John Moran-Ireland Posted November 11, 2008 Share #1 Posted November 11, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello. Can anyone direct me to a detailed review of the R9 or their personal experiences of this camera. I am looking for a good, clean one to purchase. Regards John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Hi John Moran-Ireland, Take a look here Leica R9. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Michiel Fokkema Posted November 11, 2008 Share #2 Posted November 11, 2008 I have a R8 which is very close the R9. I think the R9 had to be called R8.2 anyway. The R8/9 is a very good camera. It has all you need and nothing more. It gives perfect exposures and is great with TTL flash. It can also measure studioflash. I really like the ergonomics too. It looks big but it really isn't. With a winder or motor I even like it more. It is however fully electronic and I would never use it as my sole camera. According to my repairman it is a very delicate camera which can be off set quit easily. Mine sometimes has troubles with the contacts between the body and the rear door. It freezes for some time and then later it is oke again. If you are looking for utter reliability you better go for a SL, SL2, R6 or R6.2 and stay away from anything electronic. For me there is no premium in the R9. It's extra features are features I never missed on my R8. Cheers, Michiel Fokkema Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alun Posted November 11, 2008 Share #3 Posted November 11, 2008 Hello. Can anyone direct me to a detailed review of the R9 or their personal experiences of this camera. I am looking for a good, clean one to purchase. Regards John. John -- I recently found what I thought a quite useful comparison when looking for similar info: http://www.iconicphoto.com/pdf/nikon_f6_vs_canon_vs_leica_0405.pdf Granted, it isn't an in-depth review of the R9.... There is this too but it seems primarily about the R8/9 digital module: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0306/03062502leicadigitalr9.asp Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted November 11, 2008 Share #4 Posted November 11, 2008 John: I have had a R9 for 4 or 5 years now and absolutely love it. I have never experienced electronic failures as Michiel describes. I use it with both the motor drive and the DMR; going back and forth between the two is really easy and both the DMR and the motor drive have the same ergonomic feel. I have not regretted purchasing it for one minute. It does look big, but does not "feel" big in use. I also carry a R6.2, not because I think that the R9 is particularly liable to fail, but to use 2 different films at the same time and, let's admit it, ANY camera can fail. Go for it, you will not regret it. Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoetzin Posted November 11, 2008 Share #5 Posted November 11, 2008 On Photo.net (Leica R8 - photo.net) there is a good review of the former model, the Leica R8. Maybe this can help you. The differences between the two cameras are just cosmetical. Serge Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted November 11, 2008 Share #6 Posted November 11, 2008 I have an R8 with Winder and it's great. Very solid, no problems and it gets used all the time. It's a beefy piece of gear and really needs the Winder to reach it's full potential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted November 11, 2008 Share #7 Posted November 11, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) and the R9 is a little bit lighter than the R8. You only notice it at first or if changing between the two. Both felt good in my hands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted November 11, 2008 Share #8 Posted November 11, 2008 Haven't Leica now discontinued the R cameras? I had an R8 for a very short time but it had one or two electronics problems so I opted not to keep it and stay with M cameras that don't seem anywhere near as electronically dependent. I can use my M6 totally manually if batteries fail. Have you considered M cameras. At least that is where Leicas history is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooky Posted November 12, 2008 Share #9 Posted November 12, 2008 The R line is not officially dead - everything is still listed on the Leica site (except the DMR) as you may have heard/noticed, a digital (autofocus) R10 body has been announced by Leica as fact and will be (hopefully) announced/shown/etc. in 2009. The lenses are still shown as being available, but it is not known how long, or if the manual focus R lenses will be - though they are supposed to be usable with R10. I had the R8 and it was fine though I have heard rumors that the early R8's had some type of problem (fixable) and there is a serial number cut-off for those so you can know ahead of time. The only issue I had was with the proprietary battery/pack of the motor drive - you had no other option for batteries. Overall, I have a difficult time believing that Leica would not have a film R model into the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Moran-Ireland Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted November 12, 2008 Dear Friends. Many thanks for your appreciated advice. It's make my mind up time, R9 or R6.2, and how much do I have to spend. Regards John Moran Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiel Fokkema Posted November 12, 2008 Share #11 Posted November 12, 2008 Dear Friends. Many thanks for your appreciated advice. It's make my mind up time, R9 or R6.2, and how much do I have to spend. Regards John Moran One more note. The R6.2 is much more expensive than the R6 for no particular reason. The R6.2 only brings the 1/2000th second over the R6. Unless you REALLY need that I'd go for the R6. Actually I did exactly that last weekend:-) Cheers, Michiel Fokkema Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
topoxforddoc Posted November 12, 2008 Share #12 Posted November 12, 2008 John, I have both a R8 and a R9 (both attached to DMRs). Personally I prefer the R9. The little details like the lighter weight (and better balance), the lock on the function dial etc make for a slightly better user experience. As a film body, you won't notice any image quality differences between them. Best wishes, Charlie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyp Posted November 12, 2008 Share #13 Posted November 12, 2008 I would not consider the R8/9 bodies 'delicate'. I dropped one of mine a couple of years back [on rocks] and the lens mount was bent and back door sprung. The inner workings of the camera were fine with only some adjustments to put it back in top shape and I still use it almost daily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted November 12, 2008 Share #14 Posted November 12, 2008 >> Gary Similar story here, I dropped my R 9 as well and the lens developed quite some damage. The body seems to be extremely sturdy, no problems with the camera. << John It is a great camera to use, you can´t go wrong with purchasing one. Should be around EUR 1,000 these days ... Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_h Posted November 12, 2008 Share #15 Posted November 12, 2008 I have to agree Gary I once dropped mine on a stone floor. It worked fine even though the lens mount had a slightly bend on the mount ring. I was able to carry on ok and then send it for repair. The lighter weight on the R9 would be enough for me to justify the premium over the R8. Regards James Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted November 12, 2008 Share #16 Posted November 12, 2008 From some years of experience, I can whole-heartedly recommend the R9. The best SLR I ever had. Very intuitive operation, all the details you really need and great lenses to go with. The slides I get are mind-blowing in quality. It takes slides (or large, high quality prints) to fully appreciate the quality that's possible with an R9 and Leica lenses. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_parker Posted November 12, 2008 Share #17 Posted November 12, 2008 I have a R9 permanently attached to my DMR back - I find it robust, well balanced and completely reliable in use. I believe that there are significant improvements over the R8, particularly if at some point you might want to go digital using the DMR back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dritz Posted November 13, 2008 Share #18 Posted November 13, 2008 I have both an R8 and an R9. My main reason for the R9 is the improved flash behavior, though the TTL isn't fast enough in response when shooting in the near range (the M6 TTL is much better). However, I love them both. I'm not a large person (only 145 lbs), but I don't find the R9 to be large. I find it very easy to handle, a joy to focus, and really a fine companion with the motor drive (I have used the winder, but it's noisy). All switches have a dedicated purpose, and you can use them purely by feel! Benefits of the R9: better flash control, film counter on top deck as well as back, 100 grams less weight. It's a great camera... And, the lenses are a tremendous value right now. Yes, I do like it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted November 13, 2008 Share #19 Posted November 13, 2008 John, I own 3 R8's. 1-on my DMR, 2- with Motordrive & 3- it's normal config. I like the R8 better than the R9. Unlike others, I don't like the lock & prefer to do things manually. With a fine compliment of excellent lenses, this kit is wonderful for film, both B&W as well as color. The options are amazingly complex, but one can simplify anything with manual settings, I love the feel of this camera, the build is solid superb. It would let you down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddp Posted November 13, 2008 Share #20 Posted November 13, 2008 I had an R8 first, then traded it in for an R9. My R8 was a bit quirky at times, some weird electrical issues at critical moments. But the R9 was a solid camera, and i had the full motor drive on it - great setup. Be very careful what flash you put on these cameras though. I also owned an R6.2 - good backup, hard to find. Pricey due to scarcity these days. I did sell all my R stuff to fully commit myself into the M system as far as Leica. I really think that the R system gets short shrift from some people...but there are some truly spectacular lenses in that lineup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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