[Leica] M camera NOW R camera ?

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

I don't know how this got off M camera's to R but here goes. ;-)

Gene offered:
>> It is highly the opinion of those on this list and elsewhere that Leica R
> cameras a total junk.  I beg to differ, I have an SL and a R4SP that have
> operated for 15 years with only one of them having a single failure and
the
> lenses are the best I have used to date and I have used both Nikon and
> Canon cameras and lenses, I won't buy another one. <<<<

Hi Gene,
Like you with R cameras I've had flawless operation from them, SL to the R8
and bucnch of models along the way. Other than one camera of three...   an
R4 that gave me extreme grief! It was in for service more times than a hive
has bees that I finally got so ticked off paying for shipping I arranged for
a couple of the national TV network crews and the wire service guys to be on
hand to record me smashing it to smithreens on the front steps of the Leica
office in Toronto.

Leica Canada of course thought I was kidding the day I flew in and opted to
invite me out for lunch while the service dept had another go at fixing it.
I accepted their invitation but said unless I had a replacement camera when
we returned from lunch the smashing would take place. They of course laughed
and thought I was kidding.

Upon return the TV and wire guys were waiting for me and you never saw a
quicker replacement R4 appear in your life! :-) Fortunately my smash threat
worked 100% and yes the replacement was a later model R4 and worked like a
dream.

If one says they're going to do this as a threat you must have the balls to
carry it through, because if they call your bluff, you then must smash the
camera to absolute pieces. Because if you don't, you loose the benefit of
the news coverage as an aid and for ever after any complaints you have will
more than likely be waved off as just a weak whine.

My good fortune was I had a couple more R4's that worked beautifully and at
the time some extra dollars from very well paying assignments so I didn't
care, but I was determined to smash it until there wasn't anything left but
bits on the steps if they hadn't given me a replacement.

And the R8's with motor drives I now work with, 3 machines, I've used since
the R8 came on the market and eventually motors were attached and have
driven them since.

Like the M6's I've not had much grief at all while working the daylights out
of them. It still amazes me since 1996 when the R8 came on market there are
still whiners and wieners bitching about a camera many of them have never
ever put a roll through, let alone a few hundred, but they supposedly know
every damn whine in the book about a perfectly excellent camera.

The R cameras have worked very well for me and sure they don't have some of
the bells and band-aids of the Nikon & Canon but who the hell cares, if you
use them hard like a good woman they'll look after your picture taking needs
quite nicely.

And one other thing for some of the guys who shoot sports around here, but
use other gear because of their necessity to use auto-focus is a crock.
Because a number of my ex-wire service colleagues turn off A/F on their
Canons while shooting action!

And in my case I've never used an A/F camera at any of the major
international games and still came home with some damn fine in your face
sharp action pictures. Actually I did the same thing working with a Speed
Graphic shooting CFL and NFL football games a wee while back. ;-)

Sorry no M content in that one, but I'm with Gene! ;-)

ted


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