Since this site seems to have exploded with questions recently, I'm going to ask one of those silly cosmetic ones that most of us hate so much, but maybe some one will know...

How "delicate" actually, is the new LHSA M6 paint job? Anyone actually shooting in the field with one? Tom A. uses his, I know.

On Mr. Gandy's fine site, he playfully offers to scratch "test" someone's (not his) new Black Paint M6, to see if it measures up to the old M4 black paint finish, but obviously that ain't going to happen.

Anyone have an opinion?

Thanx!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.com), April 26, 2001

Answers

Shintaro Yaghinuma, who spray paint chrome Leica black, describes in his website his effort to wear off his paint job on a Leica to get that "brassy" look: http:/ /www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/5799/shintaro.htm. If it takes such an effort for him, I suppose a Leica paint job would be even studier.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), April 26, 2001.

I've been using an LHSA for about a year now. No sign of paint wear at all. I don't "baby" it, but I don't bang it around unnecessarily either. Occasionally I wipe off the fingerprints to check, and I can't even detect any deterioriation in the paint luster. Could be a while before I see any brassing.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), April 26, 2001.