p.4 #1 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
Fred Miranda wrote:
That's surprising, Gordon. Almost every Safari listing I've seen shows noticeable patina. It's rare to come across a used one without some paint loss. I always thought the olive green enamel wasn’t particularly durable. Patina on glossy black looks great, but I think it actually suits the olive green even better.
When I picked up my M11-P Safari, I was told by the Leica Store Sydney that the paint was the newer durable paint and it would wear less than the M11BP. My interpretation was that the M11-P Safari wears like the regular M11.
If I’m wrong and it wears quicker, I’ll be fine with that. I agree that it’ll look pretty nice on the Safari.
p.4 #3 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
Fred Miranda wrote:
That's surprising, Gordon. Almost every Safari listing I've seen shows noticeable patina. It's rare to come across a used one without some paint loss. I always thought the olive green enamel wasn’t particularly durable. Patina on glossy black looks great, but I think it actually suits the olive green even better.
p.4 #4 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
flash wrote:
When I picked up my M11-P Safari, I was told by the Leica Store Sydney that the paint was the newer durable paint and it would wear less than the M11BP. My interpretation was that the M11-P Safari wears like the regular M11.
If I’m wrong and it wears quicker, I’ll be fine with that. I agree that it’ll look pretty nice on the Safari.
Gordon, I think you got the right idea about the durability of the finish, but I have seen quite a few used Safari M cameras showing a lot of patina over time.
The Safari green finish is supposed to be baked enamel, which is thicker and harder than regular paint. It bonds chemically to the brass. In contrast, cameras like the M10-R Black Paint edition are made with a few coats of paint applied directly to the brass. Based on that, you would expect the black paint to wear down faster and show brass more quickly..
That said, my own experience with the M10-R tells a slightly different story. I have used mine daily for two years and taken it on many trips, and it still looks almost new. The Safari I bought was clearly handled with care, but I can already see some patina starting to form around the edges. So, I guess, it really seems to depend on how it is used.
p.4 #5 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
airfrogusmc wrote:
That olive drab on the safari is so sweeeeet.
Yes, exactly. The drab finish doesn't show fingerprints and always looks clean...completely the opposite of my black paint Ms. Even the silver chrome shows smudges and slight changes in tone with regular use.
p.4 #6 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
Fred Miranda wrote:
Gordon, I think you got the right idea about the durability of the finish, but I have seen quite a few used Safari M cameras showing a lot of patina over time.
The Safari green finish is supposed to be baked enamel, which is thicker and harder than regular paint. It bonds chemically to the brass. In contrast, cameras like the M10-R Black Paint edition are made with a few coats of paint applied directly to the brass. Based on that, you would expect the black paint to wear down faster and show brass more quickly..
That said, my own experience with the M10-R tells a slightly different story. I have used mine daily for two years and taken it on many trips, and it still looks almost new. The Safari I bought was clearly handled with care, but I can already see some patina starting to form around the edges. So, I guess, it really seems to depend on how it is used....Show more →
I’d be happy with that. One of the attractions of the safari over the M11D (one of the cameras I was considering) is the brass. I’ll be happy to see the camera show its story in patina. It certainly feels different to both my M11 and M-P.
My M11, M11M, M10-R and M10M show basically zero wear and tear. But my use hasn’t been as regular as yours. The SL3’s have the same finish and mine have been all over the world and look basically new. Interesting how that’s what I want from the SL3 but not necessarily from a M.
I don’t know of another brand I’d swap out cameras to get more wear and tear showing deliberately….
p.4 #7 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
flash wrote:
I’d be happy with that. One of the attractions of the safari over the M11D (one of the cameras I was considering) is the brass. I’ll be happy to see the camera show its story in patina. It certainly feels different to both my M11 and M-P.
My M11, M11M, M10-R and M10M show basically zero wear and tear. But my use hasn’t been as regular as yours. The SL3’s have the same finish and mine have been all over the world and look basically new. Interesting how that’s what I want from the SL3 but not necessarily from a M.
I don’t know of another brand I’d swap out cameras to get more wear and tear showing deliberately….Gordon...Show more →
Agreed. Besides the high price, this is exactly why I'm not interested in the "Safari" lenses (28/50/90). They're not made of brass, so when they wear, the underlying aluminum shows through.
Here are a couple of examples showing brassing on the Safari and Reporter models:
p.4 #8 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
There's a Safari for sale right now that shows quite a bit of brassing. I'm not sure if it happened naturally through use or if the user accelerated the process.
p.4 #9 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
Fred Miranda wrote:
There's a Safari for sale right now that shows quite a bit of brassing. I'm not sure if it happened naturally through use or if the user accelerated the process.
That’s been done deliberately. 1. There’s no wear at all on the base plate. 2. There’s braising is *perfect*. 3. There’s no wear at all where the hand meets the camera. Thumb marks etc.
I’ve worn a couple of M’s naturally and this ain’t it. I don’t care either way. The temptation to *accidentally* bash my Safari against some 120 grit is there. I wouldn’t do it. But I get it.
p.4 #10 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
I am a little surprised to see the top 3 colors so close. My favorite is Silver, it reminds me of the old school cameras my Dad had in the 1970's ala Canon AE-1 and Minolta SR-T102
p.4 #11 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
Matt Kerby wrote:
I am a little surprised to see the top 3 colors so close. My favorite is Silver, it reminds me of the old school cameras my Dad had in the 1970's ala Canon AE-1 and Minolta SR-T102
Same here! I thought the black matte version would easily be the most popular. But I also have a soft spot for the silver chrome...not just for the look, but also because it always comes in brass.
p.4 #12 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
I handled a Black Painted MP, long before I bought into the M system. This planted a seed, in my mind, so, I have a strong affection for Black Paint, but, I have no user experience with that finish. When I bought a new original-version M10, and then later added the M Type 246 Monochrom, they were black chromed. So, I am, well, comfortable with matte black-chromed M cameras.
I am not certain that I have ever seen a silver-chromed M camera, at really close range, and I have never been in the presence of a Safari or Reporter, and looking at product images does not tell the whole story, so, I have little to no frame of reference. I have a “fly-over country” level of ignorance about these finishes, at least regarding Leica M cameras.
I have used a silver-and-black Nikon Df camera, while walking about. Its appearance tended to start conversations. Potentially, I could really like a silver-chromed M10-series camera.
p.4 #13 · Which paint finish do you prefer for your Leica M?
RexGig0 wrote:
I handled a Black Painted MP, long before I bought into the M system. This planted a seed, in my mind, so, I have a strong affection for Black Paint, but, I have no user experience with that finish. When I bought a new original-version M10, and then later added the M Type 246 Monochrom, they were black chromed. So, I am, well, comfortable with matte black-chromed M cameras.
I am not certain that I have ever seen a silver-chromed M camera, at really close range, and I have never been in the presence of a Safari or Reporter, and looking at product images does not tell the whole story, so, I have little to no frame of reference. I have a “fly-over country” level of ignorance about these finishes, at least regarding Leica M cameras.
I have used a silver-and-black Nikon Df camera, while walking about. Its appearance tended to start conversations. Potentially, I could really like a silver-chromed M10-series camera....Show more →
The glossy black paint and safari finishes are the only ones that will show patina with brass coming through, but in my experience owning an M9, MP, MD, and M10-R in black paint, it takes a lot of use for that to happen naturally. I would say decades of heavy handling. If you see a relatively new body with a lot of brassing, it probably did not come from regular use. So while the black paint finish may seem more fragile (and prone to fingerprints), I have found it holds up very well over time.
