Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] R4
From: "Takeshi Hashimoto" <hashimoto.takeshi@mailcity.com>
Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 07:00:30 -1100

The vagaries of the R system, including the frequent changes in lens cams (three between 1968 and 1977), the wide variety of body styles and sizes (medium [std. & SL]; medium large [SL2]; large [R3]; small [R4, R5, R6, R7,]; and very large [R8]) are disconcerting to the collector and user alike, especially when contrasted to the RF series, which, in the last 30 years, has had only one major body size/type variation (M5) in the main range. Almost any lens from 1954 on will work on an M6.

One could argue (as I do) that with the SL2, Leica achieved the pinnacle of (their) mechanical reflex design, the abandonment of which could be considered a blunder from which they have only recently (and only partially) recovered, in the R8.
- --

On Wed, 24 May 2000 19:32:26   Nathan Wajsman wrote:
>Chuck,
>
>The R system in general has not aroused collectors' passion in the way that the M
>system does. The only exception are mint Leicaflexes, perhaps. In addition, the R4
>supposedly had some problems below serial number 1600000, and many people are
>shunning those, further depressing the price.
>
>Nathan
>
>cec@vbe.com wrote:
>
>> Just curious as to why the R4 is such an unpopular camera.  Used in Ex condition
>> seem to pretty cheap.  Was there a  lot of problems with this version?
>> Chuck
>
>--
>Nathan Wajsman
>Overijse, Belgium and Zurich, Switzerland
>e-mail: wajsman@webshuttle.ch
>General photo page: http://members.tripod.com/belgiangator
>Belgium photo page: http://members.xoom.com/wajsman
>
>
>


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Replies: Reply from "Bud Cook" <budcook@attglobal.net> (Re: [Leica] R4)