied that was intentional. Glad he didn’t insist we make it red! 🙂

And so the black dot was born.

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