M Body Painting in Japan

[blackdot]

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I'm thinking of getting my M2 painted black, and emailed the well-known providers I could find here in Tokyo. Kanto has a two year wait and astronomical price, and Lumiere is at least one year. Masa Saita has super fast turnaround and is around the same price as Lumiere. I've read some mixed comments, and seen a couple of nice looking photos of Saita's work, but wanted to put it out there to see if anyone here has any details they can share of experiences with him? Photos would be great, if possible. 

I'm also not sure which paint option I should go for between 30% gloss and semigloss. It's hard to see the difference in the pictures he sent me.

Edited February 13, 2024 by blackdot

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[blackdot]

1 minute ago, Al Brown said:

Can you share the website of Masa Saita? I found a use case here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/71288497@N06/9183344956

 

I saw that one and another on Reddit. He does not have a website, but his email has gone around on various forums.

[blackdot]

3 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

If he has 10 years and more of experience I reckon he should be good... I am having similar ideas as you this summer in Tokyo.

I may go ahead and do it next week, so I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm considering having the black finder aperture filed or removed at the same time, since I have issues seeing all the framelines with glasses on.

[shirubadanieru]

Kanto is now 2y wait?! Omg…still remember when it took them 3 months (hire more staff maybe?!) Lumiere too used to be 3 to 6 months…waiting times are just ridiculous now.

Never heard of that guy you are mentioning here though…I suggest to go for Shueido camera in Taiwan instead, very reputable, responsive on instagram, and takes about 3 months to get everything done. 

Edited February 13, 2024 by shirubadanieru

[blackdot]

9 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

Kanto is now 2y wait?! Omg…still remember when it took them 3 months (hire more staff maybe?!) Lumiere too used to be 3 to 6 months…waiting times are just ridiculous now.

Never heard of that guy you are mentioning here though…I suggest to go for Shueido camera in Taiwan instead, very reputable, responsive on instagram, and takes about 3 months to get everything done. 

I'd rather not ship overseas, but I've heard things about Shueido as well.

[shirubadanieru]

1 hour ago, blackdot said:

I'd rather not ship overseas, but I've heard things about Shueido as well.

alternatively ICS fair is happening this week you might find something there that's already painted in the finish you want

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3 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

alternatively ICS fair is happening this week you might find something there that's already painted in the finish you want

I intentionally planned a weekend trip out of the city to avoid the temptation :). But I will probably stop by early next week after all the good stuff is gone.

If I had the funds, I'd probably buy a black chrome M-A, but a painted M2 is much cheaper.

Edited February 14, 2024 by blackdot

[skueh]

I have wonderful experiences with Shueido. Great repaint job and services.

[Greenhilltony]

I read on Lumiere’s homepage that he is moving the workshop stuff to a new place closer to his home. Until the moving is settled the repainting service remains paused. 

[Radost]

What finish do you want to paint it? Shiny MP or Black chrome like M/A or M4?

[blackdot]

36 minutes ago, Radost said:

What finish do you want to paint it? Shiny MP or Black chrome like M/A or M4?

That's a good question, and it's hard to answer without seeing the options in person. I love the look of the black chrome M-A, and think the current MP is a bit too shiny, so I'm curious about the 30% and semi-gloss options. I'm not sure if matte paint would look as nice as the black chrome, so I'm hesitant to go that far.

[Radost]

7 hours ago, blackdot said:

That's a good question, and it's hard to answer without seeing the options in person. I love the look of the black chrome M-A, and think the current MP is a bit too shiny, so I'm curious about the 30% and semi-gloss options. I'm not sure if matte paint would look as nice as the black chrome, so I'm hesitant to go that far.

I like the M/A black chrome. Even the m4 black chrome is cool. I am going to try to black chrome my M3

 

[Borna]

I read somewhere that it is 2-3 years waiting to get your camera back from repainters in Japan. Is it really worth it?

[Radost]

13 hours ago, Borna said:

I read somewhere that it is 2-3 years waiting to get your camera back from repainters in Japan. Is it really worth it?

No.

I checked with Kanto they said they do not have time and to look for kanto painted cameras on EBAY