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So, why does the R6/R6.2 have a viewfinder shutter?


M9reno

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To the left of the viewfinder is a knob that closes the eyepiece to prevent stray light affecting exposure metering. But since the R6/R6.2 are fully manual cameras with no auto settings or exposure programs, does it ever matter if stray light enters the eyepiece?

 

As Fritz Meisnitzer's helpful book "Leica R6" has it (p. 24): "Why this [eyepiece shutter] has been provided for the R6, I don't know." His best guess is that this is a vestigial feature "inherited" from the R5, for whatever reason.

 

I've not found better a explanation in anything else I've read (Eastland's Compendium, or online).

 

Could there be a better justification for this feature? Perhaps the TTL flash facility on the R6/R6.2, which is strictly speaking an auto setting even on the R6/R6.2, can be influenced by eyepiece light, stopping the flash prematurely?

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Yes, it's the same body so it was probably easier to include that part rather than tooling a whole new top plate for the R6

But doesn't the R5 top plate have a machined engraving and machined space for a red dot? Both aren't on the R6/R6.2 top plate. Maybe re-cycled design, rather?

 

Preventing light leaks during long exposures sound logical - surprising that Mr. Meisnitzer didn't consider this.

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OK I'm confessing my ignorance here, because I've never seen an R6. On my R8/R9 there is a similar blind, used for a similar reason. On an R6, if you've got the camera on a tripod, with a cable release, even with only a "manual" metering mode, surely the metering takes place before the mirror flips up and the shutter is fired (maybe using a half silvered mirror). So wouldn't you still have a potential problem? Genuine puzzlement - what am I missing?

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John, to see the meter you'd have to have your eye to the viewfinder & as its a manual camera the settings you make aren't going to change - unlike a camera on auto.

Thanks James: yet another senior moment on my part!

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A significant proportion of the R6/R6.2 body parts including the camera chassis were manufactured by Minolta and shipped to Solms for final assembly. If they are standard or fairly standard Minolta (and other suppliers') parts, the relatively low volume production R6/R6.2 would not have warranted redesigning the viewfinders without a viewfinder blind … especially as Minolta (and other companies used for outsourcing … including Leitz / Leica Portugal) would have supplied commonly used parts including finder components for the R4S-Mod 2, R5, RE and R7 during the same period the R6/R6.2 was current i.e. from 1988 onwards. Following the introduction of the Minolta XE / XE5 / XE7 based R3, Leica Camera AG did not produce a largely 'in house' designed / manufactured SLR until the R8 was introduced in 1996. The last 100% Leitz / Leica manufactured 'finder' system (including the renowned and likely German made/sourced prism assembly) was the SL2 … but even the SL2 camera included some Minolta manufactured parts because at that time (1976) Leitz had entered into a manufacturing agreement with Minolta. Thus the R6/R6.2 superfluous viewfinder blind results from the sensible / cost effective 'economies of scale' production methodology employed from 1988 onwards.   

 

dunk   

Edited by dkCambridgeshire
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