Preference of camera metal

cliveh · Apr 1, 2013

My Leica II is made from Nickel and I think the metal on the lens is also of the same material. I find the finish/soft colour of the metal and its weight one of the most endearing properties of this camera. Were any other cameras manufactured from Nickel? I have heard some people have an allergy to this metal, so it may have a down side.

AgX · Apr 1, 2013

I don't know of any camera made from nickel, but well from nickel-galvanized brass.

Ian Grant · Apr 1, 2013

My Leica's are made of Brass, that's why they suffer from "Brassing".

Ian

jstout · Apr 1, 2013

cliveh said:
My Leica II is made from Nickel and I think the metal on the lens is also of the same material. I find the finish/soft colour of the metal and its weight one of the most endearing properties of this camera. Were any other cameras manufactured from Nickel? I have heard some people have an allergy to this metal, so it may have a down side.

Nickel and chrome are used for plating things. Nickel has a nice warm appearance compared to chrome.

cliveh · Apr 1, 2013

jstout said:
Nickel and chrome are used for plating things. Nickel has a nice warm appearance compared to chrome.

Sorry, then plated and not made from, but it has a beautiful finish.

tony lockerbie · Apr 1, 2013

Yes, it was just used as a coating and most often found on the bright parts before the widespread use of chrome. Nickel has a lovely warm tone and not as shiny as chrome, and seemed to be used until the second world war. I just bought one of those new CV Heliars (yes I know, I know) for my Leicas that is finished in Nickel to give that "retro" look. Must admit that like Titanium it has a very nice look.

Yashinoff · Apr 1, 2013

Chrome took over in the 1930s, it has a cooler tint than nickel. I don't really know that I prefer one over the other though. Chrome is much harder wearing than nickel though, and generally doesn't go dull, which is why car manufacturers switched to chrome faster than pretty much anybody else.

On the subject of chrome, I don't think anybody did chrome as well as Exakta did. I love the softer/smoother finish Exaktas have compared to other cameras.

Cold · Apr 1, 2013

Though maybe not for cameras, nickel was/is also used as an alloying metal along with copper and zinc to make what's known as nickel silver, most often used for small items similar to camera bodies. Again, not saying that it was, in fact, used as a camera body, just another possibilityfor nickel to have found it's way into a camera.

Newt_on_Swings · Apr 1, 2013

I'm slightly allergic to nickel so I have to give it up to titanium as the coolest metal. Even though it's been around for awhile, and there have been big advances in aluminum and magnesium and all their alloys, titanium still stands out. It has a nice look to the bare metal that gives it a softer appearance if that's the right term. Whenever I hear it, I think of space age materials, stealth jets, and race cars. It was supposed to be the material of today!!! What happened?!

JLP · Apr 1, 2013

My 1936 Leica Standard type E in black have nickel hardware and a nickel 50 3.5 Elmar. Looks very nice against the black body.

Tony, i have one of those Nickel Heliars too, (50 2.0) beautiful little lens.

GRHazelton · Apr 2, 2013

Newt_on_Swings said:
I'm slightly allergic to nickel so I have to give it up to titanium as the coolest metal. Even though it's been around for awhile, and there have been big advances in aluminum and magnesium and all their alloys, titanium still stands out. It has a nice look to the bare metal that gives it a softer appearance if that's the right term. Whenever I hear it, I think of space age materials, stealth jets, and race cars. It was supposed to be the material of today!!! What happened?!

Expense, and manufacturing difficulties. Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

Les Sarile · Apr 2, 2013

Make mine gold . . .

benjiboy · Apr 2, 2013

GRHazelton said:
Expense, and manufacturing difficulties. Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

What happened is Titanium is as light as Aluminium, as strong as Steel but is as expensive as Silver.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 2, 2013

benjiboy said:
What happened is Titanium is as light as Aluminium, as strong as Steel but is as expensive as Silver.

Yes, nobody has yet discovered a way to get metals to live up to advertising hyperbole. Sad, isn't it?

benjiboy · Apr 2, 2013

E. von Hoegh said:
Yes, nobody has yet discovered a way to get metals to live up to advertising hyperbole. Sad, isn't it?

I'm vey familiar with Titanium, I used to be an engineer with a company that made some of turbine blades for Rolls Royce jet engines with it, and I still have a ring I made for myself out of it.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 2, 2013

benjiboy said:
I'm vey familiar with Titanium, I used to be an engineer with a company that made some of turbine blades for Rolls Royce jet engines with it, and I still have a ring I made for myself out of it.

I have a passing acquaintance as well, I've used it to make connecting rods in miniature engines. The strength/weight ratio allows the rod to be made lighter thus reducing vibration, there is no way to properly balance a one cylinder engine. It needs a bronze bushing to wear well, and machining requires a light cut, fairly high surface speed, and plenty of coolant.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 2, 2013

cliveh said:
My Leica II is made from Nickel and I think the metal on the lens is also of the same material. I find the finish/soft colour of the metal and its weight one of the most endearing properties of this camera. Were any other cameras manufactured from Nickel? I have heard some people have an allergy to this metal, so it may have a down side.

It should be clarified: cameras are made of an aluminium alloy casting, many parts of various materials such as steel, brass, plastic, etc; and are covered with brass covers which are either painted (usually black) or electroplated with either chrome , nickel, "black chrome" or, if you're an aspiring pimp, gold.

The metal you see when you look at the camera's top and bottom plates, (or a lens barrel), is an electroplated (or anodised) layer.

The Old Pharaoh · Apr 3, 2013

I think metal camera bodies are made of magnesium alloy.

Gerald C Koch · Apr 3, 2013

Some of the nice things about brass.

o easy to machine
o does not rust or corrode
o strong
o dimensionally stable
o brass on brass threads will not seize

E. von Hoegh · Apr 3, 2013

The Old Pharaoh said:
I think metal camera bodies are made of magnesium alloy.

Some undoubtedly are. Many are aluminium alloy. Some were cheaper metals/materials.

The Old Pharaoh · Apr 3, 2013

Nikon bodies are made from magnesium alloy. The same goes for their new digital ones. As for other manufacturers, I am not quite sure.

The Old Pharaoh · Apr 3, 2013

Here is a link for the d300 http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d300/quality/page5.htm . The same goes for Leica and here is the link for the M9 http://uk.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/m9/ if you like to check it out.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 3, 2013

The Old Pharaoh said:
Nikon bodies are made from magnesium alloy. The same goes for their new digital ones. As for other manufacturers, I am not quite sure.

I think, if you do some research, you'll find aluminium alloy is the leader... Start with the metal-body large and medium format cameras from the mid-to-late 30s, work your way up to the present day.
BTW, aren't the Leica M9 and the Nikon d300 digital cameras?

The Old Pharaoh · Apr 3, 2013

Yes, sir, they are indeed digital but I only included them from a quick search. As for the Nikons, you will find that F3, FM2 and FM2n are all magnesium alloy. Zeiss too uses magnesium and this is not digital, I guess. I don't disagree with you that probably some use alumium, but there are some books on cameras that confuse magnesium-aluminium alloy for an aluminium alloy. It is mainly magnesium with aluminium added to it in small quantities not the other way round.

I am afraid I will have to leave it here because an additional post with a few more brands was blocked for some reason or another. Perhaps because I gave an example of brands that are not approved of.

I don't think I will be posting anything else in the near future. I will return to being just a reader as I have been in the past.

Les Sarile · Apr 3, 2013

From the manuals/brochures of what I have:

Asahi Pentax (original) - die cast aluminum
Olympus OM4T - Titanium
Pentax LX - molded aluminum alloy
Nikon FM3A - Copper, silumin aluminum alloy construction chassis and metal outer body

Preference of camera metal

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