Re: [Leica] Amateur Photographer testing the R8

[Jeffcoat Photography <jeffcoatphoto@sumter.net>]

I read that article, seems the ole boys are miffed that they don't have the coin
in the pocket to make the Leica a reality in their world. So they knock it. Sort
of a head up the arsh attitude.
Cheers Wilber

Leopold Green wrote:

> hi,
>
> Amateur Photographer [a UK magazine] did a group test of 'top end manual
> cameras' in the current issue: R8, RTSIII and OM3TI and despite finding that
> the first Contax model failed, and the second one didn't handle 'difficult'
> lighting very well, and that the OM's shadow spot meter resulted in a
> completely underexposed slide, where as the R8 handled all exposures
> perfectly - guess what, first place the Olympus, second the Contax and third
> the R8! What was wrong with the R8? didn't like the strap lug positions and
> the manual rewind/wind on -- what did they like about the OM, all manual
> including wind on and rewind!!! They also criticised the Summicron 50 1.4
> for only focusing to .5 meter and therefore being no good for 'frame filling
> small objects'. In all of this no mention of comparative lens line up,
> except that there are many second hand Zukio lenses, which I'm sure there
> are since there are precious few new ones! I really do despair of the so
> called standard of these magazines. In the conclusions there was also a side
> swipe at 'Leica purists' 'who will have made up their minds as to the winner
> before reading the article'.
>
> This is the same magazine that last year did a rangefinder test and placed
> the M6 a distant third behind the G2 and the XPAN. I suppose the range and
> quality of lenses really don't matter in these tests. I don't know why it
> irritates so much, maybe because there aren't any decent magazines published
> here in the UK.
>
> Leopold