jerry_lehrer Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Leicaphiles I'm a bit confused now. I would like to know just which variants of M series Leicas has the "Leica" name engraved on the top plate. I don't mean the silkscreened name, I mean the deeply engraved markings that do not rub off, or what is worse, left off completely. I stopped buying new Leicas when the cameras became "naked". Just how much is saved by deleting the engraving? How many customers have been turned away by this? Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoeica images Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 From the M3 to the CL, Leica was engraved on the top plate. I agree, the engraving should be brought back. When the M7 came out, there were some in Japan that had the Leica engraving. You can send your M7 or M6 to Solms and pay to get it engraved on the top plate. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 My M6TTL has a beautiful black top plate with no unnecessary painting or engraving on it. So the lack of engraving did not put me off buying one. I saw one of those engraved M7's in Japan just last week and did not find it too attractive. If I got to choose one with or without the engraving, I am pretty sure I would take the one without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris c Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Chris, What more can you tell us about the option to send this back to Germany? Time involved or mechanism to do this if interested.. Thanks.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy bennett Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Personally I could happily live w/out the engraved top plate (and in fact I do, since neither of my M6s have one). My pet peeve is the over engraving of the *front* of the top plate. Both of my Ms say "Leica / M6" on the front of the camera, right next to the red dot that says - you got it - "Leica" again! My preference would be for a blank, M2-type front and blank, M6-type top, with "Leica" and whatever else needs be said in small letters on the back of the top plate. Such are my philosophical meanderings on this brisk Sunday evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_piper2 Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Classic engraving through the M5/CL - the M4-2/M4-P had heavier script that was both engraved and stamped at different times - it disappeared with the M6. Engraving I get on my wife's jewelry - cameras are for taking pictures.... Just swapped an M4 and an M4-P with script for M6 bodies without script. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_ting2 Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Leica reserved the top plate space for special edition, special memorial, special xxx, xxx, xxx etc and is becoming to be the most expensive piece of real estate. Akin to motorsport racing, logos and advertising demand these real estate and subsequently a vehicle body or a drivers' apparel becomes a walking "billboard". Quite frankly, the M6 or M7 body already have enough Leica logos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_pfile1 Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Gerald, The time to engrave the script Leica is definitly of some value, but inconsequential in this day of CNC machining. Extrapolate a second or so over the next million bodies or 15-20 years at their past production rates. The problem is that the designs copyright (including the "width" of the lettering used from the Leitz days) is not owned by Leica Camera AG. They stopped engraving when they went to zinc tops, coincident with the time they were no longer E. Leitz GMBH. Zinc doesn't engrave well at all. With the advent of brass top covers on the recent commemoratives apparantly they have paid whomever owns it an unknown amount for its use. Personally I wish they could buy it back outright. In a world of change there should be some constants. Best, Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul hart Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Following on from Jerry - I understand that it's the microscope side of the Leica enterprise that owns the right to the script, so the camera side had to buy the right to use it on the LHSA black paint edition of the M6TTL!! See: http://www.cameraquest.com/lm6lhsa.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msitaraman Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 AFAIK, the Japan edition M6TTLs have the name silkscreened on the top plate, not engraved, as in the black paint LHSA M6TTLs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal dimarco Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 According to Hanns-Peter Cohn, the CEO of Leica AG, they decided not to engrave the M7 top plates, because they felt the camera looked more modern with out it. Happy Snaps, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_pfile1 Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Sal, So be it, although in a marketing driven world, there's a lot to be said for trading in part on your heritage. I doubt that Rolex would drop their gold crown and "oyster perpetual logo from their watches even though I understand their watches aren't quite what they used to be. Hmmm. Best, Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug_landrum Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 The engraving was eliminated to conserve the supply of black tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_lehrer Posted October 28, 2002 Author Share Posted October 28, 2002 Doug I see that we have some commodians on this site. BTW, zinc alloys CAN be easily engraved or roll-stamped, contraryto someones opinion. That is NOT the reason. And yes, I would tape over the blatent "red dots" anyway. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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