[Leica] (long) R8 Motor shutter buttons and more

[Rick Dykstra <rdandcb@cybermac.com.au>]

Hello R users and R8 motor drivers,

I've got another question on the R8 motor if you don't mind.  About the
'feel' of the motor's two shutter buttons.  It's a bit touchy-feely, but
please bear with me.

The R8's top plate shutter button feels quite mechanical to me, although
it certainly has electronic characteristics.  In ways, it's similar to
my R6.2's truly mechanical shutter.  An F5 has what I would call an
'electronic feel' to its two stage the shutter button, ie, beyond the
first stage, there is an imperceptible point where the electical contact
must be made to complete the circuit that fires the shutter.  The second
stage is like pushing down on a spring with the shutter going off half
way through the push.  Once you've got that point nailed, you can fire
the shutter at will with the slightest pressure adjustment.

Q.    How do the R8 motor shutter buttons 'feel'?  I've imagined they'd
be similar to my description of the F5 button, although with three
stages instead of Nikon's two.

Now, to get a little more touchy-feely, I've noticed something very
interesting with my R8 and R6.2 shutters.  They have three stages, yes?
No! Mine have four!

Firstly, the R8.  The book says: first stage - meter on; second stage -
lock exposure; third stage - fire shutter.  Well, with my R8 I have a
tiny initial stage as part of the third stage.  It works a little like a
set trigger on a rifle, just doesn't hold there once set of course.  If
I want I can choose to be gentle with the shutter and exploit this 'set
trigger'.  Its great for portraits and low shutter speed work.  Or I can
just push through the third stage in one go, such as with action shots.

Now, the R6.2.  It's a little different, although still a three stage
system.  Here, the second stage comprises two parts, with the earlier
part longer than the later and with a very slight pressure threshold
between the two.  Also, this subdivision is detectable the first time
the shutter is taken down to the end of the second stage, but if I
release the button and go again, the subdivision is gone and the stage
becomes one smooth push.  Go into the third stage and the shutter fires
immediately.

I find the effect described for the R8 to be quite useful and consistent
from shot to shot.  But it takes a gentle finger.  With the R6.2, it's
more something to simply keep in mind, because the effect changes if the
shutter is nearly fired.

I've noticed this effect on a number of R8's.  It's there on the two
R6.2's I've used.  I'm not imagining this!  One Leica technician I
discussed this with couldn't feel it, so maybe it's just my wiring.

So, Ted, and others, get your R's out and squeeze.  How do they feel?

Regards

Rick Dykstra