Black x100/x100s

[Richard Griffith]

I'm planning to get a x100/x100s again, having stupidly sold mine last summer. This time I'm thinking about getting a black one. Just wondering how well the black ones 'wear'. Do they 'wear' nicely like my OM2, or do they end up looking horribly scratched and worn? My old chrome x100 looked barely marked after a year's use

 

[umcelinho]

it's not made of brass, so it shouldn't wear like an OM2 or black paint Leica.

 

[douglasf13]

Mine don't have major scratches yet, so I'm not sure, but it'll probably look grayish underneath.

One thing to keep in mind is that the black X100 and X100s have different paint finishes. The X100s has a black textured paint like the rest of the X line, whereas the older black X100 LE has a semigloss black paint, which is more expensive to produce, which partly led to its higher price.

 

[Archiver]

The original black X100 does not have the hardiest of coatings. To my horror, it scraped against a filter in my bag and a half cm long scrape of black coating was taken off, revealing a grey metal substrate. It also has a couple of other long scratches from heck knows where. But apart from that, the finish is fine. It's only where it has taken fairly heavy scratches that it shows damage.

I haven't seen the black X100s so I can't comment about that one.

 

[peterm1]

If they are susceptible to damage I don't think I would buy one. Quite apart from not enjoying my equipment being in crappy condition (it lowers the pleasure from using it) the loss of resale value would annoy the heck out of me. There is nothing worse that when nice new equipment gets a ding or a scratch in my view. I know this does not worry some people but then again, some people are slobs who wear the arse out of their trousers, never polish their shoes and are totally happy to drive a rust bucket of a car that is 20 years old and has never been cleaned or serviced. I cant be. Just me I am afraid.

 

[Hamfish]

Thanks for the thread. It must be a sign, I am about to pull the trigger on a new black x100s and would love to know if anybody else could shed some light on the subject.

 

[YYV_146]

The original X100LE certainly does not brass. I don't like how it wears, but then again I guess it's the norm for metal cameras these days...

 

[SausalitoDog]

I like the worn look but many don't.

I think the silver model will wear a lot better, but I think the typically unobtrusive black body is the way to go...at least for me

 

[douglasf13]

If they are susceptible to damage I don't think I would buy one. Quite apart from not enjoying my equipment being in crappy condition (it lowers the pleasure from using it) the loss of resale value would annoy the heck out of me. There is nothing worse that when nice new equipment gets a ding or a scratch in my view. I know this does not worry some people but then again, some people are slobs who wear the arse out of their trousers, never polish their shoes and are totally happy to drive a rust bucket of a car that is 20 years old and has never been cleaned or serviced. I cant be. Just me I am afraid.

I don't think it's fair to compare a properly used camera with being a slob. One is born out of action, and the other is born out of laziness. As we all know, HCB's Leicas were pretty beat up, and I doubt many of us dress more formally than he did when out on the street shooting.

I'm not so smitten with worn cameras that I'd go out of my way to buy a brassed Leica, but I'm not bothered by a camera that becomes worn by my own doing, because it means I'm using it, rather than collecting it.

As far as my two X100 LEs, I've yet to get a scratch on them, but I would imagine that the grey metal underneath the finish would look less offensive on the silver model. Sans scratches, though, the black X100 finish looks higher end than the silver X100, IMO.

 

[stet]

I often switch out a Lensmate thumbrest to put on a wireless IR or radio trigger in the shoe, and all three accessories have a pretty snug fit. In that shoe area, the black paint (on an all-black X100s) is now scraped away in spots, showing a silvery metal underneath. That said, it's apparent that the black finish in that one spot is different from the black on the top or bottom plates. And it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[mickbenjamins]

I never had any issues with pain chipping off on any of my other camera's, so I hope it wont happen with this one either 🙂

But even if so, to me its a tool, not something to put on the fire place and look at 😉

 

[nongfuspring]

I can't speak for the x100 but a fair bit of black paint has worn off my black x-e1. It might look better if the body was brass rather than magnesium but it doesn't look bad, not to me anyway. I feel its more a badge of honour or point of endearment than anything. I'd never get a camera antiqued, but I do think the idea that a camera should be pristine to be pretty superficial and entirely missing the point of what cameras are about.

The x100LEs tend to still sell for a lot more than the silver on the second hand market but the black x100s is the same price as the silver. Dollar for dollar is seems the x100s is better value for money.

 

[mickbenjamins]

but I do think the idea that a camera should be pristine to be pretty superficial and entirely missing the point of what cameras are about.

exactly this! 🙂

 

[douglasf13]

I can't speak for the x100 but a fair bit of black paint has worn off my black x-e1. It might look better if the body was brass rather than magnesium but it doesn't look bad, not to me anyway. I feel its more a badge of honour or point of endearment than anything. I'd never get a camera antiqued, but I do think the idea that a camera should be pristine to be pretty superficial and entirely missing the point of what cameras are about.

The x100LEs tend to still sell for a lot more than the silver on the second hand market but the black x100s is the same price as the silver. Dollar for dollar is seems the x100s is better value for money.

There are two reasons that the X100LEs are more expensive (outside of exclusivity.) Firstly, the kits include an official Fuji leather half-case, the filter adapter, the lens hood, and a 49mm Fuji UV filter. That adds up to hundreds of dollars worth of accessories being included (if you don't buy the generic versions on ebay.) Secondly, the paint used on the X100LE is a special gloss type paint that is more expensive to produce than the granular, flat black paint of the X100s and other black Fuji cameras, fwiw.