M2 Repaint or M4 Black Chrome

[michaelwj]

I need some help deciding which to get - or really just to hear thoughts and think out loud. I've been using an M6 for about 6 years and an M4 for about 6 months. Since getting the M4, I've hardly used the M6. I just prefer the simplicity and the handling - the sum of a lot of little things I guess. In the end I've decided to sell them both and get either an M2 repaint or a black chrome M4. I've settled on one of these two because frankly an original black paint M2 or M4 is way out of my price range, and I want a clean black M to use, not collect. I know I'm shallow wanting black, but the chrome cameras just don't look to good to me. I only use and own a 35mm lens.

In my mind the pros/cons of each are;

M2 Pros
-Black paint
-No 135mm framelines - clean VF
-Classic styling
-Likely to have been serviced when repainted

M2 Cons
-Not original - how well has it been stripped/repainted?
-Not original covering - I find the newer M leatherettes not as good as the original M2/4 vintage

M4 Pros
-Original finish
-Faster rewind/loading

M4 Cons
-More $ than the M2 repaint
-Not black paint

I'm sure there are more but I just can't think of them.

Feel free to add your 2c!

 

[aizan]

buy a silver chrome m4 with intact vulcanite and have it repainted at kanto, or get an m4 whose vulcanite is chipped and have it repainted and recovered at crr luton.

 

[michaelwj]

buy a silver chrome m4 with intact vulcanite and have it repainted at kanto, or get an m4 whose vulcanite is chipped and have it repainted and recovered at crr luton.

In theory sounds good, but I'm pretty lazy and once my M4 sells I won't have a camera, so I won't have the patience to wait for a camera to be painted.

So you say M4 over M2?

 

[Huss]

I guess I'm one of the few that prefers black chrome over black paint.
So it's an easy call - black chrome M4.

 

[jmilkins]

Hmmm - I'm not goona vote yet. I have to think about it.

Knowing how much you like the M4 over the M6 it seemed an easy pick to go M4. But your M2 pros are quite convincing and as the shooter you are, the $ difference is a a fair bit of film and chems.

I guess you could pimp a B_RP M2 with a quick load kit and an M2 rewind adapter to make it fastser. But you might not need it in practice and then the rewind knob will brass nicely.

 

[michaelwj]

Thanks John,
Not super helpful!

 

[Mute-on]

I like original, so I'd have the M4. There's a saying in classic car circles: It's only original once. Once you restore it, it's no longer original.

CLA by all means, but for my money, I want a Leica as created by Leica.

Personally, whilst I adore the clean 35 frameline in my M2, the clarity of the M4 Finder makes up for any perceived disadvantage of the 135 framelines (which I hardly notice in actual usage).

My 2c 😉

 

[jmilkins]

Thanks John,
Not super helpful!

Well, I can only send you one to try....and you've used the chrome versions of both. 😛

 

[steveyork]

Creative people need variety. They get bored easily. Therefore, my vote for your money is to go with something totally different then what you already have, either the M2 or the big daddy of them all (M3). Plus, black paint is cooler then black chrome, although both are nice. The black paint encourages you to use the camera to create that beautiful patina, but I wouldn't pay a whole lot more for just cosmetic differences. That's just me.

 

[spaceistheplace]

What is the price of a Kanto repaint or similar?

 

[jmilkins]

OK I voted B_RP M2 cos it will journey more obviously with you i.e brass up nicely over time versus the more resilient BP chrome on the M4. As long as the M2 has been stripped back properly.

And while I agree with the original is best view, I also like underdogs. 80,20 in the poll.

 

[michaelwj]

Creative people need variety. They get bored easily. Therefore, my vote for your money is to go with something totally different then what you already have, either the M2 or the big daddy of them all (M3). Plus, black paint is cooler then black chrome, although both are nice. The black paint encourages you to use the camera to create that beautiful patina, but I wouldn't pay a whole lot more for just cosmetic differences. That's just me.

Thanks Steve, the M3 is out as I only use a 35mm lens. As for variety, the differences between an M2 and M4 are practically nothing, I've used choke versions of both in the past. This is my dilemma, they're so similar!

 

[michaelwj]

OK I voted B_RP M2 cos it will journey more obviously with you i.e brass up nicely over time versus the more resilient BP chrome on the M4. As long as the M2 has been stripped back properly.

And while I agree with the original is best view, I also like underdogs. 80,20 in the poll.

I feel like you're just messing with me... 😀
And it'd suck balls if the paint wore off to bright chrome a few years down the track...

 

[jmilkins]

I feel like you're just messing with me... 😀

You're welcome 😉

 

[Leica All Day]

A properly painted BP M2 gets my vote. I like the M4 a lot and it's not an easy choice, but if you plan on using that camera a lot (I think you do) then it's actually cool to see the camera 'wear' . I've had my chrome m6ttl for about 17 years and it has brassed over the years (it's actually a brass top plate) but it has been 'slow' . I've owned my BP m6ttl millennium for a year and half and it has definetly changed a lot faster than my chrome M6ttl. Nothing against chrome cameras, I've been using one for 17 years , but I just prefer the way black paint cameras wear. As far as it not being an 'original' BP M2 goes, I'm a user, not a collector so the extra money I would save, it would go towards glass, or a plane ticket to somewhere cool.
Cheers, Michael

 

[x-ray]

I guess I'm one of the few that prefers black chrome over black paint.
So it's an easy call - black chrome M4.

Agree.

I like the mat finish of black chrome. I had a black chrome M6 for years and now have a black chrome MP a la carte I had built and a black chrome M4-P.

Consider a black chrome M4-2 or M4-P. Two years ago I bought the M4-P in mint condition for $795. Ive owned a lot of M bodies over many years and the M4-2 and M4-P are as good as any.

 

[Daryl J.]

Make it simple: M4-2 or M4-P.

In my bag there is a chrome M4 and a black M4-2.
Both are Youxin Ye CLA'ed.
The difference in handling and feel is nominal.
I default to the Four Two.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

And where is this M2 coming from? There are a crop appearing on that auction site but no feedback on the paint job that I have seen. I'm an M2 fan, in particular no self timer, but I would worry about the quality of the job and agree on the leatherette, even with my bias if I wanted black I would go M4.

 

[creenus]

As soon as I sell some guitar gear this summer I will have my M2 repainted by Alan Starkie, listed here:

https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/price-list

I will probably go with black, but I may choose green - just to be different. 😎

Needless to say I voted the M2 option. I like this little camera - nice viewfinder, simple and clean.

Apparently, Mr. Starkie is now servicing M5s, which is fantastic news for users such as myself!

 

[Huss]

And it'd suck balls if the paint wore off to bright chrome a few years down the track...

I've seen that on quite a few black paint (repainted) Ms where the claim was stripped to brass and painted!
There was one for sale here a while ago. Serious bummer to see the chrome appear under the paint instead of brass.
I've also seen other repaints where it did not age well. The paint came off in chunks instead of gracefully wearing.

Repaints of anything (cars, motos, cameras) are never as good as the original. Plus the extra cost (that could have bought a second M) and the downtime..