Re: [Leica] R8 thoughts

[Robert Stevens <robsteve@istar.ca>]

Ted:

Last month I decided I liked the R8 so much that I sold my R6 and motor
drive and replaced it with an R8.  I find even for sports, the R8 has a
more predictable shutter release for capturing the decisive moment. 

 I was at a seminar by a stock sports photographer from British Columbia.
I think his name was Alec Ptomaly, or soething close to that.  He showed
that even a fast 6fps motor drive is not fast enough to capture the
decisive moment.  If you press the shutter just prior to the decisive
moment and capture it, the few frames after that will be past it.  If you
just hold down the button hoping to capture the decisive moment, you will
probably miss it because at six frames per second, the exposures are too
far apart.  He later started using a high speed Canon F1 which does 15fps
and he says if he presses the shutter at the right time, he may get two
good shots of the decisive moment.  After attending his seminar, I tried my
R8's with winders only, and have gotten some awesome shots.  I will however
get an R8 motor when it arrives, for sports where there can be a lot of
decisive moments in a row, such as basket ball.

Alec also did a bit on autofocus.  His conclusion was the best way to shoot
sports was to find an area of decisive action and trap focus on it.  In
other words, find a spot focus on it manually and fire the shutter just
efore the subject reaches it.  He showed a series of ski shots taken with
an EOS3 and auto focus and said they were very impressive in that the
camera could keep the skier in focus as he approached him, but the images
though well composed and in focus, lacked the shot of a decisive moment.

Alex Ptomaly has had one of his stock shots duplicated millions of times.
The picture on the Kokanee Beer can was taken by him.

Regards,

Robert

>
>Hi Greg,
>
>Apologies for cutting into your post on the R8 as an amateur.
>
>But as a professional I wanted to say I agree with you whole heartedly and
>then some. Those who bitched about size, weight and many other little
>things when the camera arrived from the Solms womb, albeit with a glitch or
>two for some folks, it is a wonderful tool and it would be a travesty to
>have it junked out of production.
>
>Sure it needs the motor drive and I've cursed the winder on a few
>occaisions when I've stupidly tried to use it as a motor, knowing full well
>I should have used my R7's and motors. The motor is a correctable item, as
>is autofocus  or confirmation for those who wish it.
>
>But after using this R8 machine for 3 years and an uncountable number of
>rolls of film, it is in the class of the M6 and someday will be accepted as
>such by the naysayers.
>
>Having said that, along with your excellent post on experience with the R8,
>I expect after reading the LUG of late, we both will be roundly thrashed
>for our "user experience."  Compared to the whiners of "play with it in the
>camera store and non-owners".
>
>Of course they are entitled to their opinions as always. Quite frankly if
>they haven't hard nosed used the camera I'll take the negative comments
>with a large dose of salt. :)  And smile alot remembering the many
>excellent exposures from my use of an R8!
>
>"We can forgive them, as they know not what they say!" Or something like
>that.:)
>ted
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Ted Grant
>This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
>http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
>
>
>