The post is a couple of years old, but I can't stop looking at Ritchie Roesch's hand-distressed but otherwise brand-new Fujifilm camera. Other photographers he talked to think he's bonkers, but Roesch explains himself very well, I think. He did a good job of it and if we're being honest with ourselves we all know he could sell the result for a profit. Roesch points to this Leica short-run, co-branded with singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz.
There are collectors who will pay top dollar for certain models of vintage Leica cameras that are worn but functional. I discovered that sometimes these cameras are worth more beat up than in near-mint condition, and the more worn-looking the better.
Some interior decorators will dig through flea markets, estate sales and antique stores for old film cameras that appear well-used and worn. These cameras look interesting displayed on shelves and such. I found a couple of people who claim, if they can't find a camera that looks worn enough, that they will add some distressing to make the cameras more visually interesting.
A few years ago I posted about the sweatshops where denim is formulaically distressed (they're now using laser machines to burn in the fake fades) and can't help but imagine assembly-lines of $1,500 mirrorless cameras all with the same uncannily identical scrapes and scratches. I hope Fujifilm doesn't get any ideas.
