Which is better, Leica M lens silver or black?

The silver and black of Leica lenses are divided into two stages.

Generally, before the 1960s, most of Leica's lenses were silver, and only a few were black lenses, so the price of black lenses was much higher than that of silver at this time. For example, the rigid lens, the silver version with good color costs 8000 yuan, but the black version costs at least 50000 yuan. The silver M35/2 Eight Sisters sell a brand new one, and the black M35/2 Eight Sisters can't buy it without hundreds of thousands. However, since 1970s, Leica has started to produce a large number of black lenses, while a few silver lenses are just the opposite. Therefore, since 1970s, the price of silver Leica lens is higher than that of black. For example, the new black version M35/2A is about 1W5, while the silver version needs at least 2W.

As far as old lenses are concerned, silver and black are the same, including brass, except that silver is chrome-plated and galvanized, and black is directly baked with a layer of black paint. In addition, the number of black lenses is scarce, which is easy to expose copper and the price is extremely high. The performance and material of the two lenses are the same.

Since the 1970s, there is no optical difference between black and silver, but there is a difference in material. Silver is made of pure brass, with strong texture, good feel and heavy weight. Generally introduced as limited edition and high edition. Black lenses are mostly made of alloy, with average texture, average feel and light weight, which is a typical practice of Leica's commercial operation to reduce costs.