Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hello folks: I have acquired last week the Vario-Apo 70-180 and took a long weekend off. Went to the Scottish capital Edinburgh with my wife. The results are quite excellent indeed (all pictures taken without tripod). As far as handling is concerned: it is a heavy lens, and if you want to handhold it with a shutter speed of at least 1/500 (or even better 1/1000) and a 100 ASA film (Fuji Reala), you have to have lots of light! You also better have strong shoulders to carry this beast along all day long :-) One thing though I would like to ask fellow luggers who use the R8. I have noticed that if you manipulate the 70-180 APO on the R8 (like focussing), there is some play on the lens mount (only some millimeters but it can be felt). This has nothing to do with the lens, but with the body. After you mount a lens until it clicks into position, you still can turn the lens some millimeters. This also happens with other lenses, but is less noticeable because of their much lighter mass. With a heavy or long lens you are, of course, using more pressure on the body as you are focussing. Then this becomes obvious. There seems to be no practical consequence in this as far as results are concerned, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced something similar. This is my second R8 body (the first one was flawed and got replaced) and it was the same with both of them. Never got this impression with my Nikons. I have asked the question to the Belgian importer over the phone, and they said I probably shouldn't be worried as a couple of millimeters falls within the "normal tolerance level". Is this another R8 flaw or am I just over-worried? Pascal - -------------------------------------------------------- t h i n k d i f f e r e n t a p p l e c o m p u t e r - -------------------------------------------------------- <<< PGP public key available on request >>>