Leica R9 - What is the camera REALLY like?

[batmobile]

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Hi,

 

I have not seen any really decent reviews of this camera and am left wondering whether it was a real dog, or actually a very good camera. At 100g lighter than the R8, it is the same weight as an EOS3, but a little more compact, but still large for a manual SLR.

 

Can anyone who has used this camera seriously in the field comment on what it is like? I have seen comments on its surprisingly good ergonomics when up to the eye, but is this real? Its seriously expensive compared to a Nikon FM2n/3a.

 

I have been thinking about a manual SLR for certain uses,but being used to the Leica M, Nikkor lenses focus in the wrong direction and that is a show stopper.

 

• Are they reliable?
  
• Are they intuitive to use?
  
• Is the finder really as good as has been suggested?
  
• Whats the shutter noise like? (say compared to an Eos 3/1n/v or Nikon FM2/3?
  
• What's battery life like?
  

 

I have a few Eos 3s and may just stick with these, but there are reasons why the R9 might just have some appeal.

 

Any help would be greatkly appreciated; however, at first glance it appears that few are out there!

[stunsworth]

I've only ever used the R8, but the body shell is more or less identical to the R9.

 

Handling is excellent. It's a very good ergonomic design. It looks bulky, but in use everything is to hand and it handles very well. The viewfinder is clear and bright. Subjects seem to pop into focus.

 

Shutter isn't that loud for an SLR IMHO, though I've nothing to compare it to directly.

 

The R8s are a steal at the moment - mind you, so are most film cameras - the R9 less so.

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[batmobile]

I noted that Olympus cameras focus in the same direction as my Leicas but the lenses are perhaps not so well regarded. There also seem to be quite a few reports of the cameras persistently having mechanical failures. If only Nikon cameras focused the right way round a FM2n would be the simple choice.

 

3 cam lenses don't seem to be outrageously expensive either...

[stunsworth]

3 cam lenses are a bargain given their optical quality.

[Sandokan]

I love my R9 and even more so with the DMR. So much so, that I am looking for a 2nd R9 to use solely for film with my lenses.

 

The ergonomics.

The screen and the way it pops into focus with lenses like the 80-200 and 60 Elmarit and 35 Summilux (although the latter is very large).

The quiet smooth shutter (my B-i-L prefers the sound to his EOS3).

Most of all - it exudes gravitas

 

Ravi

[holgerf]

If you like a certain minimalistic concept leading to good ergonomics, if you like to have excellent lenses, if you don’t need bells and whistles - go to the R9, it’s a bargain right now. More of my opinions inline below:

 

Hi,

 

I have not seen any really decent reviews of this camera and am left wondering whether it was a real dog, or actually a very good camera. At 100g lighter than the R8, it is the same weight as an EOS3, but a little more compact, but still large for a manual SLR.

Looks larger than it actually feels in your hand.

 

Can anyone who has used this camera seriously in the field comment on what it is like? I have seen comments on its surprisingly good ergonomics when up to the eye, but is this real? Its seriously expensive compared to a Nikon FM2n/3a.

Ergonomic is very good. Can’t compare with Nikon but with all the Canons of decades.

 

I have been thinking about a manual SLR for certain uses,but being used to the Leica M, Nikkor lenses focus in the wrong direction and that is a show stopper.

 

• Are they reliable?
  
  I was told that the R8 had some trouble with electronic problems, being solved with the R9.

  
  

• Are they intuitive to use?
  
  Yes.

  
  

• Is the finder really as good as has been suggested?
  
  It’s even a bit better than the EOS 1v which already is very good IMHO.

  
  

• Whats the shutter noise like? (say compared to an Eos 3/1n/v or Nikon FM2/3?
  
  Compared with the Canons I don’t know in absolute terms but the noise is very Leica-like smooth and not annoying.

  
  

• What's battery life like?
  
  Don’t know

  .
  

 

I have a few Eos 3s and may just stick with these, but there are reasons why the R9 might just have some appeal.

 

Any help would be greatkly appreciated; however, at first glance it appears that few are out there!

[giordano]

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I have been thinking about a manual SLR for certain uses,but being used to the Leica M, Nikkor lenses focus in the wrong direction and that is a show stopper.

 

I thought that 30 years ago but ended up getting a Nikon because Leicaflex lenses were too expensive for me and I just didn't like the Canon F1. In fact it was surprisingly easy to adjust to the different directions. It's not just me: remember all the '60s PJs who routinely worked with a couple of Leicas plus a Nikon F for longer lenses.

 

That said, I'm not knocking the R series.

[wizard]

I second all of the above. Having used the R9 for three years now, it has never let me down and the results I get are second to none. I do not know exactly why, but the shots taken with this camera and associated lenses (19mm, 28-90mm, 180mm) are most likely the sharpest I have ever obtained in more than 35 years of photography. It's a great camera. Battery life is nothing to worry about, I am still on my first set (I do use other cameras beside the R9, too, though).

 

Andy

[topoxforddoc]

I've used both a R8 and R9. I've used them with film and the DMR. Like the others have said, the apparent bulk is deceiving. When it's in your hand, it somehow feels right. The shutter speed dial and metering selector are all useable whilst having your finger near the shutter button. Construction is solid and hefty. The lenses are every bit as good as their M counterparts. It's very intuitive to use and you don't need to read the manual to use it (I never did!).

 

Charlie

[cpclee]

In a word, awesome. The camera looks larger and heavier than it really is. Balances really well in your hands and gives you a very nice grip when you have longer/heavier lenses mounted. Completely ergonomic and intuitive to use. Feels like a sculpture in your hands.

[batmobile]

well this is encouraging....

 

Thanks to all who have commented thus far! Comments on lenses would also be appreciated. I am particularly interested in portrait lenses that won't break the bank.

[stunsworth]

The lenses work well. This is from a cheap 180mm f4 lens, taken on a Canon 5D. Full frame and 100% crop - without any sharpening or adjustments...

 

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[jpattison]

The R9 had a new top plate making the camera lighter; a lock on the mode selector, and a window showing the frame number on the top. Otherwise it is an R8. Should really have been called an R8.2.

 

My R8 feels even more balanced now I have the motor winder attached.

R lenses are very cheap at the moment, 3 cam lenses fit, but try and find R only and ROM ones, they are the most recently made. (ROM lenses will not fit onto older Leicaflex, SL or SL2 bodies, which you might get tempted by...?)

 

John

Edited June 17, 2009 by jpattison

[kenneth]

I've only ever used the R8, but the body shell is more or less identical to the R9.

 

Handling is excellent. It's a very good ergonomic design. It looks bulky, but in use everything is to hand and it handles very well. The viewfinder is clear and bright. Subjects seem to pop into focus.

 

Shutter isn't that loud for an SLR IMHO, though I've nothing to compare it to directly.

 

The R8s are a steal at the moment - mind you, so are most film cameras - the R9 less so.

 

I would second that but I would be a little concerned about the amount of electronics on board it and it's total reliance on batteries. But as Steve says the R8's are a steel at present if that is your thing.

 

I had an R3 MOT many years ago. As SLR's go it was a terrific camera also not as complex as the R8 but uses the same lenses which are also very well priced now

[masjah]

The R9 had a new top plate making the camera lighter; a lock on the mode selector, and a window showing the frame number on the top. Otherwise it is an R8. Should really have been called an R8.2.

 

My R8 feels even more balanced now I have the motor winder attached.

R lenses are very cheap at the moment, 3 cam lenses fit, but try and find R only and ROM ones, they are the most recently made. (ROM lenses will not fit onto older Leicaflex, SL or SL2 bodies, which you might get tempted by...?)

 

John

 

In addition the R9 supports high speed flash synchronisation (albeit in a fairly rudimentary way). The R8 is limited to a maximum synch speed of 1/250s.

 

I agree with everything everyone has said about the nice way these two cameras actually sit in the hands, and are so intuitive to use.

[Jamie Roberts]

The R9 is wonderful. These days I use it primarily with the DMR, but it's a great film body. I agree with everything else people said about handling, but I want to single out the viewfinder, which I think is among the best of SLRs.

 

The lenses are among my favourite lenses of all.

 

Try getting a recent 50 R Lux--that's one of the best lenses Leica has ever made, one of my favourites among R and M lensnes, and it's perfect on the film body.

 

I also love the 100 APO macro and the 180 R Elmarit 2.8 ASPH. Just fabulous longer lenses!

[rob_x2004]

Ergonomically it is a dog.

The strup lugs come out from between your fingers breaking your grip and a bit of a tangle you have to think how you are going to hold the camera when you pick it up.

Shutter release is high on the top and opens your hand rather than allowing a good grip.

Most people claiming "ergonomic fit" are using it with a DMR or winder that has a separate shutter release or two and a hand strap.

Shutter speeds are around the shutter release so the old two finger in full manual isnt as intuitive as with an M.

The viewfinder isnt as high as you might think, it is low and central. If you are a two eye open sort of person you will be staring into the back of the camera, you might as well be cyclops. If you manually wind on while keeping the viewfinder up to eye you will wind on against your forehead.

The shutter release button is out of the thirties, with a lot of notches filed into it for the detents and it will change in character with dust, humidity, and temperature, which can be from loose, smooth, notchy, to a mind of its own completely independent of how you press it, and this can be variable through the day as the camera warms and cools. It can be impossible to find the exposure lock, and a number of times I found the situaltion debilitating, figuring the camera had died and gone to heaven. Very frustrating.

The body shell has plenty of vertical slots not weather sealed.

Internally the body will channel water into the inside of the viewfinder, and the LCD on the back, the onle on the top seems to get it too.

Recessed dials in the sloping top plate, are in effect little swimming pools that hold and channel water, probably down into the case. But they look fast or something.

When new out of box the multiple exposure slide which is right below your shooting finger is so easily engaged that if you are the sort of person who turns camera orientation quickly from portrait to landscape without taking your hand off the shutter release and as you look through the viewfinder you will have to tape it in position untill it gums up a bit and is harder to shift. This is ... really really annoying.

Probably not all that robust, I've never dropped one but there is plenty of plastic in the construction.

The internal clearances between the shutter mechanism and the tripod socket may have been improved??? Andy had his R8 shell twisted and the shutter jammed because of some abuse of the tripod socket. Certainly the socket is deeper than the R8.

If your contacts are dirty, the camera can be rendered useless. It can be as simple as a dirty ISO reader, but if the iso isnt set the program is hung up and all you have is a blinking camera awaiting input so it can start up. Never travel without cotton buds.

Electronically it seems to be pretty robust. It dries out fine providing you do all the usual.

Batteries seem to go on forever which to me implies there is something fundamentally right electronically, and with the battery compartment well protected inside the grip.

It has the R lens bayonet, which is the only real reason to buy it.

Flash and metering was upgraded from the 8 and the flash (synch speed doubled?), high speed synch, and apparently what you can do with flash is pretty impresive.

Viewfinder is pretty bright and clear, and appears a step up from the 4-6

Viewfinder display is pretty good, but I would take a matchneedle any day.

Been called the greatest studio 35 ever built by man.

The standard Leica camera strap is the greatest strap ever made by man.

Not in the EOS1v class outside by a long stalk.

For the price of the thngs these days, or if you have a DMR sitting around, I would think the R9 is a fabulous bet, and you would have a good time of it, unless the size weight bothers you then you have the 6.2

[JBA]

I use an R8 with motor drive and like far more about it than I dislike.

 

The detentes in the shutter release are a bit delicate and take some getting used to. I haven't had nearly the trouble Rob has had, but also obviously haven't shot under the variety of conditions he has.

 

I like the ergonomics, particularly with the motor. Without it, the camera somehow felt truncated.

[K Davis]

I've had mine for 5 years, I've put hundreds of films through it. It is a pleasure to use particularly with telephoto lenses, metering is excellent with an easy override system and switching between Spot, Matrix and Centre weighted is very quick. The camera gets used alongside M's of all sorts, M7's, MP's M6's and M3's and 4's and seems to fit seemlessly with them.

It has never let me down, The only thing I find difficult is getting the battery cover off the body.

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[stunsworth]

The internal clearances between the shutter mechanism and the tripod socket may have been improved??? Andy had his R8 shell twisted and the shutter jammed because of some abuse of the tripod socket. Certainly the socket is deeper than the R8.

 

In fairness the Leica that was due to the tripod bush being longer than the ISO standard. From memory the tripod manufacturer paid for the repair and gave him a new tripod head.