Has anyone painted their camera themselves?

gone · Jun 4, 2021

I'd like to buy a black Nikon FG to shoot my one Leica R lens, but the prices are just crazy. A working silver one can be found for half the price, so you can see where I'm going w/ this. I have acrylic paints, and since these are plastic bodies (around a metal frame, I think) ,I figured that a plastic sort of paint might work. Would this just flake off even after roughing up the old surface w/ sandpaper or steel wool? Maybe put a coat of clear over the paint to try and protect it? If it has to be painted, I have this crazy idea to paint it like a Grateful Dead T-shirt.

logan2z · Jun 4, 2021

I don't know what your paint and mechanical skills are like, but I'm sure if I tried this I'd make a huge mess of the camera and it would never go back together properly again. If it were me, I'd just buy a silver one and call it a day.

BobD · Jun 4, 2021

Get an EM body. They're all black.

gone · Jun 4, 2021

I had an EM, but I'd like a little more control over the exposures. If this were a Nikkormat or something, silver is good. But the silver plastic Nikon cameras look like plastic. Unlike the Canons of that era, which had copper plated plastic bodies, and for all intents and purposes they look and feel like metal cameras. Unfortunately, the Leica R lens will not go on a Canon FD body even w/ an adapter.

4season · Jun 4, 2021

Before you do anything, remove the covers and see if the underlying plastic is already black, and if so, maybe you only need to dissolve the silver paint with DOT-3 automotive brake fluid.

BTW, pretty sure you need to modify that Leica lens before it'll mount and focus to infinity on a Nikon body. Canon EOS is an easier platform for Leica R glass, as you only need a regular adapter.

BobD · Jun 4, 2021

N2000?

gone · Jun 4, 2021

I have a Leitax adapter for the lens 4season. Actually, it's more accurate to call it a lens mount. The Nikon mount is removed, and the Nikon F mount installs in it's place. The lens hits infinity just like a Nikon lens. I've been shooting R lenses on Nikons for many years. Unfortunately, I don't think think a N2000 will meter w/ a non Nikkor lens, or even some of the Nikon lenses. A shame too, because I like the n2000. The FG cameras will meter in A and P modes w/ any lens you can screw on it. Might meter on M too, but not sure about that.

The only thing to do is buy a silver one and just paint it. Might use my N70 as a test model.

CMoore · Jun 4, 2021

So it is plastic with Silver paint.?
There are excellent paints in spray cans these days, that will stick Very Well to plastic.
I guess you are talking about the top and bottom cover.?

I would probably try to get the silver paint off.
Maybe lacquer thinner or acetone.
Then clean and scuff the covers for a black spray paint.

gone · Jun 4, 2021

I suspect that the silver is molded into the plastic? Could be wrong, I never had a plastic silver camera before. All of my silver cameras were all metal, like the Nikkormats, except for the AE-1's w/ their special metal coating under the paint.

Paul Howell · Jun 4, 2021

Assuming that you are looking for particular look, otherwise Henri Cartier-Bresson tapes his sliver Leica's with black tape. For paint, you might want a can of the spray paint used to paint car bumpers, my guess flat black will be easy to find.

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gone · Jun 4, 2021

Thanks for the comprehensive list Paul. Plastic bumper paint. Who knew? For sure flat black would be the way to go. I've painted dashboards in old cars w/ flat black paint out of a spray can (lots of finicky taping involved), then went over that w/ wax and rubbed it to a nice satin sheen.

gone · Jun 4, 2021

I have a dresser that has an undercoat of Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Color spray paint on it. That paint gave me fits, so be careful of it. I could never get it to dry w/o getting a lot of orange peel, and sanding just made it worse. After many hours of working to make the values consistent across the whole of the piece, I finally gave up and painted over it w/ flat black acrylic. 30 minutes later, the 2 coats had dried and it was nice and smooth.

Paul Howell · Jun 5, 2021

There are few sites with the steps how to paint a bumper, not complicated, sand with very fine grit sandpaper, use a primer, top coat and clear coat. If you want flat black I would use a couple of coats of bumper paint.

gone · Jun 5, 2021

Well, I finally found a silver one that the seller had actually tested and found to be working right. So many of the other FG cameras, and there were a lot of them, were listed w/ their condition simply stated as "Used". That's not much of a clue as to the camera's condition. It also appears that these cameras have a copper coating under their paint like the Canon AE-1's. I had forgotten that the black FG's brass at the edges.

These are reasonably proficient cameras, and have a lot of functions within a tiny SLR package. Only the film advance lever feels Mickey Mouse, but I guess Nikon had to double-joint it in order to fit the small top area of the camera. I'm going to paint the whole thing flat black, give it a coat of clear or wax, and initially just paint the back door in a Grateful Dead T-shirt style and see how it comes out. Maybe paint it white first, then float some diluted acrylic washes on it in different tie dye colors.

runswithsizzers · Jun 5, 2021

momus said:
Well, I finally found a silver one that the seller had actually tested and found to be working right. So many of the other FG cameras, and there were a lot of them, were listed w/ their condition simply stated as "Used". That's not much of a clue as to the camera's condition.[...]

If you are looking on eBay, read the <official eBay definition> of "used" and you will see that items listed as Used should be "fully operational and functions as intended."

Many eBay sellers are listing items as "Used, when the condition really should be listed as, "For parts or not working."

Paul Howell · Jun 5, 2021

When I ordered a F3P from a shop in London I also ordered an FA as a second body, paid cash in advance. I was on assignment for a month or so, when I got found that the shop had sold my FA to a shooter for the Times, I was mad. The shop owner was called, he let have me a FG with motor drive, not the winder the drive and TTL flash at his price. My intention was to shoot the FG for a few months and next back in the states get a FA or FE. Turned out I really like the FG. Not pro build, but a very nice light camera, the TTL flash worked really well when close up, the motor drive 3.5 was good enough for most situations. Mine was a black, it came in a big yellow metal case with Nikon in big black letters. Never took the case out, no need to shout, steal my cameras. My son still has the FG and few lens, I have the case, just the right size for my Graphic Crown and a half dozen 4X5 holders.

Chan Tran · Jun 5, 2021

momus said:
I'd like to buy a black Nikon FG to shoot my one Leica R lens, but the prices are just crazy. A working silver one can be found for half the price, so you can see where I'm going w/ this. I have acrylic paints, and since these are plastic bodies (around a metal frame, I think) ,I figured that a plastic sort of paint might work. Would this just flake off even after roughing up the old surface w/ sandpaper or steel wool? Maybe put a coat of clear over the paint to try and protect it? If it has to be painted, I have this crazy idea to paint it like a Grateful Dead T-shirt.

If you are crazy enough to attempt painting the camera then the price of the black one is well worth it. If I were you I just get the silver one and use it like that.

Huss · Jun 5, 2021

How come the N2000 doesn't work with Leitax mount lenses? I don't see it to be different than my other F mount cameras until they got AF.

BobD · Jun 5, 2021

Huss said:
How come the N2000 doesn't work with Leitax mount lenses? I don't see it to be different than my other F mount cameras until they got AF.

Ditto

gone · Jun 9, 2021

The FG camera arrived and it looks like new, but that's probably because it arrived DOA. I tried everything to get it to wake up, but it's dead. The seller refunded my money and suggested that I throw it in the trash. Actually, I'm glad it worked out this way, because the film advance on these cameras is a real POS. I remembered that it was pretty bad, but was unprepared for how bad it really is. Feels like a very cheap toy, and makes all sorts of clattery noises just cocking the shutter. Nothing wrong w/ it, that's just how it is. My Leicaflex cameras just laughed and snickered when they saw it.

Time to search for another camera to paint. I have an N8008s coming to shoot the Leicaflex lens w/ an adapter, so I suppose I could paint it, but it's already black.

Huss · Jun 9, 2021

Paul Howell said:
.. Turned out I really like the FG. .. it came in a big yellow metal case with Nikon in big black letters. Never took the case out, no need to shout, steal my cameras. ...

We're still talking about a Nikon FG?

Huss · Jun 9, 2021

momus said:
The FG camera arrived and it looks like new, but that's probably because it arrived DOA. I tried everything to get it to wake up, but it's dead. The seller refunded my money and suggested that I throw it in the trash. Actually, I'm glad it worked out this way, because the film advance on these cameras is a real POS. I remembered that it was pretty bad, but was unprepared for how bad it really is. Feels like a very cheap toy, and makes all sorts of clattery noises just cocking the shutter. Nothing wrong w/ it, that's just how it is. My Leicaflex cameras just laughed and snickered when they saw it.

Time to search for another camera to paint. I have an N8008s coming to shoot the Leicaflex lens w/ an adapter, so I suppose I could paint it, but it's already black.

I gotsta ask... why if you have a Leicaflex do you want to Leitax a Leica lens and use it on a Nikon?
I did that to one of my lenses because at the time I did not realize that you lose auto aperture control. It turns it into a manual aperture stop down lens, and makes the whole taking picture process very clunky.
I converted it back to Leica mount, and it lives happily ever after taking pics with Leica bodies.

MFstooges · Jun 14, 2021

Huss said:
I gotsta ask... why if you have a Leicaflex do you want to Leitax a Leica lens and use it on a Nikon?
I did that to one of my lenses because at the time I did not realize that you lose auto aperture control. It turns it into a manual aperture stop down lens, and makes the whole taking picture process very clunky.
I converted it back to Leica mount, and it lives happily ever after taking pics with Leica bodies.

He has the lens only.

MFstooges · Jun 14, 2021

momus said:
The FG camera arrived and it looks like new, but that's probably because it arrived DOA. I tried everything to get it to wake up, but it's dead. The seller refunded my money and suggested that I throw it in the trash. Actually, I'm glad it worked out this way, because the film advance on these cameras is a real POS. I remembered that it was pretty bad, but was unprepared for how bad it really is. Feels like a very cheap toy, and makes all sorts of clattery noises just cocking the shutter. Nothing wrong w/ it, that's just how it is. My Leicaflex cameras just laughed and snickered when they saw it.

Time to search for another camera to paint. I have an N8008s coming to shoot the Leicaflex lens w/ an adapter, so I suppose I could paint it, but it's already black.

Why don't you get the FM10? It's made by Cosina but should be pretty dependable since it's mechanical. And if you paint it black you are the 2nd only person who have it

Greg Kriss · Jun 14, 2021

I did it once with an airbrush, but because I couldn't bake on the paint it wore off quickly with use.

Has anyone painted their camera themselves?

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