Black or Silver? Poll

[asiafish]

Usually black for me. My M5 is black and since I bought my M Monochrom back in 2013 it too is black.

For my M-E I decided to get a little crazy and went for the very exotic Anthracite Gray.

 

[coelacanth]

I went all over the place over the years, but my pref (for absolutely no practical reasons) is black body with chrome lens, the tux style. 😉

 

[Bill Clark]

Either one.

Doesn't make much of a difference to me.

 

[barnwulf]

It somehow just seems like the M2, M3, and M4 should be chrome and the M6 on up should be black. It's just an impression that I have from over all of the years that I have been making photographs. Those are the finishes that I have now with the exception of my black Leica II which I think is beautiful. - jim

 

[jwnash1]

I like the looks of black but not enough to pay a premium for it, which seems to be a common practice in the used market. After all, black does not take a better picture.
John.

 

[aoresteen]

I usually prefer black but as I get older it doesn't seem to matter a lot.

Pentax didn't ship many chrome ESII to the USA. Very hard to find here. When one showed up on eBay a few days ago I jumped on it even though it needs a new prism and a full overhaul.

I have 2 working ESIIs in black so I really didn't need another. I just like the way this one looks in silver/chrome.

 

[leica M2 fan]

I tend to like the chrome cameras but I do have some all black ones that do look very cool.
I came in to photography over 70 years ago and all I ever saw were chromes!

 

[Roman69]

Both ;-)

DSC_8794 by Roman, auf Flickr

DSC_8789 by Roman, auf Flickr

DSC_8797 by Roman, auf Flickr

br

 

[sara]

It somehow just seems like the M2, M3, and M4 should be chrome and the M6 on up should be black.

Yes! I thought the chrome looked strange on the M6??

So I got a black M6, but my M2 looks beautiful with chrome.

 

[Gregm61]

Black, as in, an M9-P

Black, as in, an M9-P

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[RichardPhoto]

Where's the option for U-Boat grey?!?

I'm only half-joking. Just sold my M8 and now looking for a more modern M to replace it. I had originally imagined getting a black M9 but the M-E is looking more and more appealing. It's something refreshing in a sea of cliche black and silver bodies yet still understated in a classic Leica way. The M-E with a black Leica dot looks especially nice.

 

[giganova]

My favorite finish is hammer tone:

I also love the black paint with the silver chrome dials and a silver lens a lot (this is not mine):

 

[markus_h_photography]

Most Leica photographers I've met (used to work in photo retail and also dealt Leica) were the kind of people that would WANT others to know they were using Leica so in that case I think the silver was definitely the way to go.

Kind of like wearing a Rolex watch and covering it up with your sleeve so no-one can see. A pointless exercise for many.

This is just MY experience but I'm sure there are many Leica users who buy them for the engineering quality and not just as a fashion accessory...

 

[hepcat]

Most Leica photographers I've met (used to work in photo retail and also dealt Leica) were the kind of people that would WANT others to know they were using Leica so in that case I think the silver was definitely the way to go.

Kind of like wearing a Rolex watch and covering it up with your sleeve so no-one can see. A pointless exercise for many.

This is just MY experience but I'm sure there are many Leica users who buy them for the engineering quality and not just as a fashion accessory...

Some of us began shooting Leica in the early 1970s when they were almost out of business, and used Leicas were sold off or put in closets as people scrambled to buy the latest SLR. Anyone shooting a rangefinder in those days was hopelessly behind the times. They were most definitely NOT a fashion accessory. They were just old, obsolete technology. Or, then again, maybe we were just forty years ahead of the fashion trends?

 

[SausalitoDog]

The old saw that the black was better for less reflectance rang true for a long time, but when was the last time any of you charmers had to remove the chrome reflection with photoshop??

so I think my next purchase will be chrome 🙂

 

[noisycheese]

I used to be of the black on black school of thought, but now I'm not so sure. My M-P 240 Safari set is chrome on olive green and I really like the look. My M4-P is black chrome, which I also like.

Sooner or later, I will acquire a Monochrom typ 246 which just became available in the la carte (bespoke) program. I may opt for either gray leather on chrome or the traditional black leather on chrome. A little variety is a good thing, even though the traditional blackout treatment on an M camera may be more tactical for street photography.

In terms of durability, I have read that Leica's chrome plated finish (not the silver paint) is the most durable of all finishes that are normally available (titanium is only offered on select limited edition cameras as I understand it).

 

[narsuitus]

It depends. When it comes to image quality, it does not matter.

When it comes to esthetics, I prefer black Nikon F, black Nikon F2, chrome Nikon F3, chrome Leica rangefinder, and black Pentax Spotmatic.


Pentax Spotmatics by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Ko.Fe.]

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.

From the book "Photographs by Cartier-Bresson" I received today.
1963. "Currently an M-3 is his ... companion. He has covered its .... chrome with black tape...."

I don't think they made M4-2, M4-P which I prefer to have in chrome and not expensive.
But Ontarian summer sun is something I don't like at all. Black cameras top plates are getting extremely hot if left directly exposed to this sun for five minutes.

 

[mpaniagua]

Got no problem with silver myself. Seems business like 🙂. Although my late father used to say that pro photographers only used black cameras 😛

 

[Talus]

Talk about resurrecting an old thread. Might as well chime in though! Earlier this year I had the dilemma. I like both, but to me the silver looks more expensive. I travel a lot in Central America, so I decided to go with a black on black setup. It's just a touch more discreet.