I was a black paint bigot

[Bronco McBeast]

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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.

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[Bronco McBeast]

6 minutes ago, Huss said:

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.

That’s funny, coming from a woman... my wife likes the more feminine ones.

Edited September 7 by Bronco McBeast

[69xchange]

2 hours ago, Huss said:

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.

That was me. It was a M2 and it was really beautiful in person but after firing a few shots, the shutter jammed and I sent it back for a full refund. It’s a shame… I don’t trust their “CLA” ,but their paint jobs are good.

[madNbad]

16 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.

If it hadn't been for a push by LHSA and others, there wouldn't have been a black paint M6 TTL and most likely, no black paint MP.

[Bronco McBeast]

34 minutes ago, madNbad said:

If it hadn't been for a push by LHSA and others, there wouldn't have been a black paint M6 TTL and most likely, no black paint MP.

In those years Leica was close to bankruptcy abd they were out of touch with the market for 3 decades at least. The R system was supposed to save them, but the minolta move was a very bad decision. And the RF cameras were outsold 1000:1 for three decades at least. The millennium black paint was not necessarily a smart move as it was a bold move. But at that point, simply producing a summicron lens was a bold move in itself. Indeed, that plastic part in the Summicron V4 (50 and 35) meant sufficiently. 
The Millennium set sold poorly. 
 

What happened was China. 
China happened. That’s what.

The chinese got extremely hungry for western goods, with their new wealth. This is what saved Leica. 
Not us, not the millennium edition, not the M4-2, not the canadian factories. It’s China. But thanks to Leica’s history abd mystique, that’s exactly what the new asian was hungry for.

[Huss]

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The manliest Leica is the M5 of course.  I pidy da fool who uses anything else.  It was so manly it scared most photogs off, as they were used to the gentler M2/3/4s.

[Bronco McBeast]

7 hours ago, colint544 said:

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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Very nice camera.

Kanto are great and worthy of confidence. 

I am one of the Lucky ones to own a Shintaro Nikon S3 Black, from when Nikon themselves had their Silver S3 cameras converted to Black due to poor demand for silver. Shintaro... now there’s a legendary name in the BP business. The camera is undistinguishable from original. Smashing.

 

I personally see the bp aftermarket twofold: when a person decides to have his own silver Camera repainted, then good. It is a personal decision and that particular camera is totally worthy. 

However(!) when a shop decides to convert a camera to Black Paint, such as Shueido does, that’s a real red flag. This really means that the camera is salvaged from UGLY/BARGAIN condition. Its simply an act of make-up. Those cameras are really tired on the inside, and have been fondled woth A LOT. 

 

[69xchange]

1 hour ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Very nice camera.

Kanto are great and worthy of confidence. 

I am one of the Lucky ones to own a Shintaro Nikon S3 Black, from when Nikon themselves had their Silver S3 cameras converted to Black due to poor demand for silver. Shintaro... now there’s a legendary name in the BP business. The camera is undistinguishable from original. Smashing.

 

I personally see the bp aftermarket twofold: when a person decides to have his own silver Camera repainted, then good. It is a personal decision and that particular camera is totally worthy. 

However(!) when a shop decides to convert a camera to Black Paint, such as Shueido does, that’s a real red flag. This really means that the camera is salvaged from UGLY/BARGAIN condition. Its simply an act of make-up. Those cameras are really tired on the inside, and have been fondled woth A LOT. 

 

That’s true, shueido salvages all of their canon P’s. If you look at the titanium shutter curtains, they’re all in poor shape (even tho it shouldn’t affect anything). Even the m2 that I bought from them had questionable curtains. I’m glad it jammed right away rather than after a few months of use.

[Huss]

1 hour ago, 69xchange said:

That’s true, shueido salvages all of their canon P’s. 

That pretty much describes any Canon P for sale.

[colint544]

4 hours ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Very nice camera.

Kanto are great and worthy of confidence. 

I am one of the Lucky ones to own a Shintaro Nikon S3 Black, from when Nikon themselves had their Silver S3 cameras converted to Black due to poor demand for silver. Shintaro... now there’s a legendary name in the BP business. The camera is undistinguishable from original. Smashing.

 

I personally see the bp aftermarket twofold: when a person decides to have his own silver Camera repainted, then good. It is a personal decision and that particular camera is totally worthy. 

However(!) when a shop decides to convert a camera to Black Paint, such as Shueido does, that’s a real red flag. This really means that the camera is salvaged from UGLY/BARGAIN condition. Its simply an act of make-up. Those cameras are really tired on the inside, and have been fondled woth A LOT. 

 

Thank you, yes I would recommend Kanto. I get the impression that they take great pride in their work, and that they know the workings of the Leitz M cameras inside and out. My M2 went to them tired and stiff, with a dim viewfinder. I suspect it had been sat in a drawer for many years before it wound up in my hands. It came back silky smooth, every control working with the lightest of touches, and a bright, clear viewfinder. Its been been in constant use now for ten years, and it's still operating smoothly and flawlessly.

I liked that I was able to specify any colour, and any leatherette. They even asked if I wanted the paint engravings in off-white, to make it look more authentic. The bubbling paint is only in certain places, and I've shown the worst of it in that photo. From what I've seen, the paint on original BP M2 cameras was nothing like the perfect paint on, say, a modern MP. It wore off quickly, and the bubbling paint was commonplace. There are online stores which specialise in selling vintage black paint cameras and lenses, and if there is bubbling of the paint, they boast about it.

Sure, it's not a real BP M2, but it's my personal camera, and it's been a lot of places with me, and it's taken a lot of pictures. I have a 1974 black chrome M4 that's near mint, and a 1975 M5 50 Jahre edition, both of which also see regular use, mostly for black and white. But these days I shoot mainly colour print film, and it's the M2 I use for that. 

[Greenhilltony]

9 hours ago, madNbad said:

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

 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

I have a question in mind for a while: what are the functions of the silver stripes on the top and bottom of the viewfinder front window on M6 and later M-models? I suppose they are for the metering LEDs displays? As the meter-less M3 to M4-P and now M-A don't have these stripes.

[a.noctilux]

On 9/8/2023 at 9:29 AM, Greenhilltony said:

I have a question in mind for a while: what are the functions of the silver stripes on the top and bottom of the viewfinder front window on M6 and later M-models? I suppose they are for the metering LEDs displays? As the meter-less M3 to M4-P and now M-A don't have these stripes.

You are right, those added for LED display visibility, when the light is in the high side, in the VF, LED display contrast enhanced.

[BruceRH]

On 9/7/2023 at 6:12 PM, Bronco McBeast said:

In those years Leica was close to bankruptcy abd they were out of touch with the market for 3 decades at least. The R system was supposed to save them, but the minolta move was a very bad decision. And the RF cameras were outsold 1000:1 for three decades at least. The millennium black paint was not necessarily a smart move as it was a bold move. But at that point, simply producing a summicron lens was a bold move in itself. Indeed, that plastic part in the Summicron V4 (50 and 35) meant sufficiently. 
The Millennium set sold poorly. 
 

What happened was China. 
China happened. That’s what.

The chinese got extremely hungry for western goods, with their new wealth. This is what saved Leica. 
Not us, not the millennium edition, not the M4-2, not the canadian factories. It’s China. But thanks to Leica’s history abd mystique, that’s exactly what the new asian was hungry for.

I spent 10 days over the course of several trips to Shanghai this past spring and I was surprised by how many people had "real" cameras vs using a phone but what was even more surprising was more than half were Leica's by my unofficial count. Also surprising was that I saw just as many females as males carrying cameras.

[Anbaric]

On 9/8/2023 at 12:20 AM, Huss said:

The manliest Leica is the M5 of course.  I pidy da fool who uses anything else.  It was so manly it scared most photogs off, as they were used to the gentler M2/3/4s.

Leica III (so it can go slow) with an Elmar in the retracted position. For the man who has nothing to prove.

[Huss]

3 hours ago, Anbaric said:

Leica III (so it can go slow) with an Elmar in the retracted position. For the man who has nothing to prove.

Barnacks are so dainty and petite…. Add a cute little Elmar that can hide into the camera like a scared little chipmunk? Not manly.

 

[Greenhilltony]

On 9/10/2023 at 2:56 AM, BruceRH said:

I spent 10 days over the course of several trips to Shanghai this past spring and I was surprised by how many people had "real" cameras vs using a phone but what was even more surprising was more than half were Leica's by my unofficial count. Also surprising was that I saw just as many females as males carrying cameras.

The iconic duo I often see in tourist spots of Hong Kong is the couples in which the males carry M-series and the females carries Q-series.

[Studienkamera]

27 minutes ago, Greenhilltony said:

The iconic duo I often see in tourist spots of Hong Kong is the couples in which the males carry M-series and the females carries Q-series.

Noticed that as well recently in Kyoto (a French couple).

[Anbaric]

11 hours ago, Huss said:

Barnacks are so dainty and petite…. Add a cute little Elmar that can hide into the camera like a scared little chipmunk? Not manly.

Of course I'd never dream of judging those who feel the need to display an M5 with a big, big Noctilux and a prominent hood...

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Huss]

On 9/7/2023 at 3:27 PM, Bronco McBeast said:

That’s funny, coming from a woman... my wife likes the more feminine ones.

  Are you saying you are a woman married to a woman?  Not that it matters of course but I am not sure what your point is.