Hello. Has any reader been informed yet on how the black chrome M7's will wear? Has or can the process be altered to reduce or do away with that "silvering" characteristic? Have the M7's brass top and bottom plates been introduced only to facilitate black paint finish models? Regards.

-- Sheridan Zantis (albada60@hotmail.com), March 02, 2002

Answers

I have "brass plate/black chrome" cameras - M4-2 and early M4-P. They show silver, not brass, where they're worn.

The reason is that black chrome is put on over a silver chrome undercoat, not directly onto the brass. Black paint, OTOH, goes more or less right onto the brass.

Click here for the full story - read down to Bill Rosauer's note - item (2). Courtesy nemeng.com.

Of course, Leica could be changing the process to allow 'brassing' with black chrome. Maybe.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), March 02, 2002.

Hi Andy,

Keep using those cameras! Eventually they will show brass.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), March 02, 2002.

Hi Sheridan, What concerns me most is how they are going to wear inside. My M6 has worn beautifully and so has my Hexar RF. I sure hope that the 21/35 Hexanon won't be ephemeral. Have a nice day.

-- richard b (rubyvalentine@earthlink.net), March 02, 2002.