I was a black paint bigot

[kivis]

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For years I only bought Leica's that were Black Paint so I could enjoy the eternally sought after brassing. About a couple of years ago I bought a new Black CHROME M-A. And I love it. Still love and miss my Black Paint M7 ala carte, but......... (I hate myself for selling it).

M-A with CV's nifty 50mm f1.5 Nickel lens

 

Black Paint M7 ala carte

 

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[Huss]

oh man that black paint M7 looks so much nicer.  (wait, I'm not helping am I?)

[Bronco McBeast]

The M-A looks absolutely gorgeous. Maybe a bit slippy though.

I also regret selling my a La carte 0.58 M7... was black chrome, was the best looking camera.

Never sold a BP Leica, a mistake I am not making.

[kivis]

In normal parlance, I would be referred to as a dumb a$$. 

[Matlock]

I am not too keen on Black Paint Ms, although I can fully understand why many are. I find that black paint suits the early Barnacks better. However my favourite finish is my grey paint IIIc. Just me though.

[romualdo]

5 hours ago, Matlock said:

I am not too keen on Black Paint Ms, although I can fully understand why many are. I find that black paint suits the early Barnacks better. However my favourite finish is my grey paint IIIc. Just me though.

Yep, black paint barnacks are the bomb! (my favs anyway)

[Huss]

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I had a black paint Kiev  - the Contax copy RF camera.  Looked awesome from a distance.  But the painter just painted directly onto the chrome body so it just started to flake off!

This is why it is really important to make sure a camera is properly prepped before painting.  I have seen the same on painted M3s etc.  You know it hasn't been properly prepped (the chrome needs to be removed to the bare brass) if you ask the seller if the chrome was removed and they don't answer!  There are a couple of repainted Ms on fredmiranda.com like that.  Avoid those..

Shueido on ebay sells some really nice repaints - for the money.  And they show the camera in parts stripped down to bare brass before applying paint.

They are not the highest quality paint job, but a really decent one.

[Bronco McBeast]

58 minutes ago, Huss said:

I had a black paint Kiev  - the Contax copy RF camera.  Looked awesome from a distance.  But the painter just painted directly onto the chrome body so it just started to flake off!

This is why it is really important to make sure a camera is properly prepped before painting.  I have seen the same on painted M3s etc.  You know it hasn't been properly prepped (the chrome needs to be removed to the bare brass) if you ask the seller if the chrome was removed and they don't answer!  There are a couple of repainted Ms on fredmiranda.com like that.  Avoid those..

Shueido on ebay sells some really nice repaints - for the money.  And they show the camera in parts stripped down to bare brass before applying paint.

They are not the highest quality paint job, but a really decent one.

Why mess around with fake bp cameras? Repaints? Con-artistry on many levels. And it takes out a very nice Chrome camera off the market.

As things are going, soon the rare Leicas will be the beautiful silver M2-3-4. Just watch.

I’ve seen a Shueido job, first hand and I was GUTTED. 
The M2 in question was REALLY TIRED. The paint flaked even though it was on brass (simple paint on Brass doe not guarantee to hold.  There is much more to it), there was POTTY WORK on the camera. And Don Goldberg confirmed MANY BITS missing from the camera. It seems that during reassembly Shueido ends up with extra screws and baffles on their desk. And who knows how many parts are SWITCHED during their “cla” job. 

As a Leica afficionado, I stay away from the paint jobs. Just way too many fondlers, amateurs, con artists, bad technicians, in that business.

 

[Huss]

12 hours ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Why mess around with fake bp cameras? Repaints? 

It was cheap and looked much nicer than the chrome.

[colint544]

I don't know about Shueido, but back in 2013, I sent my standard chrome 1966 Leica M2 off to Kanto. The camera was very tired, the vulcanite was lifting off the back door, viewfinder was dim, and the controls very stiff. I had got it from Red Dot Cameras for, I think, £600.

Kanto won't do a repaint without doing also doing a full service. They chemically stripped all the chrome, painted the camera black, and made it buttery smooth to operate. There was condensation in the viewfinder, which they fixed, and they replaced a shutter roller, whatever that is. They returned it with the 'light brassing' look, a service they offered at the time. It felt like a different camera. 

I've been using that M2 for ten years now. Just for personal work, but I've put probably 400 films through it. It works like a charm, it has the quietest shutter of any of my film M cameras. The paint seems soft, it didn't stay on the shutter speed dial for long, and it has worn out and bubbled up over the years. It's not a real black paint M2, but it's a real M2, and it's a pleasure to use. It's smooth, reliable, and has a beautiful clear viewfinder. But it's only a camera, when all is said and done.

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[Huss]

The worn brassing look is cool, but the paint bubbling is 'orrible.

[colint544]

7 minutes ago, Huss said:

The worn brassing look is cool, but the paint bubbling is 'orrible.

Yes, it's certainly not the most durable paint finish. It was mirror smooth when I got it. I don't mind, the black paint on the original Leitz M cameras wasn't brilliant either. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go for the olive paint. 

[Huss]

I'm just surprised as everyone says Kanto does the best paint etc.  I honestly think if someone posted this pic and said it was 'random painter' who did the work, people would say you get what you pay for etc and should have used Kanto!

[Huss]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:38 AM, Bronco McBeast said:

Why mess around with fake bp cameras? Repaints? Con-artistry on many levels. And it takes out a very nice Chrome camera off the market.

As things are going, soon the rare Leicas will be the beautiful silver M2-3-4. Just watch.

I’ve seen a Shueido job, first hand and I was GUTTED. 
The M2 in question was REALLY TIRED. The paint flaked even though it was on brass (simple paint on Brass doe not guarantee to hold.  There is much more to it), there was POTTY WORK on the camera. And Don Goldberg confirmed MANY BITS missing from the camera. It seems that during reassembly Shueido ends up with extra screws and baffles on their desk. And who knows how many parts are SWITCHED during their “cla” job. 

As a Leica afficionado, I stay away from the paint jobs. Just way too many fondlers, amateurs, con artists, bad technicians, in that business.

 

Not sure if it was this site, or on Fredmiranda, but someone bought a gorgeous repainted battleship grey with silver accents M3 from Shueido.  Had the pics showing it was all taken apart etc.  When he got it, it wouldn't work so he sent back for a refund.

[calijax]

OP....I think you'll find it relatively easy to source a pre-owned MP with no/minimal brassing for $4-4.5k. I think this is the way to go...its fun to look at a camera that has (mostly) your scuffs and scars to show! I was able to purchase one that was like-new from Leica Bellevue for $4k. 

[Huss]

21 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Try replacing the word "kanto" with "Leica" and "paint" with "photography". Notice anything?

No.

[Huss]

1 minute ago, Al Brown said:

Not everybody does.

Eh.

[madNbad]

The camera that brought back the black paint Leica: The M6 TTL Millennium

 

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Edited September 7, 2023 by madNbad

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Bronco McBeast]

20 minutes ago, madNbad said:

The camera that brought back the black paint Leica: The M6 TTL Millennium

 

 

That one has some super thin paint. Had it for a year, brassed it like crazy, sood it for a BP M4 which I much prefer.

The M6 millenium was a feminine camera, and very poseur.  Taller top plate, meh.

The original M234 BP cameras had great paint. Thickish, matte, yet aged gracefuly and alllowing a great patina. The good old days.

[Huss]

8 minutes ago, Bronco McBeast said:

That one has some super thin paint. Had it for a year, brassed it like crazy, sood it for a BP M4 which I much prefer.

The M6 millenium was a feminine camera, and very poseur.  Taller top plate, meh.

The original M234 BP cameras had great paint. Thickish, matte, yet aged gracefuly and alllowing a great patina. The good old days.

Agree - I only use masculine cameras.  The more masculine they are, the more manly the pictures they make.

That photo of the Hindenburg exploding?  Definitely not taken with a fem camera.  I'm assuming whatever used created callouses on the photographer's hands, and hopefully recoiled enough to give him a black eye.