Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi everybody, This week-end, there was friday (not exactly the week-end, but...) and saturday in Brussels at the Photo Alpha shop a Leica meeting, where the dealer for Leica in Belgium came with all the M and R lenses, and all what you can find in the leica system. So I had for the first time the ability to try all the optics, but also, and this was wonderful the Motor Drive for the R8. We all know its shape by the means of the pictures in the documentation, the one I had in hands was a little bit different. The Dealer said it has its final shape, but Leica just disconnected something inside, so it was not functionning at all. The base segment is not thick as the one of the documentation, there are two shutter release, one for landscape and the other for portrait. They are both now silver-platted as the one on the body, and not black. The one for landscape is a little bit in depression in the upper right part of the right handgrip of the body, so you'll find it very well put under your index. the second one, for portrait, is, when the camera is hold vertically a little bit low for my index, but it's ok, just under the major finger, the two have exactly the same behaviour as the one of the body. In vertical position, the battery place make an embossement that your thumble (? correct, the fifth finger you can oppose to the others?) can easily take to secure the holding of the body. The Drive, made in the portugal (as said on the bottom plate) is perfectly made, with the same beautiful matter as the bottom plate of the R8. The two locking screws (attaching the drive to the body and locking-unlocking the battery in place) are superbe also, the main command stay unchanged, as in the docs, you always can make bracketting and have the choice between three modes: S Cs and Ch. What is totally new in comparisson with the doc available, is that now you have attached to the drive a leather hand attached (I hope everybody know what I mean, you have the camera in your right hand, and there is a leader Hand strap round your hand, ok?). I found the R8 with the Drive attached totally well balanced, may be more than without, you now have exactly the handgrip useful to hold such a body, I always (and this is not a hatefull critic) found the right hand a little bit uncomfortable with the body, something lacked in my palm, behind the camera, I tried the windre, and things became better, but the right handgrip of the winder is exactlly the same as the one of the body, now, with the drive, the R8 is perfect, you have it in your right hand perfectly. I tried the combination with the Apo-summicron 1:2/180mm, and ho boy, it was a dream, may be a too big dream, but a dream. With the 15mm, it was perfect too, and maybe, even the 280mm stay right in hand with that drive attached. At least, the dealer said some things, that are maybe without any interests or true, but here it is, It could appear in the future some AF zoom lenses for the R8, with (you know that) the motors in the optics, but not a new AF body, such as a hypothetic R8 upgrade or R9. My conclusion is even if you don't see the advantages of the drive, the added comfort of use and hold the camera worth the price of it. Congratulations if you read this Greg, Bruxelles