How do Black ZM wear?

This interests me too, because I am strongly considering getting a ZM/Planar 50 combo and can't quite decide if I should get it in black or silver. Problems, problems....

From what I've seen on photos on the net, the paint gets shiny in places with more wear, like in the back where the thumb would rest. The paint can also chip, showing the magnesium (?) underneath.

Strangely enough, I haven't seen any noticeable wear on the photos of silver ZMs. Are they less prone to wear because of the chrome? I don't know.
 
I have a black ZI I acquired used. The paint is fine in most places, although the rubber grip is showing obvious wear. The only place where paint is missing is the end of the film advance lever, and there's some silver showing underneath. Looks kind of cool to me.
 
In my experience, the anodized black finish on Leica lenses holds up better than the paint on C/V lenses. I always thought of this as part of the value-engineering that lets C/V and Zeiss bring you excellent lenses at a lower cost. It never bothered me, but my black C/V and Zeiss lenses have been worn to the brass on knurled or textured focusing rings within a few months of purchase. My 1980's black 50 Summicron, by contrast, has shown little wear, despite the use I have made of it over the last 15 years. Hey -- it's all good with me. I care only about the glass, and I have really enjoyed my C/V lenses, right back to the first one I purchased.

Ben Marks
 
I found this picture on a japanese website. So far the most worn ZM I've seen so far. But it could also be faked a little. What do you think.
 

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>>>with the ZM lenses, the barrels are aluminum (or magnesium, I forgot). So any "brassing" will show a silver coloration<<<<<

That's true for the Zeiss bodies but not the lenses. My Planar shows minimal brassing under the black paint. The brassing is indeed a brass color, not silver.
 
Aristo said:
I found this picture on a japanese website. So far the most worn ZM I've seen so far. But it could also be faked a little. What do you think.
Click to expand...

Looks plausible to me. Lest we all break out in violent agreement: the chrome ZM's wear substantially better than the black ones, if that is something that matters. I listed my various C/V and Zeiss lenses and then deleted the list in embarrassment. Let's just say I'm a fan. The ZM chrome seems to be a better wearing finish than the C/V "chrome." All great values, in my humble opinion.
 
Looking around in eBay I found a seller offering a silver ZM. The edges are scuffed and look how I would have expected. But take a look at the on/off switch: it looks like it's made of black plastic painted silver. It may be just me, but I think that looks pretty cheap.

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capito said:
Looking around in eBay I found a seller offering a silver ZM. The edges are scuffed and look how I would have expected. But take a look at the on/off switch: it looks like it's made of black plastic painted silver. It may be just me, but I think that looks pretty cheap.
Click to expand...

The ZI body is made of magnesium alloy, which in the silver version that I have wears quite well. The places that don't wear well are the leatherette covering which must by all means be replaced, the frame lock (on off switch), which indeed is a form of black plastic coated silver, and the frame advance. I've had mine for several years and have used it in all kinds of silly ways for perhaps a thousand rolls. It is nicked, the silver on the frame lock has worn away to ugly black plastic, and the griptac covering I put on is so much better than the original. The RF is still accurate and the thing works like a charm. Looks like an invitation to shoot to me, is reliable, and is a real pleasure to use.
 
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