Chrome or Black - which grabs more attention?

[JohnM]

The secret is to dress like your camera. When I use a black camera, I dress in black and no one can see me. When I use a chrome camera, I wrap myself in aluminum foil and no one can see me.

It is all about stealth.

 

[furcafe]

Black may have been "pro" back in the '60s & '70s, but now it just says boring, like beige computers.

Black has more of a "pro-look"

Chrome more old-school, "amateur".

Chrome should be seen easily, but people dismiss it for old camera.

Black should be more stealthy, but people take you more seriously.


So black or chrome, which is better for street photography?

 

[Ben Z]

Chrome or Black - which grabs more attention?

From whom, other camera gearnuts, or average citizens on the street? From the former I couldn't say, from the latter as soon as they realize it isn't digital they are as contemptuously dismissive of my silver M4 as my black M6.

 

[back alley]

The secret is to dress like your camera. When I use a black camera, I dress in black and no one can see me. When I use a chrome camera, I wrap myself in aluminum foil and no one can see me.

It is all about stealth.

omg - i just wet myself...😱

 

[Rashomon]

Thanks to all for the replies. It seems that chrome is more tolerated than black. And film gets less attention than digital.

 

[maitrestanley]

If you're bringing a camera up to your eyes to take pictures, people are going to notice no matter what.

However, I think the most important thing about a black finish is that it can be stealthier, for example when shooting from the waist.

Some people say people aren't going to take as much notice of a chrome Leica because it looks vintage. I think these days, people will actually take more notice of a vintage camera over a modern digital/film slr BECAUSE it looks vintage.

I have a black M6 but I'd love to have one in chrome as well.

Different strokes for different folks!

 

[Rashomon]

Someone mentioned it depends on who you're talking about: gearheads or passerbys. I think the former would care about the vintage more than the modern. But the latter would do just the reverse.

 

[Peter Pommes]

The chrome lenses are heavier than the black ones. I don't know if this apllies to the body, too.
For this reason I bought a black M7. Having the M7 with the 90 AA on Your neck is heavy enough. Carry the chrome also? No

Peter

With chrome You look like a toyboy. Black looks professional- Depends on You

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[peter_n]

The chrome lenses are heavier than the black ones. I don't know if this apllies to the body, too.
For this reason I bought a black M7. Having the M7 with the 90 AA on Your neck is heavy enough. Carry the chrome also? No

Peter

The bodies are the same weights, and the 90 AA only comes in black. One of the biggest differences is the 35 'Lux ASPH; chrome is 410g and black is 250g.

 

[35mmdelux]

Its more about working fast rather than the color of your camera.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[steppinthefunk]

I had the impression that you (original poster) were concerned more about which color would be safer from predators on the street then the aesthetic value of the camera... If that is the case I would probably go for the Chrome... As posted it looks more "old school" and I would think that to the uneducated thief, old school means cheap...

But to me "old School" chrome just looks straight out classy!

 

[Justin Low]

I like chrome... and black... and come to think of it, maybe that new anthracite gray is nice too. 🙂

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Rashomon]

I had the impression that you (original poster) were concerned more about which color would be safer from predators on the street then the aesthetic value of the camera... If that is the case I would probably go for the Chrome... As posted it looks more "old school" and I would think that to the uneducated thief, old school means cheap...

But to me "old School" chrome just looks straight out classy!

I wasn't so much concerned about thieves (maybe I should've been) than regular people. But as you've pointed out, chrome usually means "cheap" to the uneducated thief, and I would say to the average-joe as well. The cheap camera can be less threatening than expensive cameras; or they are not taken as seriously as the expensive cameras. Therefore chrome has an edge on black in this regard.

 

[VinceC]

Chrome reflects light. It glints and catches people's attention. Black absorbs light and makes it disappear and so it is less likely to catch people's attention.

As important as the color, people get hung up with the lettering on cameras. When I was doing photojournalism with Nikons, people were constantly asking my opinion about different kinds of cameras and saying "oh, a Nikon." When I taped and painted over the logo, it became just a generic camera to them. They were much less distracted.

 

[amateriat]

Its more about working fast rather than the color of your camera.

That, and the fact that, in my case, most every camera I've owned that mattered to me, was offered with the famous "Model-T color option" (any color you like...).

Roll call, in chronological order:

Canon F-1

Canon EF

Canon A-1

Pentax LX

Nikon F3

Nikon F2 Titan

Leica CL

Rollei 2000F

Minolta 9xi

Konica Hexar autofocus

Konica Hexar RF

Konica Auto S3


Yes, yes, a few of the above came in bright-finish Special Editions (for which one paid dearly), or, in the case of the Auto S3, a home-market version that happened to be chrome (C35 Super...now, there's a collectible fixed-mount RF for you). But for the most part, essentially, it was black or nothing.

I've said this before, but I don't particularly care whether I actually am "stealthier" or not using a black-finish camera; the point for me is that I feel stealthier, or at least a bit less noticable, with a camera in said finish, and that counts a bit in terms of how I approach a situation with camera(s) in-hand. Working with speed and calm confidence is a good deal more important than your camera's finish, but I've yet to experience a situation where a black camera got in the way.

(FWIW, I think the Hexar RF's semi-matte black epoxy finish, besides being quite durable, is about as unassuming a finish as a camera can have...moreso than a black-paint Leica, which has a sheen that would humble a Steinway Concert Grand)


- Barrett

 

[Rafael Macia]

I wondered the same thing. To try and get an answer I held up a chrome M4 and a black M4 in front of a photography class I was teaching. I asked the class which was bigger. They said the chrome body.
That should answer your question ..... in a way.

Black has more of a "pro-look"

Chrome more old-school, "amateur".

Chrome should be seen easily, but people dismiss it for old camera.

Black should be more stealthy, but people take you more seriously.


So black or chrome, which is better for street photography?

 

[Rashomon]

Maybe there isn't a magic answer. But I'm lovin the discussions so far! 🙂