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Deleted member 65559
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Yes it is a matte finish... says so in the listing headline.
Recommendations for getting an M2 re-painted
- Thread starter jrose125
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Yes it is a matte finish... says so in the listing headline.
xasthur
Established
It indeed does say that. My father always tells me when I'm looking at something to make sure I have my eyes open. 😀
eckhardf
Established
I definitely think that buying a quality repainted M is a good option (I have one that I am very happy with).
Having said that; I think you need to be very selective. Like cars, a repaint can make a "beater" camera look like new. Now that black paint M's (and others) are "in vogue" there is probably a sustainable business model whereby worn-out, ugly silver M's are bought cheaply, repainted and sold for a handsome profit - you want to avoid those if possible.
Looking closely at the above mentioned camera, there seem to be signs it's had a heavy life. There is significant denting round the base of the shutter speed dial where the advance lever contacts it. Also the ISO dial on the rear of the camera looks to have been heavily used. The pressure plate and internals do look free from marking and are very clean however.
Matte paint can also help hide minor body defects better than a gloss finish though this body looks nice and straight. Finally, I think some industrial paints will apply directly over the chrome finish which makes them much cheaper to repaint and this paint can be very hard wearing. I like a black paint camera brassing so would want to confirm with the seller that the camera was stripped back to brass prior to repainting and that a lacquer or thin enamel rather than industrial automotive paint was used. Again, close inspection of photos can sometimes show chrome or brass shining through chips or scratches in the paint indicating what's underneath.
Just some food for thought - if you just want black; the CLA and internals suggest this would be a fine choice.
For what it's worth I'm in Australia and my preference is to buy from Japanese sellers - my experiences have been very positive.
Regards, good luck, and hope to see a picture of the camera you end up getting on this thread soon.
eck.
ktmrider
Well-known
Sam Showhan (sp?) at Classic Connections has a black M2 in Exc++ condition listed right now for $1799. It has been on his site since Dec,2020.
xasthur
Established
I looked up the one you mention and I would be vary wary about the curtain on that M2. Does not look very good. Photo 6 looks like it shows some of the glue on the right? Photo 11 if you look at the top left of the curtain window the curtain does not look tight or straight? Photo 14 shows that there may be a stain?
jrose125
Established
Thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate the links but yeah, if I am going to get a black painted M2 i'd rather buy the M2 myself and send it to someone who I know is going to do a bang on job. This is going to be a camera I will likely keep forever, so I don't feel like compromising for a good deal is necessarily the right path.
Cheers!
jrose125
Established
I appreciate the analysis of that one.
That is definitely the issue with repainted cameras - it's exactly why I think my best course of action is to buy a chrome M2 in great shape and send it off myself. At least then I will know what is "under the hood". I know exactly how I want it repainted, anything short of that is a wasted effort imo. If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it all the way.
Cheers!
KenR
Well-known
Perhaps it’s just me, but a camera that is used daily will develop nicks, dings are have the paint worn out in spots. It’s a badge of honor that says that this is a real camera, used by a real photographer, not a trophy sitting on a shelf. IMHO, you should by all means have the innards overhauled, but if you’re going to actually use it, keep the worn out body as is and be proud that you are continuing the tradition with the camera.
A quality re-paint -- which isn't actually the proper term; as it's the first time it's been painted 🙂 -- with full service to go along with it, is essentially like going back in time and purchasing a brand new M2, 50+ years down the road.
Any nicks or worn paint from that point on, is history placed there by the new owner.
Brand new film Ms from the factory just don't have the same allure, for me at least. I'd much rather acquire a top condition M2 and have it serviced and painted.
There are other things that camerworks-uk can do to an M2, also, such as the free-to-air frameline mask, or even a titanium shutter.
One of my cameras was the first to receive their mask, and I had them put a Ti shutter in an M5 they painted for me. There are pics on the forum of that camera, I'll have to link them.
Any nicks or worn paint from that point on, is history placed there by the new owner.
Brand new film Ms from the factory just don't have the same allure, for me at least. I'd much rather acquire a top condition M2 and have it serviced and painted.
There are other things that camerworks-uk can do to an M2, also, such as the free-to-air frameline mask, or even a titanium shutter.
One of my cameras was the first to receive their mask, and I had them put a Ti shutter in an M5 they painted for me. There are pics on the forum of that camera, I'll have to link them.
jrose125
Established
I appreciate the opinion, but what gives you the impression that I plan on creating a museum piece? I want to get a repaint done because I would like a black M2 and don't have $30K just laying around to buy an original.
I DO plan on using the camera heavily and care little if it develops wear. None of my cameras are mint and I use all of them regularly. The "tradition" of the camera is a romantic way to look at it, but a tool is a tool. If I can make it mine with a repaint and start my own "tradition", I don't see anything wrong with that.
Of course we all have our opinions and there is certainly nothing wrong with disagreeing with a repaint. Cheers!
jrose125
Established
Thank you! That's exactly how I look at it.
That M5 sounds like a treat - would love to see some pictures!
I'm not familiar with the term "free-to-air frameline mask", would you mind explaining that one for me?
Cheers 🙂
Here is the M5:
More pics in this thread:
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30362&page=186
More pics in this thread:
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30362&page=186
jrose125
Established
Ahhh very, very interesting. Seems like it would be a great thing to get done to an M2 I plan on keeping for a long time...
Cheers!
Cheers!
Brooktaw
Established
You might want to think about buying your M2 and getting it sent directly to whoever is going to do the repaint for you without coming into contact with it along the way.
After falling for the allure of a recent black paint M3 from Shueido I started looking for a suitable candidate. Caution lead me to buy one from a reputable dealer with a recent CLA and a return option. Once it arrived I unfortunately immediately bonded with it in its silver state and think I will now find it very difficult to part with for cosmetic enhancement!!!
If was to do this again I would look for a camera that was already in need of some significant repair like a shutter or rangefinder so I could feel I was bringing a camera back to life at the same time as getting it repainted rather than just changing its appearance. Hopefully its lower purchase price would also offset some of the project costs.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for this thread. It has highlighted a lot of issues I've been thinking about recently.
After falling for the allure of a recent black paint M3 from Shueido I started looking for a suitable candidate. Caution lead me to buy one from a reputable dealer with a recent CLA and a return option. Once it arrived I unfortunately immediately bonded with it in its silver state and think I will now find it very difficult to part with for cosmetic enhancement!!!
If was to do this again I would look for a camera that was already in need of some significant repair like a shutter or rangefinder so I could feel I was bringing a camera back to life at the same time as getting it repainted rather than just changing its appearance. Hopefully its lower purchase price would also offset some of the project costs.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for this thread. It has highlighted a lot of issues I've been thinking about recently.
jrose125
Established
Thanks everyone again for the replies! I ended up grabbing a 1962 M2 (lever rewind/self timer). I know it's not the button rewind I was originally looking for, but the price was right - and it was just CLA'd by Youxin Ye in addition to receiving a new shutter and the coated viewfinder upgrade. It's got just enough wear (yet dent/major scratch free) that I won't feel bad one bit getting it a nice coat of black enamel:
https://flic.kr/p/2kWfo6J
https://flic.kr/p/2kWjQYA
https://flic.kr/p/2kWfo6t
The plan is to run a couple rolls through this week, and send it out to Camerakote in the UK next week. I'll be sure to post some pics when it arrives back!
https://flic.kr/p/2kWfo6J
https://flic.kr/p/2kWjQYA
https://flic.kr/p/2kWfo6t
The plan is to run a couple rolls through this week, and send it out to Camerakote in the UK next week. I'll be sure to post some pics when it arrives back!
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jrose125
Established
Thanks for the reply and my apologies for the delay in response! I'm fortunate in that the M2 I grabbed has some fairly unattractive wear, and I won't personally have any issues with getting it stripped and painted black 🙂
jrose125
Established
Mailed out my M2 this morning...officially at the point of no return! Will update this thread (hopefully with pictures if I can get it to work) when it arrives back, likely Mid to Late June with shipping.
Mech-Dragon
Newbie
Sounds great and I'm sure it'll look great when it returns!
Question, does Camerakote do black enamel paint as well? I'm aware that he has his own coating he does on cameras.
Question, does Camerakote do black enamel paint as well? I'm aware that he has his own coating he does on cameras.
