[Leica] Black paint and brass

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

>>>My Titanium M6 have actually got brassy around the edges and also in
the corners where it has had a couple of small mishaps (car-doors, other
cameras and the odd gravel patch).It also has the dumbest shutterspeed
dial this side of the TTL. White lettering on a Titanium background, try
to read that in dim light! The most
durable finish is probably the chrome finish, scratches and scrapes show
up less, unfortunately I prefer black cameras<<<


I think the absolute best finish is black paint with a lot of brass
showing through. I know the original question was about "durability" and
I suppose the reason is a finicky desire to keep an expensive camera
looking new, but I think a brassed camera is wonderfully durable in a
different sense...because you simply can't make it look any worse. And
yet it doesn't look bad, it looks great. Very comfortable, that kind of
finish.

- --Mike

P.S. Those black paint specials on the Leica website absolutely knock me
out. Good thing my grandmother isn't still alive...I'd be tempted to
sell her to the gypsies.