[Leica] Re: Some R questions....

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

At 09:19 AM 7/21/99 +1000, you wrote:
>
>The camera dies with the battery and apparently unlike earlier
>Rs, it cannot draw current from the winder/motor.  (Find this 
>last point difficult to believe myself...)

It is true that the camera and motor supplies are separate. But if you
carry winder battery spares, it's no trouble to carry a little camera
button cell spare as well. What was happening was that the camera battery
in R4/R5 cameras with winders, were forgotten. Over a couple of years, the
button camera cell would finally die and start to leak, causing major
problems. So now, both the winder and the camera cells get used and you
HAVE to change them. No chance of dead batteries hanging around and leaking.


>Also, a while back there was mention that you cannot use the
>averaged metering pattern when the camera is in manual mode,
>but only spot metering.

This is true on ALL R cameras except the R8


>Finally, like the R6(.2) there is no proper mirror lock-up, 
>but rather a mirror pre-release via a threaded socket.  At
>lease the R8 has a lever to do this.

There are many camera brands that use a cable release socket to release the
mirror. This IS proper mirror lock-up!!! I personally find this a great
feature rather than a hindrance. For one thing, using two cable releases,
one for the mirror and one for the shutter, keeps you from jiggling the
camera during mirror release. I hold both cable releases in one hand and
push them with my thumb, in sequence. With a winder on the camera, it then
winds itself and you can do it again. Bracketing becomes super simple. One
hand to release the mirror and shutter, the other to change the f/stop or
shutter speed. REMEMBER... The R7 has 1/2 shutter speeds which allows you
to bracket and still hold your exact DOF. Great feature.

In my estimation, the R7 is the finest of all R cameras. The R8 is still
not a system and it has not yet proven to be reliably robust. If you had an
assignment that lasted a week or two, you could take only one R camera, and
you had to produce the goods, would you take an R8? I wouldn't. I would
take the camera "system" that has proven to be a true workhorse. An R7. You
don't know what an R8 will do in the tropics, or freezing poles, or baking
deserts. The R7 takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

Paul Wood at Keeble & Shuchat photography, used camera department, says
that he cannot keep used R7's in house. He also says that some folks that
have bought R8's, are returning them wanting their R7 back... which, of
course, is long gone.

This is not R8 bashing. It is simply saying that the R7 has a long, stable,
trouble free history. The R8 has no history, other than: brought out too
soon, system components missing, an abnormal number of premature and DOA
failures... It is a fine camera with great features. But needs to be
"burned in" or "cured" for another year or two.

It was a mistake to phase out the R7 so soon. I still have two and I cannot
fathom not having them.

Jim