How do you like your bodies?

[Alberti]

Agree with Erik about the black paint with some brassy corners and edges showing it is used. And a reflection of myself.
The rubbing over time should be your own, from the way you handle it. [Not a fake one inspired by whoever).

I saw a black paint lens with gold rims. Well, that does not show off mastery in handling in a nice way.​

But . .

Chrome is best for trading in.

It would be lovely if Leica again make a camera that I can keep, for at least 15-20 years. (like the M2 was the body most owners shot longest with) Then I go for the black paint on brass happily.
Then is is not only showing my mastery of using it and exhibiting my own 'fingerpint', but also the promise to keep it . . .

So let's make a new 'social contract': Leica makes a digital body I want to keep and then I'll choose paint, and a new one will come AND I WONT trade-in, just buy a next one.

Like my excellent English rust brown tweed jackets, I'm already off for my third one 🙂​

 

[agentlossing]

Like my excellent English rust brown tweed jackets, I'm already off for my third one 🙂​

Tell me what your jacket of choice is, I have one brown tweed jacket and I really like it, even though it isn't a high-quality piece. I love heritage clothing, however I am usually too broke to buy it.

 

[MrFujicaman]

I like the ones that work more than the ones that don't. I like them based upon their reliability, for the most part, so my favorites would be a Nikon F2 and a Bell & Howell 70DL 16mm motion picture camera. After that would be a Nagaoka 4x5 and a Nikonos V. The Leica M4 is down the list.
Many of the plastic ones (mostly "black polycarbonate") don't work as they were purchased as parts cameras to make others work.
I don't really care about the finish of the camera when exposing film though. Maybe it makes a difference if the weather is super hot.
I guess the green rubber over the green paint of my Nikonos V helps keep me camouflaged when I'm out shooting it in the wild of Philadelphia.

Phil Forrest

Beats the day-glo orange!

 

[Montag006]

Chrome M's Black F's

Chrome M's Black F's

Chrome for my Leica rangefinders. Black paint for my Nikon SLR's.

These are my preferences too! 🙂
Black F's
Chrome M's

 

[David Hughes]

This thread raises an interesting point:-

Say you had a chrome camera and it was stolen and replaced with a black version; would that make you a better photographer?

And how about vice versa?

Regards, David

 

[james.liam]

M10P Safari. Olive over brass. Sweet.

Before that, the last non-black cameras I bought were an R9 standard Leica faux-titanium and a Nikon FM2-T, real titanium top and bottom plates.

 

[Rob-F]

It feels to me like the earlier "vintage" M bodies, the M3, M2, and M4, look best in silver chrome, with chrome lenses, while the M5, M6, and M7 should really be black chrome. And the MP should be black paint. The M2/3/4 are just prettier in bright chrome. The M5 and later look more down-and-dirty rough-and-ready in black chrome!