Black or Silver? Poll

Black or Silver? Poll

  • Black

    Votes: 646 50.7%

  • Silver

    Votes: 426 33.4%

  • Not bothered. Worthless question anyway!

    Votes: 203 15.9%
  • Total voters
    1,275
I had a black M8.2 which I had to send back. I initially liked black as its slightly more subtle. Using it it felt more like a military instrument.

A silver M8 then came up which I bought and am very happy with. I must say that silver is far more beautiful and a real pleasure to pick up. Needs the odd rub with a lens cloth to get rid of fingerprints and also is more noticeable, although the only comment I have ever had was a pretty girl saying "nice camera" as she walked past. That never happened with my Canon 🙂
 
I torn between black and silver. I've found a really nice silver 50mm Summicron for sale and I'm leaning towards silver/grey.


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Black or silver?

Black or silver?

Silver if it is available. Being old, they were all silver when I started shooting, so black doesn't look the same. That said, I have more black than silver, as silver is not as common.
 
How many Black v. Silver threads are out there right now (not that I don't love the question myself)? Here is the my answer, quoted from the other thread "Black oe Silver":

jljohn said:
Black, but only only if it is black paint over brass. Then chrome, but only if it is chromed brass (well, ok, Zinc too I suppose). Then black, but only if it is black chrome. Then black paint over aluminum. Then silver anodized aluminum. Then silver paint over aluminum.

How's that for an answer? 😀
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Aside from two, every camera I own is black. I like what I've heard about how durable the chrome finish on the M8 is, as it's a work camera and won't be babied.

Best,
-Tim
 
cope07 said:
What is the big deal about brass top plates? Isn't brass a pretty weak metal?
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I was actually thinking about lenses, using "black paint over brass" to differentiate Leica's black paint lenses from Voigtlander's and Zeiss's black lenses, which I believe are black paint over aluminum.
 
🙄

It's a work camera (for documentary photo projects) and I shoot in some dicey neighborhoods so I make sure to cover anything on the camera that says Leica or draws more attention to it. I use gaffers tape because it peels off cleanly and doesn't leave residue or pull off paint, and black is the only color I have. Yeah, I agree it's kind of ugly. But I also think, if you look quickly, it looks like just a couple more optical windows.

Best,
-Tim
 
I have always had black analog Leica M's and black SLRs. The black M9 looks so cheap in black paint that this is the first time I will consider a chrome camera.
Let's hope for an M10 in black chrome like the M6 and M7.
 
Forgive me, black and gaffer tape for stealth is self-delusion. Four fifths of the world out there don't know what Leica is, much less how much it costs.
 
f/1 said:
I have always had black analog Leica M's and black SLRs. The black M9 looks so cheap in black paint that this is the first time I will consider a chrome camera.
Let's hope for an M10 in black chrome like the M6 and M7.
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It is too funny - many previous Leicas that were supplied in chrome had their highly sought-after black paint counterparts, considerably more expensive too. When brassed - so much the better. The paint was made soft on purpose. Now, a paint-like black coating is standard and it is being called "cheap" And people complain about chipping the coating. Rotflmao! In the seventies every self-respecting rookie would attack his new camera with sandpaper and hammer.
 
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Matter of tastes, never liked those peeling cams personally. Now the quality of Leica's black anodized coatings is not what it used to be any more and original M8s tend to turn grey faster than film Ms did 30+ years ago.
 
I have a silver M8 becasue that was what was available at the time. But I think I would prefer a black one. Or is that just a case of "the other man's grass......?"
 
Really? The paint was made soft on purpose? And some tried to make them look well used and brassed? If true, some people do some pretty stupid things. I don't get it. What's the attraction of of a black paint camera with the paint worn through and chipped off?


jaapv said:
It is too funny - many previous Leicas that were supplied in chrome had their highly sought-after black paint counterparts, considerably more expensive too. When brassed - so much the better. The paint was made soft on purpose. Now, a paint-like black coating is standard and it is being called "cheap" And people complain about chipping the coating. Rotflmao! In the seventies every self-respecting rookie would attack his new camera with sandpaper and hammer.
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