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R8/R9 and DMR users


bono0272

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I have both an R8 and an R9, and when I bought my DMR last December 2005, I put it on the R9, thinking I'd keep the R8 for film. So far, neither R body has had any film put through it. The few rolls of film (2) that I've shot since I got the DMR has been finishing out the roll already in my M6, and one roll through my MP, just because I couldn't stand not shooting my M's. Can't wait for the M8, not with all the nice M glass I've acquired over the last thirty-some years.

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I don't like to switch lens in the field so I usually carry 3 bodies (digital plus R6.2 and M2) and 3 lenses. btw, I don't like to load films in the field (too clumsy), so after the films are all done I shoot solely with digital. There's always a lot of interesting discussions go'ng on when comparing the results.

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I've just finished reading all the comments in this thread and am now feeling very discouraged about the future of film. It does seem to be the trend, that once a photographer gets involved with digital imaging, film becomes a thing of the past. I've always been an M shooter, however nearly all of my professional work is now done in digital format because that's what I'm asked for. After equiping myself with a digital SLR system in early 2000 I went nearly five years without shooting any film to speak of, but over the last year have resumed using it for nearly all personal work and projects. I must say film still has a look that I find more artistically satisfying than digital images.

 

The appeal of digital imaging is obvious: We can get on our computers right after a shoot and see the results immediately, then perform all kinds of minor miricles to optimize the images if we don't quite like what we initially see on the monitor. Then we click "print," swivel our chairs around and pluck a slick, saturated and razor sharp image from our high quality printers and the whole process is complete in a matter of a few minutes. No drives to the lab to drop off and pick up film, no editing session on a light table, no scans to make. Perhaps when I get the M8 my film will go back in the freezer and stay there until I once again start to miss "that look." I just hope when I take it back out at some future point there will still be labs around to process the stuff. I also hope I'm not dumb enough to sell my M6 and M7 in the interim.

 

Meanwhile, I think I'll go out and shoot a couple of rolls this evening.

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Guest guy_mancuso

I have been shooting digital for almost 15 years going back to a Nikon that was called a E1 i believe but the camera i remember the most was the Kodak 420, anyway when it became a oppurtunity to move forward into the digital realm i figured at the time sink or swim. i am glad i made that transition but it was painfull but today with the emerging technology and the DMR i have finally hit a point were I am not looking over my shoulder worrying if the files are cutting it with my clienst. Also as a small business i could not have survived with film, clients want it NOW and as a mostly corporate shooter that demand is as real as it gets. the film vs digital arguements that I still see are really kind of silly . t is just another medium to learn and move into. As a 31 year pro i love the fact that i still have something to learn and share with others. This makes it fun again, so don't worry about it. The M8 will convert many people , embrace it and learn from it. i love the leica DMR system and for me the best i have run across as far as image, the M8 will be the same

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At present I cannot afford a DMR but have a yearning to go digital with an SLR ... thus have compromisd by buying a new old stock Fuji S3 [soon to be discontinued] (they are down to just £525 now but I can't mention where!) plus a s/h Novoflex bellows with a Nikon rear standard and a Leica R front standard (but have to use a small extension tube between the bellows and the camera to avoid fouling the prism) ... now looking forward to using my 60/2.8 R , 100/4 R , and set of 3 Leitz Photars for digital close-up work. Also plan to use the camera 'tethered' to my iMac so that the image is seen on the computer screen before pressing the shutter. Years ago, my introduction to Leica was by using the 100/4 R bellows lens on a Canon bellows with a T90 ... I was very impressed by the build quality of the 100/4 R lens and thus started adding other Leica lenses and bodies. This set-up is only suitable for close-up photography as maximum focus distance is only approx 1 metre. I chose the Fuji S3 in preference to a Nikon or Canon digital camera because the S3 has a reputation for having the best dynamic range of any digital slr.

 

Duncan

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Another thing which inhibits the switch back to film once you've installed the DMR is the need for a special dedicated focussing screen - it isn't a quick and easy process to switch back and I doubt that anyone would undertake the process whilst in th field or on a shoot - that being said the DMR is a superb conversion and as Brent and Guy say, the whole workflow process is revolutionised when you switch to digital.

 

One feeling that I do have is that the onset of digital in photography isn't the same as the arrival of CD's in music - with CDs you often put up with inferior sound quality over analogue, for the convenience of the medium - in the case of Digital photography, I genuinely have a sense that this is the way forward, not purely a matter of convenience.

 

At the risk of a pun, digital has only just started and has a lot of time to develop...

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Interesting question that also proves a point: once you have put the DMR on either an R8 or R9 camera, the typical user is hardly likely to switch to film at regular intervals, let alone switch back completely. It is the weak point of Leica's sales argument that one can switch from analog to digital and back, upon the needs, with the R8/R9 and DMR. It just does not happen in practice, at least not for most users.

So, in the end, a dedicated digital R body would have been the preferred option!

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Another thing which inhibits the switch back to film once you've installed the DMR is the need for a special dedicated focussing screen - it isn't a quick and easy process to switch back and I doubt that anyone would undertake the process whilst in th field or on a shoot -

{snipped}

 

 

Do you really have to switch the screens if you change back to film? Couldn't you just ignore the crop marks and shoot? Or is there something else going on here (metering, maybe?)

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Guest guy_mancuso

A screen is a screen is a screen . there is no differnce except the crop marks . i would just leave the DMR screen in and think you are getting a bonus when you run film. BTW my R9 has never seen film. i honestly don't even know what they sell anymore. LOL

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