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SLR with brass
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:51 am    Post subject: SLR with brass Reply with quote
Hi,

which cameras are made (in some part) with brass? I'm into that vintage look of black SLR with a bit of brass visible in the corners.

Then I'll choose the best one for me.

Nikon FM? F3? (not big fan of Nikon lenses)


PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Do you like "brassing"? Then, go for a black finish Nikkormat, or, even better, a black-finish Nikon-F either with Photomic or simple pentaprism: all give the finest brassing ever, besides being extremely fine cameras.


Would you look for some rarity? a black finish Contarex Super...


PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The professional Minolta X1/XK/XM made from 1973 until 1981 are black and made of brass.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
The professional Minolta X1/XK/XM made from 1973 until 1981 are black and made of brass.


You made my day! Minoltaaaaaaaa!!!!

damn that camera is rare


Ok I noticed that xe is also with brass. How about XD?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Find a black Pentax MX that doesn't have brassing and you'll make a fortune [joke] Wink .


When the digital Pentax MX-1 came out there was quite a fad of prematurely brassing them, so they looked even more reminiscent of the painted MX Very Happy .


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Airman wrote:
tb_a wrote:
The professional Minolta X1/XK/XM made from 1973 until 1981 are black and made of brass.


You made my day! Minoltaaaaaaaa!!!!

damn that camera is rare


Ok I noticed that xe is also with brass. How about XD?


Don't know about the XD. However, the old SRT Super is also available in black with brass. Cheaply available from Japan....


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think just about all camera makers made black enamel cameras, and most of them will show brassing with wear. Here's a few more to add to the list:

Canon F-1, both original and New versions
Canon FTb
Canon EF
Canon A-series

Nikon F2, F3, FE-series, FM-series

Pentax KX, LX

Olympus OM-series

Minolta SRT-series, XD11

Contax -- various models. I have a 139 Quartz that shows some brassing.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Contax -- various models. I have a 139 Quartz that shows some brassing.


relatively new ones show brassing

but they are also sticky Smile


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
I think just about all camera makers made black enamel cameras, and most of them will show brassing with wear. Here's a few more to add to the list:

Canon F-1, both original and New versions
Canon FTb
Canon EF
Canon A-series

Nikon F2, F3, FE-series, FM-series

Pentax KX, LX

Olympus OM-series

Minolta SRT-series, XD11

Contax -- various models. I have a 139 Quartz that shows some brassing.


XD11 is my perfect camera so there I go and will post picture after
Tuzki with lens


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Airman wrote:



Ok I noticed that xe is also with brass. How about XD?


The Minolta XD (and Leica R4, R5 etc.) is made from a brittle die-cast zinc alloy that is plated in various base metals and finally chromed. Nikon FM-series are duralumin, and the OM-2000 is die-cast aluminium and finished with a compound alloy.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Teemō wrote:
Airman wrote:



Ok I noticed that xe is also with brass. How about XD?


The Minolta XD (and Leica R4, R5 etc.) is made from a brittle die-cast zinc alloy that is plated in various base metals and finally chromed. Nikon FM-series are duralumin, and the OM-2000 is die-cast aluminium and finished with a compound alloy.


WHAT?! I already scratched my beloved XD11!!!!!!!!

cooltouch?!


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
May be interesting for you: black enamel fully removed (not mine)
Laugh 1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20191317@N06/7352943804/sizes/m/


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ok so for sure XD7/XD11 do not have brass

My wife thought I'm crazy when I worked on my beloved Minolta Rolling Eyes


PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cheapest brass-body - OK, all of them are cheap these days, but -

Black body Sears TLS (Ricoh Singlex TLS) - those with the elegant "SR" in space age atomic style.

A great number were made in black, more I think than chrome.

However their paint doesn't come off that easily, or maybe they just weren't used that much, being consumer cameras.


PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I suppose it's worth pointing out, at this juncture, that not all black cameras are coated with painted enamel. I wasn't aware the XD11 was one of them, which makes me want a black one even more now.

I can address only one with certainty -- the Canon A-1. It will wear to the point that the black will wear through. But when this occurs, one sees a gray plastic and then a copper color -- or maybe it's copper then plastic? I don't recall specifically anymore. I sold my worn A-1s years ago. I have only one left and it's mint. Nonetheless, the A-1's top cover is not brass. Instead it is copper clad plastic.

Now as far as the rest of the A-series Canons go, I think the AE-1 has a traditional brass cover, but that the AE-1 program has a copper clad plastic cover, much as the A-1. The other A-series, I just don't know. I would suspect that the later ones are more like the A-1 and the earlier ones more like the AE-1.

I own a Minolta X-570 and it has some wear, but no evidence of brassing. So I suspect it has a plastic cover also. Which leads me to think that the X-700 and X-370 are similarly constructed.

And I'm afraid that's the extent of my knowledge on this subject.


PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's not brass but still quite ok



PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I bought this Olympus OM1 recently just because it was black and brassed, I already have a nearly mint silver one, but this black one just looked so good.





I have a black Yashica FX-D that's showing signs of wear, but it's a polycarbonate top plate and the 'brassing' is just the very thin layer of copper that is under the black chrome.
I thought my black Minolta XD-7 had a metal top plate, but Airman's picture shows otherwise. Mine is very good and has no wear.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I can say with absolute certainty that the Chinon CE-4 is polycarbonate, brass doesn't crack and break off in chunks like this!



PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
I suppose it's worth pointing out, at this juncture, that not all black cameras are coated with painted enamel. I wasn't aware the XD11 was one of them, which makes me want a black one even more now.



The black chrome was a Leica patent. Perhaps there were some other cameras from other brands using black chrome too, though I am not aware of them. Black chrome is usually electrolytically precipitated onto a nickel substratum. Regular chrome is usually copper->nickel->chrome onto the base metal.

cooltouch wrote:


I own a Minolta X-570 and it has some wear, but no evidence of brassing. So I suspect it has a plastic cover also. Which leads me to think that the X-700 and X-370 are similarly constructed.

And I'm afraid that's the extent of my knowledge on this subject.


They're all 'metallised' (at least the cameras in silver) plastic, the same as the XG series. A good quality finish. If you take them apart, the internal side is usually unfinished.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Teemō wrote:

The black chrome was a Leica patent. Perhaps there were some other cameras from other brands using black chrome too, though I am not aware of them. Black chrome is usually electrolytically precipitated onto a nickel substratum. Regular chrome is usually copper->nickel->chrome onto the base metal.


Oh, now I find that very interesting. I don't have any black chrome cameras, that I'm aware of at least, but I own two guitars with black chrome hardware:
Gibson SG Showcase Edition by Michael McBroom, on Flickr
Fender Squier Strat by Michael McBroom, on Flickr

So I own two guitars whose hardware look are the result of Leica patents. That's kinda cool.

Teemō wrote:
cooltouch wrote:

I own a Minolta X-570 and it has some wear, but no evidence of brassing. So I suspect it has a plastic cover also. Which leads me to think that the X-700 and X-370 are similarly constructed.


They're all 'metallised' (at least the cameras in silver) plastic, the same as the XG series. A good quality finish. If you take them apart, the internal side is usually unfinished.


Yeah, I figured as much. I don't see any reason why the black Minoltas will be much different. Probably not unlike the way Canon did it with their black A-series cameras -- copper-clad polycarbonate.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I assume my contax rts II would be brass,even though it's to new to check it out. Nikkormat i've got is definetely brass, also F3 but i have no clue about F photomic ,no scratches yet.....
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