Q2 Reporter Workmanship

[Kamera Klutter]

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I purchased a Q2 Reporter just under a year ago and have used it gently. I thought the Kevlar would make this camera a workhorse (something implied by the name) and endure even normal use without too much blemish. I’ve noticed that where the Kevlar meets some of the metal edges, especially in areas of wear (but not always) a few of the Kevlar threads have begun to fray. Is this normal, an underlying flaw in manufacturing, or poor design? I hesitate to send it to Leica in NJ as I’ll lose use of my camera for at least a month. Thoughts?

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[LocalHero1953]

I bought mine in April, and have used it quite a bit. It doesn't show this level of wear.

I don't baby it, but I don't think I'm particularly careless either.

TBH I expect a certain amount of furriness to develop - it's a coarse woven fabric with cut edges after all - but I wouldn't expect significant separation between the metal body and the cover.

[Guest]

Normal wear and tear to me. Just saying. 

Edited September 25, 2022 by OThomas

[trickness]

The Reporter finish is a complete comedy as it seems generally far less resilient than the standard finish yet costs a premium.

[Kamera Klutter]

21 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

You seriously did?

Well, I guess I believed the marketing pitch. Kevlar vests and all that’s. Plus, it *looks* rugged, lol!

[Herr Barnack]

Quote

... I know of at least two forum users (albeit of M10-P cameras) here and here who have replaced the kevlar with leatherette...

I don't know about the rest of you, but that makes me want to run out and trade in everything for kevlar covered cameras that will look like a pair of raggedy underwear in a few months. 🙄

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[Kamera Klutter]

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I heard that the Kevlar will fade to olive drab. But it will never match the unique beauty of a heavily brassed black-paint M! Yep, waiting for the price to skyrocket, just in time for the Q3…

[Kamera Klutter]

2 hours ago, Kamera Klutter said:

Well, I guess I believed the marketing pitch. Kevlar vests and all that. Plus, it *looks* rugged, lol!

 

[Herr Barnack]

Quote

...for it will be then that the frayed, scruffy, faded kevlar-clad Reporter will reach unimaginable astronomical prices second hand... 😁

Probably so.

Given that, I would like to take this opportunity to announce my new business venture, Herr Barnack's kevlar camera fading service.   

For the reasonable investment of anywhere between $2000 and $7000 USD, I will personally sit on my back deck with the client's Q2 Reporter and meticulously expose it to the sun's VU light, turning the camera with the movement of the sun and repositioning it to ensure uniform fading. 

The $2000 Basic Fade will give the client's camera a medium sun faded kevlar appearance, while the  $7000 Elite Connoisseur Service will produce a distinctive kevlar fading that matches the olive green finish of the camera.  Customized tie dye fades are also available

These kevlar fades come with a lifetime guarantee against unfading and a written guarantee that you may be able to perhaps at least double the cost of your investment on the secondary market.  Secondary market performance may perhaps vary depending on unforeseen variables such as global inflation, recession, locust plagues, world leader poop-flinging, nonhuman intergalactic alien invasion of earth, or the mood of prospective buyer's wives/significant others at the time of purchase.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Herr Barnack said:

Customized tie dye fades

🤔🤔🤔 Hm now there’s a thought Q2 Hippie 👍. I claim all trade marks and copyrights as of now.  I’m gonna be rich I tell ya!!!! Rich 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

Edited September 25, 2022 by OThomas

[hdmesa]

LOL at many of these posts.

The Kevlar will fray – it's part of the intent and aesthetic Leica says 🤭

Kevlar is meant to be used inside a liner for protection against fraying and UV rays, both of which compromise its effectiveness. As such, I'm probably going to buy an Arte di Mano case for mine. When/if mine becomes frayed beyond hope, I'll have it recovered with the olive leather they use on the M Safari editions –  chips, scuffs, and potato sack frayed cladding be damned 😆  

As for the Kevlar fading to green, I've not seen that happen yet. All I have seen is it fading to a dirty white.

The black Q2 camera gets pretty nasty looking with hard use, too.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by hdmesa

[Herr Barnack]

17 hours ago, OThomas said:

🤔🤔🤔 Hm now there’s a thought Q2 Hippie 👍. I claim all trade marks and copyrights as of now.  I’m gonna be rich I tell ya!!!! Rich 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

Matching do-rag sold separately. 😎

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

Matching do-rag sold separately. 😎

I like my locks flowing not trussed up 😏

[bobtodrick]

In the past you would want the fraying.

In 1973 I bought my first serious camera, a black paint Nikon F2 (my son still uses it).

Anyhoo…at that time it was popular to take some sandpaper and sand down to the brass at the wear points on a new camera.

Made you look like you just returned from covering the Vietnam war.

[Guest]

Leica did that for Lenny Kravitz a while back. If I remember. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by OThomas

[T25UFO]

And the now banned Steven did to his new M10R Black Paint.  Actually made quite a good job of it, if you like that sort of thing.  There’s a long thread about it somewhere.  

[Kamera Klutter]

1 hour ago, bobtodrick said:

In the past you would want the fraying.

In 1973 I bought my first serious camera, a black paint Nikon F2 (my son still uses it).

Anyhoo…at that time it was popular to take some sandpaper and sand down to the brass at the wear points on a new camera.

Made you look like you just returned from covering the Vietnam war.

I had an F2 from the mid-seventies. Beautiful and well-made camera. Brassing is a badge of honor. It shows an instrument performing in service to craft. But fraying Kevlar just looks crummy. As in, poorly made. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Kamera Klutter
Grammar

[hdmesa]

1 hour ago, Kamera Klutter said:

I had an F2 from the mid-seventies. Beautiful and well-made camera. Brassing is a badge of honor. It shows an instrument performing in service to craft. But fraying Kevlar just looks crummy. As in, poorly made. 

There is no amount of better workmanship that would keep the Kevlar from fraying.

Kevlar used without a protective layer was simply a poor (or questionable) design choice.

Edited September 26, 2022 by hdmesa

[hdmesa]

Here's what Leica got wrong about Kevlar, perhaps even due to a misunderstanding about how Kevlar is used – from the Q2R Leica page:

Aramid Fiber
A synthetic material used in high-grade protective clothing. The fibers are so tightly spun,  that they are almost impossible to separate. As a result, the Q2 Reporter's aramid fibers trim  - woven in a distinctive pattern – offers outstanding protection and excellent grip even in the  harshest conditions.

What Leica got wrong is how these fibers work. They are quite resilient against trauma like a fast-moving projectile, but they are not very resistant to low-level abrasion over time.

It also seems as though Leica has removed the word "Kevlar" from the product description. DuPont may have gotten pissed that Leica was using their material outside of a protective shell and the resulting reports of fraying noted in this forum and elsewhere. Bad press for Kevlar maybe?

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[bobtodrick]

2 hours ago, Kamera Klutter said:

I had an F2 from the mid-seventies. Beautiful and well-made camera. Brassing is a badge of honor. It shows an instrument performing in service to craft. But fraying Kevlar just looks crummy. As in, poorly made. 

Don’t get me wrong…not saying it’s acceptable…just that fifty years ago it would have been considered a badge of honour:)

But yes…I used my F2 professionally for about 15 years and it is still working great for my son.