kshapero
South Florida Man
Leica M's - Black chrome, black enamel paint. What's the differences between the two?
Leica M's - Black chrome, black paint
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Pablito
coco frío
Cameras with black paint tend to take photos with deeper shadows. Cameras with black chrome take lower contrast photos.
kbg32
neo-romanticist
C'mon.
Black chrome is anodized chrome over brass, at least the older Ms are, and black enamel paint is...... brass the is painted with black enamel paint.
When black chrome bodies wear, the chrome shows through. When black paint bodies wear, the brass shows through.
maddoc
... likes film again.
When black chrome bodies wear either the brass shows through (M6TTL latest, M7, MP a la carte) or the underlaying Ni film (M4-2, M4-P, M6, M6TTL).
Tim Gray
Well-known
Black chrome wears less in my less. It's less noticeable too if you are into that kind of thing.
250swb
Well-known
Black chrome looks good for a long time, wear is OK to start with, but ultimately very ugly. Black paint is good when brand new, a bit ropey with early wear, then beautiful with a lot of wear.
Steve
Steve
Erik van Straten
Veteran
After a wile black paint cameras show more brass than paint.
Erik.
Erik.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
To a large extent it's personal taste, but I have had one black chrome body (never again!) and several black paint: my MP and M8.2 are both black paint. Black paint wears faster and easier but (for my money) a lot more elegantly, with the brass peeking through. Black chrome wears too (and surprisingly quickly with my M4-2, from new) but to a nasty silvery grey.
I'd never thought about Andy's point about 'warm to the touch' but I think he's right.
The production staff at Leica hate black paint because it's surprisingly easy to mark at the assembly stage.
Cheers,
R.
I'd never thought about Andy's point about 'warm to the touch' but I think he's right.
The production staff at Leica hate black paint because it's surprisingly easy to mark at the assembly stage.
Cheers,
R.
Turtle
Veteran
I have a BC M6 and it seems to have a much better quality finish than some other Leicas I have seen. It is a late model 0.85 and has a really thick even dead matt finish, unlike some wishy washy ones I have seen. Maybe it is just a lack of wear, btu my gut feeling tells me not all Leicas were anodised equally. The finish, along with the matt black hotshoe and shutter release, is defintely more muted and inconspicuous than the BP MP with pretty white lettering on the top plate and chrome shutter release/surround. However, the MP has a surer grip from the BP than either silver or black chrome. mine is wearing a little, but it is a surprisingly resilient finish. Most of the seriously brasses newer MPs have been, erm, doctored by the user. I want mine to wear faster so it looks older and less appealing to thieves in less than affluent countries, but I refuse to do anything other than use it. Silver chrome is beautiful, but IMO not the most practical finish for serious use (these days). Way back when all cameras were chrome is mattered little, but I have had a few people ask about my expensive chrome MP (in Afghanistan of all places). Never a comment about the black cameras...
Black chrome ages ugly, but when new is quite attractive. I've stripped many black chrome cameras down to the brass and finished them in semi-gloss black paint (like this) which I prefer over the modern shiny factory black paint.
maddoc
... likes film again.
Nope, not all of them. The black-chrome M7 (and also M5) shows the color of brass and not a silvery grey.
kshapero
South Florida Man
nice job. Looks factory.Black chrome ages ugly, but when new is quite attractive. I've stripped many black chrome cameras down to the brass and finished them in semi-gloss black paint (like this) which I prefer over the modern shiny factory black paint.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
Silver chrome accentuates the dirt and grunge in the knurling on the rewind knob and shutter dial.
ItsReallyDarren
That's really me
I've seen a lot of brassed black paint cameras around the forum but not too many worn out black chrome examples.
RichardB
Well-known
Many many years ago, some professional users wanted cameras that were less visable so manufactures started using black paint as that's all that was available at that time. The black paint wore much quicker than the traditional chrome finish and a well worn black paint Leica or Nikon usually signified a professional user.
Leica next developed a black finish significantly more resisitant to wear but there were and still are individuals that like the worn look but are not professionals. So Leica went back to paint and a paint that would wear quickly giving the 'look'.
So to answer your question, the answer is on two levels, the actual coating process involved and the phycological aspect of wanting the 'look'.
My M6 Classic 0.85 and M7's 0.85 are all anodized. Frankly, they look fine and have not shown significant wear, They take the same picture as a black paint model and any other difference is in the 'mind of the beholder'.-Dick
Leica next developed a black finish significantly more resisitant to wear but there were and still are individuals that like the worn look but are not professionals. So Leica went back to paint and a paint that would wear quickly giving the 'look'.
So to answer your question, the answer is on two levels, the actual coating process involved and the phycological aspect of wanting the 'look'.
My M6 Classic 0.85 and M7's 0.85 are all anodized. Frankly, they look fine and have not shown significant wear, They take the same picture as a black paint model and any other difference is in the 'mind of the beholder'.-Dick
dovevadar
DoveVadar
Anyone has a nice wore out black chrome like Erik's lovely black paint for compare? I have yet to see one nice silver brass M
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Dick,
Even more years ago, in the early 1930s, black paint was the standard, and (much harder wearing) chrome was a significantly more expensive option.
But some photographers wanted their cameras to be as unobtrusive as the old black paint finish, so that remained as an option for most 'professional' cameras, while the 'amateur' cameras almost all went to shiny, glitzy chrome. Thus 'black' and 'professional' came to be associated.
In the early 80s the wear on my black chrome M4-P was so rapid that a Leica dealer friend suggested I return it under guarantee, and it's a nasty silver-grey underneath. Mind you, it was used hard for decades, only gaining respite when I got the (black paint) MP.
Of course they all take the same quality of pictures, with the same lens on the front, but many people much prefer the look and tactile quality of paint. It is entirely possible that modern 'black chrome' is tougher than the old, but for my money, it doesn't look as good as paint when it's new, and it looks a lot worse as it ages.
Today, a worn black paint camera just looks like an old point-and-shoot to most people, whereas a shiny chrome gadget attracts attention. In a straight choice between black and chrome, black wins, and in a straight choice between paint and black chrome, there are obviously plenty of people who prefer the older style of finish.
The black paint on the M8.2, incidentally, is a lot tougher than the black paint on the MP, but even so, the brass is beginning to show (after a year or more) on the 'heels' of the base-plate.
Cheers,
R.
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
A well used chrome camera wit the brass showing thru looks totally ugly and reminds me of an old person wit twisted yellow teeth.
Shooting out here in the desert (Mojave, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree) both my black paint MP and black chrome M7 become blazing hot metal. No diff in tactile feel.
Shooting out here in the desert (Mojave, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree) both my black paint MP and black chrome M7 become blazing hot metal. No diff in tactile feel.
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Yep. My oldest M7 is starting to show brass on the corners, though under the wind-on it is still silvery.
And then to the brass. Seems like there are two layers on them.
Only potential drawback I'd see for some with the Black chrome is that marks can show up more- mostly metal on metal stuff- like buckles from a Domke strap that leave a visible line. On the other hand I scratched my black paint MP3 before I'd even mounted a lens- so the paint can be delicate.
In the end it's a camera, not a sculpture. I just use the ones I like.
wjlapier
Well-known
Serial number looks familiar 😎
Black chrome ages ugly, but when new is quite attractive. I've stripped many black chrome cameras down to the brass and finished them in semi-gloss black paint (like this) which I prefer over the modern shiny factory black paint.
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