Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/06

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Leica Users digest V18 #158
From: David Prakel <dprakel@rochester.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 20:51:20 -0500

on 6/11/00 2:09 pm, Duane Berkley at leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
wrote:

> 1)  What is the difference between the shutter release pressure to fire the
> two cameras? 

The R8 has by far the softer and more sensitive shutter release.
 
> 2)  And can you handhold one better at slower speeds over the other?

I've been very surprised how easy it is to shoot regularly with an R8 at
speeds like 1/24th with very acceptable results with a 35mm lens. I have
taken pictures with an R4 in extremis at 1/15th with a 60mm lens but the
results are never consistent. I'd say the R8 was the easier to hand hold.
 
> 3)  Is there much difference between the brightness of the screens in these
> two and (or the R-7) and are the accessory plain glass screens brighter and
> easier to focus than the standard ones...
> I plan to use it mostly with the 80-200 f/4 and 60 macro.

I use a 60 macro, a 35-70 f4 and a 180mm f4 and have found the R8 easier to
focus than my R4 even though the R4 has been fitted with an 1 stop brighter
screen a la R6.

> 
> 4)  How does the manual metering display work in them..... a + - system.....
> similar to the M-6 or a system akin to EOS and Nikon AF cameras with several
> lines marking the amount of variation from plus or minus 2 or 3 stops etc.

The R8 has a half stop LED +- system along the bottom of the viewfinder.
This is the only information area in the R8 viewfinder. The R6 shows the
fstop optically through a window in the front of the camera along with the
chosen shutter speed below the image

> 5)  I'm most attracted to the R6.2 for size, weight, reliability and
> simplicity while still having TTL flash as well.    But.... I see some
> things about the R-8 that are nice too..

The easy mirror lock up; multi-pattern metering; blind I or blind II flash
synch at 1/250th; real film lock for double exposures; high shutter speeds;
large rewind crank; top release for film rewind and studio flash metering
mark the R8 out in my opinion.

- --
David Prakel

dprakel@rochester.rr.com