Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/07

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Subject: [Leica] mechanical shutters
From: Robert Appleby <robert.appleby@tin.it>
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2000 15:09:04 +0100

>>>>>
> Why o why cannot Leica release an R9 which has the shell of the R8, the
> flash circuitry of the R8, but a mechanical shutter a la R6.2.  Hell, even
> without TTL flash circuitry, flash pre-metering, and a sync speed of 1/100s,
> it would still be the best Leica R to date.  You'd still have three metering
> modes (matrix, centre-weighted, spot) but only manual exposure.  Sweet.
> 
> M.
<<<<<

Is there any advantage to a mechanical shutter except for the battery
independence? Surely mechanical shutter = complex = bad, electronic shutter
= simple = good?

Leaving aside all other considerations (flash sync, etc) I think electronic
shutters must be better than mechanical ones.

Of course there's the Rolex-like aspect of a mechanical camera, but the
cheapo quartz watches tell the time better. (no watches thread please -
only because I don't have a fancy watch).

I'm not interested in whether my shutter will be working in fifty years
time, simply whether it'll get through an Indian hot season without packing
up. My wife's F3s did, my R6s didn't. She even dropped one in Dal Lake and
dried it out on the roof of the houseboat (the whole mirror box was full of
water) and it worked like new. The R6? I don't think so!

Also, if you've got matrix metering, you may as well have automatic
exposure modes, no? Sounds like a good idea!

Rob.

Robert Appleby
V. Bellentani 36
41100 MO
Italy
tel. (+39) 059 303436
mob. (+39) 0348 336 7990

Replies: Reply from Axel Schwieker <axel@baer.rwth-aachen.de> (Re: [Leica] mechanical shutters)
Reply from D Khong <dkhong@pacific.net.sg> (Re: [Leica] mechanical shutters)