black finish on the zi

[back alley]

to those who have the black zi, how would you describe the finish?
from the pics i've seen, it looks quite shiny and paint like, more so than the silver paint on the silver zi.

also, how is it wearing?

joe

 

[JeremyR]

I would describe it as, well, black paint. It's definitely not gloss black (is this what's meant by "piano black"?) but it's not flat either. I'd call it a semi-gloss, "satin" perhaps. One of my other hobbies is building scale models; there's a color known as "black chrome trim" which is pretty close. Of course if you don't build models this won't help you much 😀

As for the wear, there's no sign of it. But I've only had my ZI for a couple of months, so it's a bit early to say yet...

Cheers,
Jeremy

 

[Way]

I think if I bought a second film body, a black ZI is very tempting! Joe, are you eyeing one to replace your departed CL?

 

[Nachkebia]

I think MP and ZI are pefect combination, ZI for color slides and fast stuff, MP for black and white with dedication 🙂
As for finish I think black ZI is right in the middle of gloss and matt.. I find it sexy 🙂

 

[back alley]

mp is way too expensive for me...

 

[Nachkebia]

Go for black ZI, it is fantastic, did I show you pictures already? 😀

 

[Chris Lynch]

oh man that's sexy.... and it does appear to be essentially identical to the finish on the black Bessa R2/3M's- which i really like.

 

[back alley]

is that the bessa cases on the zi?

 

[Nachkebia]

back alley : Yes sir!

 

[JeremyR]

As long as we're showing off Ikon porn... 😀

 

[Kyle]

The black paint finish seems to be very durable. IIRC, I bought mine around mid-March of this year. I have a tiny knick and and couple light scratches, but overall it still looks great!

 

[Kyle]

Jeremy, what kind of hood is that on your Canon 50/1.2?

 

[back alley]

looks like the original canon hood for that lens.

 

[Kyle]

Oh OK, I had never seen a picture of the original hood. That thing looks way cooler than the Olympus hood that is mounted on my 50/1.2. It works, though, and thats all that really matters.

 

[back alley]

not too many of them around...and too expensive for most users.

 

[Kyle]

not too many of them around...and too expensive for most users.

Yeah, I've heard that it can cost nearly as much as the lens in some cases. Thats why I haven't bothered to look for one.

 

[JeremyR]

It is as far as I know the original hood for the lens. The pricing of the hood can be a bit silly; there are two on eBay with "Buy It Now" prices of $275 and $321 (US). But one recently sold for the somewhat more reasonable price of $128, and mine was a steal at something like $75, which is similar to what many Zeiss hoods cost. So if you're patient, you may find a good deal.

Or, the Olympus 55mm/1.2 hood (is that the alternative?) seems quite viable if it doesn't intrude into the viewfinder too much. That's not to say that the Canon hood doesn't present an intrusion; it does, but here the venting helps.

Cheers,
Jeremy

 

[Kyle]

I have the Olympus 55/1.2 hood on my Canon 50/1.2. It gets the job done and doesn't intrude too far into the viewfinder.