Leica LTM heritage vs. style

[brachal]

Why does it have to be "jewelry" for someone to care what color or what type of finish it has?

Did you tell your auto dealer to just give you whatever color he had on-hand? Do you wear only the same color pants/shoes/shirt every day? Some people may consider a camera only a "tool," and sure - who cares if a hammer is 'chrome' or black. But, then who spends time in a forum discussing hammers? Cameras have a bit more 'essence.'

Personally, as someone 'obsessed' with photography, i'm also obsessed with most things aesthetic. I can't think of a single thing that i might buy or use where what it looks and feels like is not a consideration.

Just my opinion. Yours is equally valid. I care a lot about the ergonomics of a camera, but the color just doesn't matter to me. It certainly isn't a factor in how much use a certain camera does or doesn't get.

I'm the same way with cars ... I evaluate power, mileage, capacity, comfort, road feel, etc when deciding what to buy. Once I know the make and model that meets my criteria for what I want it to do, sure, I'd rather have it in silver instead of black, but I don't let the availability of a certain color determine what I drive.

I would never use one camera over another because of the finish ... in my mind, that's the only part of the instrument that doesn't influence the act of making pictures. If you're not using your Barnack, it's probably because you don't like the film loading, or the knobs, or the tiny viewfinder ... not the chrome. If you want to paint it, go ahead, but I don't think you'll suddenly start using it more.

 

[Pherdinand]

does it have special meaning related to your grandfather AS A CAMERA?
i mean, you don't keep and preserve all the stuff he had, right? so why exactly the camera?
If there's a special happening, memory, etc about it, then yes preserve it as it is, id say. If not, then change it use it or sell it as you like.

 

[whiteley]

i really dig reading all your replies here, the thought going into them great. many of you raise excellent and thought provoking points on both sides of the coin. thank you all.
to answer a few questions/points:
no, my grandfather did not give it to me on his deathbed or anything of the like- i didn't even get it directly from him. i actually got it after my cousin had it for a few years and didn't once use it. i never even saw my grandfather use it during my lifetime, i only knew about it after he passed. he might not have cared about it whatsoever, so it doesn't have any major significance beyond that it belonged to him for a long time, and aside from genes it's the one thing of his that i have.
owning a couple other M leicas is already part of the problem with why i don't use this one much- compared to the others i have and love it's just not as easy to pick up and use. i think what i need to do is use it at a certain time when i only use that camera- like sunday morning to the farmer's market or something. that's been on my mind, so maybe that's the way to go for now.
on the flip side i like the quote about the axe most definitely. i do feel that the soul of the camera will remain intact regardless of the exterior and that's what matters most- it would still be "my grandfather's camera" right?
and as far as aesthetics go, well, i guess call me camera vain, but how a camera looks definitely affects my desire to pick it up.
i think i'm going to speak with my dad about the camera, see if he thinks it had any real special meaning to my grandfather, see if he feels strongly about leaving it as is for any reason. keep you posted...