patashnik Posted February 9, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) OK, I have slept (poorly) on this, but it isn't any clearer to me... I just bought a R9, and it came with a Leica Digital Module-R (DMR). Price? A joke, seriously. And it didn't fall of the back of a lorry, it was bought from a pro photo store in Norway, one that I have dealt with numerous times before. Oh, and a lens: The Elmarit-R 19mm f/2.8. So, any drawbacks? Yup. No charger, no R9 film back door, no box no manual. Luckily the battery came with a full charge, so I have tried it out. It actually produces images. I honestly had no clue as to the value of the DMR, as I really only have interest in film photography. Guess it is wrong of me to complain, right? But this thing is huge! And I'm really on the fence about what to do with it. Does anyone know if Leica still sells a R9 back door and chargers? I know that the batteries are a bag of hurt, but does that include the charger as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 Hi patashnik, Take a look here The Leica R9 w/DMR arrived.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stuny Posted February 9, 2011 Share #2 Posted February 9, 2011 The only current hope regarding batteries is rebuilding old ones, which involves installing new cells. Leica has struck a deal with a firm in Germany for that, and in eastern US, Michael Bass Designs rebuilds old batteries and produces external power sources (both plugged into the mains and with a large external battery). The connector on the charger is proprietary to Leica, so getting "new" chargers is quite unlikely. It is also unlikely that Leica still has any chargers on their shelves, but it would be worth contacting them. You might also want to contacft Leica dealers to see if they have any -- I was able to get another new, unused battery that way in December. Just about all of us DMR owners need more than one battery. Assuming you solve the power issue you have a terrific set-up with your R9/DMR and lovely 19mm lens (whose effective focal length on the DMR is about 26 mm due to the size of the sensor). If you search on People photos by Forum member Roguewave you'll see what that combination can do. Since getting my DMR five years ago I've never reinstalled the film back. If all else fails you can put your kit up for sale in the Classifieds section of the Forum. You will find immediate interest, and Forum members are more reliable than rolling the dice with eBay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
veraikon Posted February 9, 2011 Share #3 Posted February 9, 2011 unlikely. It is also unlikely that Leica still has any chargers on their shelves, but it would be worth contacting them. You might also want to contacft Leica dealers to see if they have any -- I was able to get another new, unused battery that way in December. Just about all of us DMR owners need more than one battery. Contact the CS in Solms or /and the dealer in Nürnberg (Nuremberg) to which they sold all their R-stuff in 2009. (Boris Jamtschik? SHPhoto Nürnberg ? as far as I remember.) and a lot of fun with your R9+ DMR ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
patashnik Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted February 9, 2011 The only current hope regarding batteries is rebuilding old ones, which involves installing new cells. Leica has struck a deal with a firm in Germany for that, and in eastern US, Michael Bass Designs rebuilds old batteries and produces external power sources (both plugged into the mains and with a large external battery). The connector on the charger is proprietary to Leica, so getting "new" chargers is quite unlikely. It is also unlikely that Leica still has any chargers on their shelves, but it would be worth contacting them. You might also want to contacft Leica dealers to see if they have any -- I was able to get another new, unused battery that way in December. Just about all of us DMR owners need more than one battery. Assuming you solve the power issue you have a terrific set-up with your R9/DMR and lovely 19mm lens (whose effective focal length on the DMR is about 26 mm due to the size of the sensor). If you search on People photos by Forum member Roguewave you'll see what that combination can do. Since getting my DMR five years ago I've never reinstalled the film back. If all else fails you can put your kit up for sale in the Classifieds section of the Forum. You will find immediate interest, and Forum members are more reliable than rolling the dice with eBay. Thanks! At the moment I have this feeling that this is waaaay too much camera for me, but I have to say that the files are looking mighty good - not at all like what I expected. eBay is the answer to a question no-one asked Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgang Esslinger Posted February 10, 2011 Share #5 Posted February 10, 2011 It looks like a short-lived relationship (see forum buy & sell section). 3000 Euro for a package which originally cost 11.400 Euro (in Germany, 2007). About 75% of value lost in 4-5 years(?), and this includes a lens! THAT really makes a point, not just about the rumoured interest in the DMR, but also about the chances of a digital R! Assuming of course, that the package is in good condition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted February 10, 2011 Share #6 Posted February 10, 2011 patashnik, congratulations are in order with the acquisition of your R9/DMR. Sounds like you got a steal of a deal. As to your questions. 1) Yes there are chargers out there on Ebay. I just bought a 3rd one. 2) Batteries - Stuart has outlined this & there are some still in the supply chain, you just need to track them down. I own 4 of them. 3) The R19 is an amazing lens. One of my favorites. The best R lens is the Summilux 80. Get one if you can. 4) Finding a film door for the R9 - I'd check with some of the Leica trained folks that do repair work, like DAG in Wisconsin and others. BTW, the cool thing about the R9/R8 is that they are amazing film cameras. I own 3 R8's. Best SLR film camera I have ever had the pleasure to fondle. Give yourself some time with the kit. I know it seems big & heavy, but it really is very well balanced and the images & files are just amazing. First thing to purchase is a really comfortable pro strap/ I use the OP/TECH, wide which makes the load of the camera around my neck/shoulder a breeze. Not expensive & worth it's weight in gold. Make sure you use excellent SD cards. I found the Trascend 4GB cards to be the best. Fast, reliable & I've never had one fail. There pretty cheap now, if you can find them. Shoot at ISO 100 whenever possible. You get the best data files. Buy fast lenses when you can. The 80 Lux. & 35Lux are just out of this world. Give your self an opportunity to get to know this kit. It is the best digital SLR I have ever used. Don't be fooled, this camera & back are still the leaders in image quality. Enjoy & feel free to ask as many questions to the folks that use the DMR as their principal tool. Good Luck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
patashnik Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted February 10, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Aaaaargh! This is driving me insane. But I had a buyer back out, and have ceised the moment and deleted the ad. You are all right: If I sell this now, I will never get the chance to shoot with it again. And besides, if I'm gonna sell it, I might as well use it and learn it. I really don't want to be the village idiot that's selling off Grandpa's camera that was found in the closet seven years after he died. So, it seems to be staying with me for a while. And the worst part is waiting for the charger and battery. But hey, suddenly the saying "read the manual while charging the battery" makes sense So, what have I learned? Mirror lock-up is the coolest thing ever. First I thought there was something wrong with it, but then I got to the right page in the manual (doh!). The wrist strap attached is a necessity, and it helps with the weight. Ergonomically, this feels better than any other camera I have ever held. I was actually operating the camera like it was a long lost friend. But the drawback really is the focusing, I find it very hard to do (at least on the 19mm Elmarit-R). I will have to look into the other options out there. But in the few in-focus photos I managed to squeeze out I see something that I haven't seen in any other camera I've tried, no matter the number of megapixels: It almost feels like film, if that makes sense. I see the limitations of the 10MP sensor, but on the other hand it doesn't fall apart when I zoom in. Hard to be clearer about it at this point. So, thank you all. I really do appreciate the support (and taunts ). Now, here's hoping for a collapse in the DMR market. At least that would make it easier to hold on to. I guess it's stuff like this that make the young people out there blog. Now there's an idea: "Living with ten megapixels" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted February 10, 2011 Share #8 Posted February 10, 2011 But the drawback really is the focusing, I find it very hard to do (at least on the Elmarit-R 19 mm). Wide-angle lenses are notoriously hard to focus on a focusing screen. With standard lenses and telephoto lenses it's easier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted February 10, 2011 Share #9 Posted February 10, 2011 BTW, there are several focus screen options available. First, do you have the screen that has the Black lines, indicating the crop? Also, all the DMR & R8/R9 PDF's are available for download from Leica's website & in other places. Very useful to have on hand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
topoxforddoc Posted February 10, 2011 Share #10 Posted February 10, 2011 Patashnik, I may well have a spare R9 film back. I had one of my DMRs stolen a few years ago, so I've still got the film back somewhere. Email me off list at topoxforddoc@btinternet.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyj Posted February 14, 2011 Share #11 Posted February 14, 2011 Patashnik, I have the R9/DMR and 21-35 Zoom. Go to www.brightscreen.com and look for their screen magnifier for the Leica R8/R9. It helps when focusing the wide angle lenses. Use the viewfinder screen with the crop marks. I agree with others; you can't get a better digital camera then an R8/R9 and DMR. I have an R8 and R9 and a DMR on both. I'm looking for another R9. People that use them tend to hoard this combo. Enjoy your good fortune. JohnnyJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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