Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/15

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Subject: Re: [Leica] [Leica with little money?
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 22:43:09 -0500

At 08:44 PM 4/15/99 +0300, you wrote:
>In whitch countries R-system has manufactured?
>Is the country always marked exactly?

Portugal and Germany is where they were/are assembled. No R camera has ever 
been made in Canada. Many parts used to come from  Japan, England and 
elsewhere. They are now assembled in Germany.

>How much cheaper is a Canadian R4s vs German made? I meet one little-used(!)
>Canada-made R4s in price 2500FIM (finland), about 500USD.

R4s are R4s. No difference. No Canadian made, ever. Some lenses were made 
in Canada. But they were as good, or better, than German made Leicas.

>One Leitz 35-70(or something) zoom has a same price.

This must be the old one. Much of it made by Minolta, but assembled in 
Germany. Pretty good lens.

>Is Leica zoom better than others?

Depends which one. The newest ones are, or are close. The 70-180 2.8 has no 
peer. By far best in class. Well, as far as the most popular. I've never 
seen anything from the Minolta. The new 80-200 f/4 is supposed to be very 
good. The 105-280 f/4.2 is supposed to be really good too. And certainly 
has no peer in it's particular range. (Is there a peer? <G>)

>Does Leicaflex have different bayonet (than R-Leica have)
>and own serie of lenses?

The older Leicaflex lenses use 1 or 2 cams for communicating between lens 
and body. The R line uses a third cam. Some of the later lenses have only 
the third cam and only work on the R cameras. But the bayonet is 
essentially the same throughout. And most older lenses work on most bodies. 
Quite a new newer lenses won't work on the Leicaflex bodies, because they 
protrude too far into the mount and will foul the mirror in action.

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

My computer's sick. I think my modem is a carrier.