Sileem Posted August 15, 2011 Share #1 Posted August 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi In my opinion Leica R9 / R8 are the most beautiful 35mm film SLR's ever. Why R9/R8 owners haven't made video reviews about the camera? There are many reviews of M series but no R. So i ask, was the R for you disappointment and you would recommend M for me? That's the closest i have seen R body on video. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamey Posted August 15, 2011 Share #2 Posted August 15, 2011 I have both the 8 and 9 and just love them, also have an M7 but frankly the M's are not in the same class as the R8/9. It's like comparing my R8/9..... HONDA ACCORD and the M7 to a Volkswagon beatle Lol. Ken. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted August 15, 2011 How is the durability of the R9, will it last longer or less compared to M7? hamey Could you make short HD video demo of the R9 ? * Viewfinder closeup * Shutter sound * Opening battery compartment how sturdy is the connection between the 2 parts (the crack on the bottom of the camera). * Opening film chamber door, how the door hinge holds and sounds. * Any crackles when holding / operating the camera. * If you have one black paint and another silver, which one has stronger surface against scratching. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmradman Posted August 15, 2011 Share #4 Posted August 15, 2011 That's the closest i have seen R body on video. How about this one It is little bit longer and interesting narrative. You could commission your own video clip or just buy the camera, less waiting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted August 15, 2011 How about this one It is little bit longer and interesting narrative. You could commission your own video clip or just buy the camera, less waiting. Yes this is nice video, but i was hoping closer look of the camera in better video quality. I promise i will make video review when i buy the camera. The current lack of the R9 video reviews is alarming for new aftermarket customer. And even when it was in production Leica R9 wasn't reviewed in YT by Leica and none of the big camera dealers or customers. Long time there wasn't any reviews of Canon EOS 1V, but now there are. I can also see Nikon F6 in some video portals, but it's even more rare than 1V. I guess the 35mm film slr is almost dead. For a film it's all wide / medium format now or rangefinder. That's sad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamey Posted August 16, 2011 Share #6 Posted August 16, 2011 How is the durability of the R9, will it last longer or less compared to M7? hamey Could you make short HD video demo of the R9 ? * Viewfinder closeup * Shutter sound * Opening battery compartment how sturdy is the connection between the 2 parts (the crack on the bottom of the camera). * Opening film chamber door, how the door hinge holds and sounds. * Any crackles when holding / operating the camera. * If you have one black paint and another silver, which one has stronger surface against scratching. Answer some of your questions. 1... Sorry Havn't got a HD video camera so cannot help you there however my impressions are 2... Lovely viewfinder, better then the M7 especially the diopter adjustment on my R8/R9. 3... Shutter sound is more noticable however if you lock up the mirror it becomes very quiet. 4... I think since owing the R9/R8 I have only changed the batteries once, both my 8 and 9 have the Motor winders fitted. 5....Opening the film chamber door is a breeze compared to that idiotic idea on the M series. 6....I don't know what you meen about crackles but operating these cameras are simply superb as they were designed to be used and in general very solid. 7... My R8 is SILVER and the R9 is BLACK, personally I love the silver chrome. My personal view is that these cameras were ahead of there time, truly Leica's masterpeice in design. Ken. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted August 16, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you for answering my questions hamey Motor winder is for sure nice (covers the ugly crack on photo) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 16, 2011 Share #8 Posted August 16, 2011 I do find this interesting; I've never thought of looking for, let alone relying upon a video review of anything. I'm not being funny, I just wouldn't consider it as a source of reliable information. I'd rather read words and see outputs, gathering info from a number of sources then comparing and deciding than watch someone fiddling with a piece of kit. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 16, 2011 Share #9 Posted August 16, 2011 My personal view is that these cameras were ahead of there time, truly Leica's masterpeice in design. A fantastic camera, but I can't agree that they were ahead of their time. The lack of autofocus - as an option even if not as an essential - probably limited their appeal. I have a feeling that if they had featured some kind of autofocus system the digital R would be with us today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted August 16, 2011 Share #10 Posted August 16, 2011 Sileem - Welcome to the Forum. I suspect the main reason why there is but the one video review of the R8/R9 has to do with so relatively few of them being sold (Canon & Nikon produced orders of magnitude more competing cameras). Hampering sales was the cost of the camera and the lenses, as well as the lack of autofocus -- BTW: Autofocus was invented by Leica but never used in their R series. You'll find that R8/R9 owners are fans of its bright viewfinder and ergonomics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted August 16, 2011 Will there ever be 35mm digital full frame slr with AF lenses by Leica? Maybe with high resolution 3-4 inch screen 300dpi+. I read about high dpi screens from here: URL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 16, 2011 Share #12 Posted August 16, 2011 Will there ever be 35mm digital full frame slr with AF lenses by Leica? At this point in time it's highly unlikely Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted August 16, 2011 Share #13 Posted August 16, 2011 Am I the only person on the planet that would instantly buy an all manual DSLR from Leica? About 4keuro for the body & R-mount? I have the M8 and M2 and lenses etc. & am very (very) happy. But the main, primary joy of the system is the ergonomics: Focus, shutter, aperture, compose, click. (not necessarily in that sequence of course). The same cunning plan could be used for a Leica DSLR - if the photo sucks it is your fault, the camera is perfect. Back to being a craftsman/woman. NO CLUTTER, NO EXCUSE. That is why I will keep my Nikons (FM2, F3). Even under severe duress I will not contemplate autofocus (except for a P&S, mobile phone etc.). Focus confirmation & other gizmos fine, so long as I can switch them off. Maybe I am really missing something here but manually focusing & framing a DSLR exactly where I want it to, using a screen/prism, sounds like a free lunch compared to the M system. The M system has its own special merits of course but that is a different topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted August 16, 2011 Am I the only person on the planet that would instantly buy an all manual DSLR from Leica? About 4keuro for the body & R-mount? No, not only person I do prefer manual focus, AF is not main factor for me because i don't shoot fast action that much. But doesn't hurt to have at least 1 Leica AF lense, 180mm or 280mm, perhaps zoom (not too heavy). And keep all the manual designs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joop van Heijgen Posted August 16, 2011 Share #15 Posted August 16, 2011 Am I the only person on the planet that would instantly buy an all manual DSLR from Leica? About 4keuro for the body & R-mount? I have the M8 and M2 and lenses etc. & am very (very) happy. But the main, primary joy of the system is the ergonomics: Focus, shutter, aperture, compose, click. (not necessarily in that sequence of course). The same cunning plan could be used for a Leica DSLR - if the photo sucks it is your fault, the camera is perfect. Back to being a craftsman/woman. NO CLUTTER, NO EXCUSE. That is why I will keep my Nikons (FM2, F3). Even under severe duress I will not contemplate autofocus (except for a P&S, mobile phone etc.). Focus confirmation & other gizmos fine, so long as I can switch them off. Maybe I am really missing something here but manually focusing & framing a DSLR exactly where I want it to, using a screen/prism, sounds like a free lunch compared to the M system. The M system has its own special merits of course but that is a different topic. When you uses the Leicaflex specially the SL and SL2 you don't need autofocus. These Leica SLR 's are close in use compared with the Leica M system, also in qualitative way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted August 17, 2011 Share #16 Posted August 17, 2011 Am I the only person on the planet that would instantly buy an all manual DSLR from Leica? About 4keuro for the body & R-mount? No, you aren't alone. The real question is - can Leica produce such a camera at such a price and actually make money on it? I'd love to have a two-seat Porsche for, oh, $20,000 - but Porsche isn't interested in building them at that price. We all know what it costs to own a "Leica-made" DSLR. It is called the S2 and costs €18,000. Leave out the AF and put in a smaller sensor, and you maybe reduce the price to €14,000. Keep in mind that the S2 has simple electric contacts to drive the aperture, which are LESS expensive and fiddly to build than the levers needed for the R mount lenses. It has an electronic thumb-wheel for aperture/shutter controls - also less expensive. I expect when Leica reads posts like this ("I'd instantly buy a Leica DSLR for €4K (or 5K or 6K.") - they probably don't know whether to laugh or cry. It is simply a laughably low offer, no matter how reasonable it seems to the would-be buyer. "I'd instantly pay $500 for an ounce of gold." Umm, yeah - wouldn't we all! Leica has had record profits recently (Heck, ANY profit is a record compared to past years!). Part of the reason is the success of the M9 and associated lens sales - but part of the reason is also that in 2009 Leica quit operating as a charity for R users, losing money on the line every year because a "reasonable" price couldn't cover the costs. Sileem - I guess the answer to your question would be - a video "review" of the R8/9 would be rather like a video review of cruising on the "Titanic" in 1915. Kinda late and pointless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted August 17, 2011 R9 was actually cheaper than M7, so i expect price close to M9 or so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Posted August 17, 2011 Share #18 Posted August 17, 2011 in First Sequence - severe stress for the material Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sileem Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share #19 Posted August 17, 2011 This cannons in Norbert Rosing 's video can kill Good look at viewfinder. PM, off the topic, have you seen the sub videos of Norbert Rosing in Suggestions tab. Nature photography at it's best, (that really is whats SLR is all about), for example: Intro Technique Art Wolfe with seals orso e cane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Posted August 17, 2011 Share #20 Posted August 17, 2011 TIntro Technique Art Wolfe with seals ...very nice and funny ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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