david_craig1 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I'm thinking of investing in a Leica MP but I'm not sure which viewfinder will be best for the 2/35mm Summicron - I do not intend using any other lenses. My eyes are not what they were so I need the magnification which will give me the clearest image! I'm attracted by the black body but I'm not sure I like the idea of the paint rubbing off in a matter of days - is this really the case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameron_sawyer Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 You should try the various viewfinders, because tastes vary. I find the 0.58 to be optimal for the 35; add the 1.25x viewfinder magnifier for 50 or 75. Others are happy with the 0.72 finder with 35, but even without glasses I find the framelines a bit tight. The black paint body is really for fondlers, I think, unless you want to affect the wornout pro look with brass showing. You'll get that look pretty fast if you actually use your camera. My black anodized M6, in fact, much more durable than black paint, already looks shabby after less than a year of non-professional use. If you are a shooter, rather than a fondler, you will get a lot less distress from the chrome finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 You'll find a new MP will not be a good "investment" In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noddy_b Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I agree with Steve. You can't call buying MP an investment. It's more like spending money on something you like and don't mind loosing its value by 30% as soon as you walk out of the shop and open the black box! I have a .72 MP. And I have a 35 summilux glued on it. Perfact match! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 0.72 is the optimal finder for the 35mm even if you wear glasses. I won't rehash my opinion as to the MP. I presume your choice is based on esoteric reasons, which is what the MP was designed to appeal to, and it is your money to spend. If you were the least bit concerned with features:dollar you wouldn't even be considering the MP, so get whichever color makes your heart flutter more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin m. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Jay, if the MP has a metal battery cover, surely that's got to be worth a few hundred extra $$ ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger c Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 And a flare-free viewfinder (ooh, below the belt) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 You could buy a mint M6 Classic for $1000, pay $600 to have an MP or M4 rangefinder put into it, and have a flare-free, metal-battery-cover Leica with a nicer body covering and a friendlier wind and rewind...for $1000 less than an MP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 The paint won't rub off in a few days. And I doubt you will see any brass edges showing for a very long time. I have had my black MP for a few months now. It has been carried in my pocket, bag, around neck and bumping against zips and buttons in that time. In fact, the use it has had is greater than my M7 in a similar period. The M7 was/is showing silver at the corners! That wear and tear will devalue your investment is perhaps true. But then, like my M7, if you use it, any camera it will show signs of wear. Consider what is important. Honourable wear, or the embarrassment of having a 'pristine' camera after owning it for a few years. As for the viewfinder, I got the .72 to compliment my .58 M7, but I now find I like the .72 with my 35mm 'cron much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Jay, with the MP you get two different types of battery cover, both metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dawn Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hi Steve, you seem to be the only poster here who claims the black paint wouldn't wear off that fast.... not that i don't believe you, but it is becoming a curiosity :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_zevnik Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I wear glasses and can barely see all the 35mm framelines simultaneously with my .72 magnification M6TTL. I don't find it a problem with the 35mm, but if I had a 28mm it would be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Boon, why not prove me wrong? I will gladly admit if my camera is a 'one off' painted in ultra tough paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 P.S. I may be the only poster here who has used a black paint MP without listening to the 'fragile lacquer' crackpots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Steve might have hit on something. Leica may just have "leaked" through Erwin that the BP finish will wear off quickly, in order to entice the fondlers who long to put on their Banana Republic vests (which they let the dog chew for a couple days then run over with their car a couple times)and play Larry Burrows: War Photographer snapping their fighting toddlers in the den. While in reality the BP finish is actually quite durable, since its done with modern paint. Oh but Leica would *never* tell a fib to sell a product.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noddy_b Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Apart from a small "scratch" on the bottom plate that I got on my MP on the first week , there has been no other scratches. I have mine for about a month now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 OK Jay, if you can show me where Erwin says the black paint will wear off quickly I would be very interested. If on the other hand you would consider for a moment these words quoted directly from the MP brochure (the one printed and distributed by Leica themselves) - "And when, after prolonged and intensive use, the black lacquer wears down to the bare brass...." Note the words they use, 'prolonged', 'intensive'. But you won't will you? After all, it would spoil your theory gleaned from third parties, and stop you spreading misinformation around the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 <<OK Jay, if you can show me where Erwin says the black paint will wear off quickly I would be very interested....But you won't will you? After all, it would spoil your theory gleaned from third parties, and stop you spreading misinformation around the world.>> http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/MP.html 12th paragraph down from the top. Here's the quote in case his site goes down again (it was off for a few days)or in case he decides to change it: ""The black paint (laquer) version looks beautiful and inspires the user to strive for the best possible photography. The black paint is meant to wear and so to give the camera a worn look. My version already showed some wear after some days."" Anybody else want a piece of me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 'Some wear'. He doesn't actually say he saw any brass did he? You can see wear on any M camera 'after a few days' just by the strap rubbing the plastic protectors! But no, you have decided you are reading extra some words than the ones Erwin wrote. Read your Erwin quote slowly, and use a dictionary if any words or context aren't clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob haight Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Steve Gandy states early black finishes on the Milleniuns were poor compared to the olden days, but, I think they now have the knack of it and the finish is first class. Any paint wears off no matter how good it is. That is why the black chrome was considered an improvement by Leica over the black paint finish when it was introduced. I would like to to see a MP with the black chrome for people who just want to use the camera and not fuss over the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 <<'Some wear'. He doesn't actually say he saw any brass did he? You can see wear on any M camera 'after a few days' just by the strap rubbing the plastic protectors! But no, you have decided you are reading extra some words than the ones Erwin wrote. Read your Erwin quote slowly, and use a dictionary if any words or context aren't clear.>> You decided to call my bluff and lost Steve. Nobody likes a sore loser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Herbert Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I'm with Jay, sock it to him mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Loosen the mainsprings guys. Any paint will wear fast on edges, even plating wears fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_barnett2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Err, yes I would have lost in your world. But, in the real world? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I had a BP M4 once (it was stolen). Man, was that paint soft. It had a black chrome rewind knob (I dropped it, no BP replacements), and baseplate - if anyone sees it. This was before I started recording serial numbers. How time, and thieves, change you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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