[Leica] Run on Leica R lenses :-)

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Lucien,
I beg to differ, I too handled the DMR/R9 at last years Photokina, I 
personally found it about as ergonomic as a loaf of bread.

To put this a little more into perspective, I have a love/hate 
relationship with the R8/R9 design, I'd have loved it if it was packed 
in the shell of an R7, I hate the silhouette of the thing, it looks like 
an army water-bottle when you hang a motor on it, and that makes the 
whole thing much too big. OK if you want advanced flash capabilities and 
a couple of metering modes more, which I don't, then it is possibly more 
attractive to some users than the preceding R series.I have large hands, 
but the thing is out of proportion in every direction in my books. The 
R7 has a wonderfully compact form and a certain elegance, and every 
control is just at my fingertips, and it does exactly what I want it to 
when I tell it.

I find that the "feel" of the Canon 20D and the R7 are very similar, by 
reprogramming a couple of the controls on the 20D I can customise it so 
far that I can operate all the back door controls with either the tip or 
ball of my thumb, my index finger easily found the 3 button line up for 
other settings after only a few weeks of using the camera.

I find changing a lens on both leica and Canon easy and safe, in fact 
the Canon lens release button is more practical if you have big fingers.
I don't know what was wrong with your 20D, but mine does have spot 
metering,available in program, aperture priority, shutter speed 
priority, manual and depth of focus modes.
The only niggle is the slightly poky, but very contrasty, viewfinder
on the 20D, I tend to have difficulty focussing wide-angle lenses with it.

If you've used film EOS models before then the 20D is perfectly 
intuitive - the 300D wasn't, they put the control dial at the wrong 
side, in fact the 300D is a bit of an ergonomic pig of a machine and 
only balances out with a battery grip attached.
I for one will definitely not be going for a DMR or an R9 to attach it 
to, possibly the image quality is a tick better than what Canon 
presently delivers, this is purely subjective.
One thing is certain - if the quality delivered by the DMR is 
significantly better than Canon, Nikon,Olympus and Co then these 
manufacturers will not be caught sleeping, give them 3 months and the 
next improved version will be on the market, including the developments 
demanded by their customers and users, see the quantum leap from 300D to 
350D entry level models,in such a short time and at such a relatively 
low price, Nikon is working along the same lines too.

All this said, I still remain true to my Leicas from IIIG to M6, from SL 
to R7, but, I am still more than delighted to have found a 
price/performance ratio like that delivered by the 20D, quite 
independent of the fact that I can use it as a digital platform for all 
of my Leica-R lenses, Zeiss (CY), Pentax screw etc etc etc, albeit in a 
slightly antediluvial modus operandi, which most of us who are over 50 
have used without complaint on quite a few of the earlier SLR models.

cheers
Douglas
Lucien wrote:
> nathan.wajsman@planet.nl wrote :
> 
>> Peter,
>>
>> I have tried the DMR, at last year's Photokina, and found it to be a
>> disaster from an ergonomic point of view. To put my eye close to the
>> viewfinder I had to squish my mouth against the DMR. Your results are
>> nice, but I do not see that they are superior to Canon DSLRs. Issues
>> like colour rendition can be handled during RAW conversion.
> 
> 
> Hi Nathan,
> 
> I have used extensively a 20D and a 1D Mark II mainly with Leica  lenses 
> and some Canon lenses in the same situations I was using the  R8 and R9 
> in the past. Mainly on stage photography with tripods and  reportage  in 
> the wings, both available light.
> 
> IMO, the ergonomic of the R8/R9 is much better than Canon's.
> 
> As an example, let say you want to change metering from multi pattern  
> to spot.
> 
> It will take 1/2 second on the R9 (without removing you eye from the  
> finder), several on the Mark II, no spot on the 20D.
> 
> To change a lens is also quicker and safer on a Leica.
> 
> Almost everything is on the right place.
> 
> In the dark, it make a big difference.
> 
> I also had the possibility to play with the DMR four times (no  
> pictures) since September last year.
> 
> IMO again, the digital part is also much more intuitive to use than  on 
> the Canon.
> 
>> I really think that Leica is wasting time and money on the DMR. It is
>> not going to be competitive in the market, when it costs more than the
>> Canon 1D Mark II.
> 
> 
> I was thinking the same before using the Canon Mark II.
> 
> Now I'm not sure anymore. If the results are as good with the Leica,  I 
> may switch to it.
> 
> And don't forget Nikon (okay, they don't work with Leica lenses).
> 
> The ergonomic, flash system, and autofocus in low light of the Nikon  
> D2X, D2H and F6 are way better.
> 
>  IMO, the ergonomic of the Canon 1D series is lagging years behind.
> 
> What Canon does the best are the CMOS, Digic II and noise reduction.  
> There, they are really impressive.
> 
> But the ergonomic ?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Lucien
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
>