From Nikon to Leica SLR

[Pascal <cyberdog@ibm.net>]

I am forwarding a private E-mail to the group, as I feel it might be of
general interest. It is about why I switched from Nikon to Leica SLR.

At 10:48 +0200 18-07-1997, Fantoni, Ernesto wrote:
>Pascal,
>
>I remember you were quite disappointed after six weeks of use of an
>M6+35/1.4 ASPH. Your disappointment was due mainly to the quality of the
>pictures taken with that pricey lens: you didn't see any differences
>from the ones taken with your Nikkors.
>As you continue to post to the list (BTW thank you for your very useful
>infos) about the R8, I guess you have migrated to this camera. Am I
>right?
>What are now your impressions in comparison to the Nikon system and
>Nikkor lenses, in terms of feeling with the camera body and quality of
>the photos?
>I'm particularly interested in these as, coming from Nikon, I bought an
>M6 and am quite happy with it, even if I haven't traded in my Nikons.
>
>Thanks in advance and best regards
>
>Ernesto

Just got back from holidays a few days ago, this explains the delay in
answering.

You are right: I bought an R8 in May, together with Summicron-R 50mm f/2.0,
and later also an Elmarit-R 28mm f/2.8 and Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 (which
represents a big investment!).

I have not yet sold my Nikon FM, Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8, Nikkor 50mm
f/1.8, Zoom-Nikkor 28-50mm f/3.5, Zoom-Nikon E 70-210mm f/4.0 and MD12
motordrive. I will trade in the standard lens and both zooms when the R8
motor becomes available. I will, for the moment, hold on to the FM body,
the Micro-Nikkor and the motordrive, however (because of the excellent
macro capabilities).

Why switch from Nikon to Leica reflex? I have given this decision a long
thought, especially after my rather disappointing experiences with the
Leica M6 and Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. The main disappointment with the
Leica M6 was, in fact, the handling of the camera in comparison to my old
habits of SLR cameras.

Choice was between the Nikon F90x or F5 or Leica R8. I do not like Canon
EOS very much, although they are excellent performers, especially the EOS
1N.
The F90x was quickly dismissed because of its plastic feel. Great camera as
far as results/possibilities are concerned, but it simply didn't feel good
in my hands.
The F5 feels great, although heavy like the R8. Very impressive specs, but
do you really need them? I found, in the end, the handling of both Nikons
(just like the EOS) very complicated. You see, I like old-fashioned
operating controls on cameras (that is: a big shutter speed dialing ring, a
manual rewind lever, no +/- buttons and so on, you know what I mean). All
modern AF cameras seem to be complicated. You almost have to have the
manual at hand to  be able to find out all functions. I felt I had to
re-learn how the camera would be working.

Since I was not prepared to do that, I immediately felt at home when
picking up the R8. Classic controls, no questions asked. Just everything
where it should be. It is as if you go directly from Nikon FM to Leica R8
without any switch, except that the R8 has full automatism. That is what I
really liked. I felt "at home".

I haven't regretted my decision! The R8 is a fine camera that has all major
functions and leaves practically nothing to be desired. Since AF is not
really necessary for my kind of shooting, this is not much of a problem.
The camera feels great, and gives a very solid impression. The viewfinder
is extremely brilliant. I compared it with the F5, it is better! The high
eyepoint viewfinder is also somewhat easier to read for glass-wearers like
me than the F5 viewfinder. The LCD readout is also easier on the eye.

Output quality is impressive. Great quality of all three lenses (but be
prepared to pay a LOT of money for the more "exotic" ones like the Summilux
80 mm). I am now eagerly waiting for the motor-winder to arrive.

The light metering is awesome. I made a lot of night pictures
(illuminations in cities), and the results are very impressive. Everything
on automatic pilot with matrix-metering!

If you asked me if I would make the same decision after three months, I
would respond by "yes"! If Nikon had made an F5 with classic controls like
the F4, I would have hesitated much more, but with all these hyper-tech
things on the latest Nikon and Canon bodies, I know that I have made the
right choice for me.

BTW, I still have the M6 titanium and Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH titanium.
I am not sure what to do with them. I have found the Leica-M grip and now
it feels a lot easier to handle.

If you have more specific questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Best greetings,

Pascal
Belgium

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