bob haight Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 All the Hammertones on *bay have sold. I wonder if anyone has actually seen them first. Has anyone here got one and if so whats your take on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_a. Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 definately NOT me. I'll never buy anything new from Leica again. Tired of getting creamed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 <<All the Hammertones on *bay have sold. I wonder if anyone has actually seen them first>> Chances are most of them won't ever be seen...or at most for a moment or two before they go in the vault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 let me get this straight: it's easy to imagine serious photographers spending $2600 on an M body for regular use but impossible to fathom spending $3400 (25-30% more) on a hammertone for the same purpose?? sometimes i feel like the special models' main purpose is to make people who buy the regular models feel legitimate. they can point to the hammertoners et al as the fondlers, comfortable that they themselves are cut from a different (more serious and better) cloth. there are lots of good reasons why a person might pay a 25-30% premium for a cosmetically nicer camera, while at the same time intending it for serious use. indeed, people here can talk until their blue in the face about the utilitarian justifications for owning a leica, but pleasure of use is always part of the equation. richard avedon bought a brace of hasselblads with the special leathers. is he a poseur?? for what it is worth, i know two people who have bought hammertones so far. both are as serious about photography as any contributor to this forum -- and both will put thousands of rolls of film thru their cameras (god willing). as i have said many times, leica owners should be the last ones to mock extravagance of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_a. Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Perhaps Roger is right. But it would hurt to see it drop a grand next year for whatever the reason may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_conboy1 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I would buy one, but my left and right brains are battling about it. One side thinks I have too many cameras, and even if I didn't why pay extra for the cosmetics. The other side says "because it looks cool". They can fight it out and let me know who eventually wins, but I wouldn't bet against cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsr Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I'm as guilty of buying tools for their beauty as anyone else. Paying a premium price for fine things is anyone's prerogative, as long as he/she can afford it. After all, who buys a yacht simply to go fishing? In the case of the hammertone Leica, however, it's a bit too utilitarian looking for my taste. The finish looks very much like the gray enamel finish on the old Sears & Roebuck mechanic's toolboxes. I'd gladly use such a tool, but not for an extra thousand bucks! For those who find the Hammertone lovely, I wish them well. To me it's UG-LEE! Both the chrome and black finishes are much classier to my unsophisticated eye. I've seen far too much of that gray on my various factory jobs. Best regards, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake_tauber Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I'm going to take my M7 and have it covered with hair that only comes from the nether regions of Himalayan Yaks. I'm then going to post it on Ebay and say it was sewn by 12 virgins who were locked in a bell tower for a year while only being fed yogurt and Cheetos. How much should I ask for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I'd prefer an abrasion resistant black crinkle paint. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donald_macklin Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Say Jake,I think kip of unborn lamb may fetch a higher premium from those who matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr._kenny Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 i bought a lo- miles (black paint)lhsa and i have no problems using the s$!# out of it. it's <30 ft. away from me 95% of the time. <br /> would i have paid $2700 for it (close to an MP?) no, but i don't make fun of folks who do. well, maybe the hermes one seems just f'in sybaritic, 'dee-luxe.' <br />the m6 is a damn good camera, that's all i care about. if you think so too, great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsr Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Stephen W., I must agree with you. The old baked on wrinkle finish instrument enamel is nearly indestructible and attractive. It provides a good gripping surface and is far easier to repair than vulcanite. I'm at somewhat of a loss as to why the finish is not used far more than it is. I suspect the baking operation adds too much to the production cost. Jake Tauber, the virgins and the yogurt would have a great positive effect on the camera's price, but the Cheetos would definitely deflate the value. My advice is to ditch the Cheetos! Best to all, Billsr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsr Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Jake T, On second thought, the camera ought to be covered with hair from the nether regions of 12 virgins and sewn together by Yaks! Best regards, Billsr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I think the hammertone finish is pretty ugly. The only special edition that I have seen that even seems to have any sort of positive aesthetic statement beyond the regular versions is the older LHSA with the black Leica dot. One that one aspect alone it gets total points. Oh and the old titanium finish (black & titanium) was cool too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dawn Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Hi how does one go about getting a LHSA Leica anyway, if one is not a member? just curious.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_ting2 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 "I think the hammertone finish is pretty ugly. The only special edition that I have seen that even seems to have any sort of positive aesthetic statement beyond the regular versions is the older LHSA with the black Leica dot. One that one aspect alone it gets total points.Oh and the old titanium finish (black & titanium) was cool too."<br><br> Jorn, how about this one :<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2977074864&ssPageName=ADME:B:LC:US:1"> click here</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles barcellona www.bl Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 LOl yogurt and cheetos.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Henry, Nah, kinda like the regular vanilla. I guess I just am excited enough by the limited edition thing. Now rub off all that chrome and paint it flat black and maybe.... JA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Well said roger. Why Jay finds it necessary to pretend he is not a fondler too is beyond me. He has been through more cameras and systems than most of us have had hot dinners. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 When you finish kissing Roger's heinie and get back on your feet, go back and re-read what I wrote, then try to disagree with the contention that *most* of the Hammertone's will be put on display, without raising a chorus of guffaws from the Leica community at large. *Most* of the three previous LHSA commemoratives usually show up for re-sale as "brand new never opened" or some variation thereof. Of course there are some people who have used them and even abused them, but it's a small fraction, because doing so it loses the bulk of it's price premium and thus the "user" must be somewhat cavalier about money--perhaps even moreso than the fondler who buys one and locks it in a vault. Lastly, you seem to imply that owning and using a bunch of different cameras makes one a fondler. While that definition might satisfy your urge to disparage me, it is totally beyond logic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_layton Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 While I believe that the MP is possibly the best choice of Leica for internal reasons, I'm guessing that the Hammertone finish will wear better than black paint - and I don't like the "sharkskin" of the regular MP. To have Shintaro repaint an MP, plus changing the body cover, would likely cost at least as much as the premium Leica is charging - plus the top plate script will add to the Hammertone's (resale) value. So for me this camera truly "puts it all together" and is actually a good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 O yes me and roger are really close... "Urge to disparage me." Touched a nerve? Priceless from one who takes special care to disparage everyone! Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 if jay didn't exist, we'd have to invent him -- especially since phill has "departed." he's so prickly, he's almost cuddly (in an oscar madison sort of way). as for special models turning up in mint condition, it seems to me like a lot of M2/3/4s also turn up in mint condition. so what?? frankly, i seriously doubt that hammertones/LHSA black lacq & such are actually being squirreled away in great numbers. history has taught that all of these things are very poor investments. and there are plenty of scarcer models for the collectors to go for. further, as someone pointed out, the small premium charged for these cosmetically enhanced models is not totally out of line with the market value of these enhancements, and so not it is not unreasonable to think that a user might spring for the prettier camera. now the hermes may be another matter . . . . as i said before, MP/M7/M6 owners can mock the hammertone set, but how different would the two groups look to an uninitiated outsider?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Herbert Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 When you finish kissing Roger's heinie and get back on your feet, What's a heinie? pray do tell, second thoughts, i'd rather not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Heinie = hind end = arse I wonder if Al Kaplan, given hindsight, and access to such goodies back then (70's) on the cheap, would be using his M2R's now. Since, he has long made his money back, I don't think he'd vault them. But, people didn't care much about production numbers then. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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