Freak me out - Who has a Leica R8 or R9?

CK Dexter Haven said:
Well, i have/had the film scans of direct comparisons to inform my decisions.

I definitely did NOT compare the 'build quality.' I would certainly prefer the Leica if that were a factor. But, since people like James Nachtwey can take 'cheaply' built Canon gear into wars, i feel comfortable with how well the Canon stuff is made.

My tests did not show the 50 Summicron-R to be better than MY canon 50/1.4. If you read the interwebs, there are lots of reports of sample variation with the Canon 50. My copy performs as it should. The other issue is that people often talk about how a lens performs "wide open." So, if you compare the 50/2 Summicron at f2 versus the Canon at f1.4, i say YES, the Summicron is better wide open. My test, though, showed the Canon, at f2, was equal to the Summicron. So, at the relevant apertures, it was "as good" as the Summicron, but with the benefit of a 'bonus' 1.4 and 1.7. The other, very critical issue for me- that AF gave me more accurate, consistent, quicker focus than manual focus. So, even IF the Leica were 5% sharper at a given aperture, the Canon's AF would still give me sharper results. Your milage may vary.

On no planet is the 80 Lux 'better' than the 85L when all are working properly. In fact, even people who claim to love the 80 Summilux say that they 'embrace' its soft/"atmospheric" nature/character wide open. The 85L is already excellent at 1.2. At smaller apertures, everything equalizes. If you're buying an 80 or 85, my assumption is you want it for the bokeh. Maybe i'm assuming too much. Whatever. The 85L is THE kit for that, unless you wanna go longer. In that case, it's the 135L. Don't get me wrong. the 80 Summilux does nice work. I have a framed print by Walter Chin on my wall. Shot with the 80 on Kodachrome. Gorgeous image. But, it was shot at f11 or some such, and lit with strobes, in a studio. Under those circumstances, ANY lens is equally capable.

The Zeiss 50/1.4.... Okay, we're going to agree to disagree. The ZE/ZF Zeiss may be quite sharp. I won't dispute that. But, the bokeh is horrid, making it unusable for my purposes. And i'm a 'zeiss lover.' I love the C/Y version for the Contax system. I even had the Contax-N AF version. I've had Contax G2s on 4 or 5 different occasions. But, the new Zeiss 50/1.4? I would never buy one unless i were always going to use it at f4 or smaller. The 50/2 Makro Planar, though, does intrigue me, but i'm tired of manual focus lenses on AF-purposed focusing screens. I had a 5D2, as well, and just got tired of adapting lenses and getting no real benefit and a significant impingement on productivity and efficiency.

To go back to "build quality" — it's such an overemphasized topic among photo forum folk. Fact is, 98% of REAL professional work is done with Canon and Nikon. Same goes for all the fashion work shot on '35mm' — 90% is shot on Canons. Leica doesn't factor into it at all, despite the HUGE budgets. You'd have to acknowledge that the working photographers who are somehow managing to create this work know something about the gear they're using. Build quality seems to matter more for people determined to separate themselves more by the gear than by the actual imagery. Again, don't get me wrong- i'm a 'sensualist.' I completely believe in using stuff that feels good. I get rid of stuff that doesn't feel good to use. But, after going through more gear than anyone has a right to in the past ten years, i've reached certain conclusions and given up on certain 'trivial pursuits.'
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I agree with everything said here, although I prefer the summicron 50mm to the canon f1.4 - but not the canon f1.2L which is superb.

The 85L is definitely the best 85mm on the planet though...
 
shadowfox said:
Dave, how can you make that case?

Besides, I wasn't serious, if I were, I would make a poll out of it :p
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Sorry. My bad. Just getting tired of Leica bashers and people who jump to immediately disclaim the worth of anything they happen to not like. But that is my problem.:angel:
 
Funny... I searched a silly thing in Google and this old thread came up.

In 2010 I was thinking of enriching my M-glass inventory and about learning to develop film. Now... after some experiences and things I'm really into the Leica R-system. Those cameras give me some unexpected pleasure (although they still don't replace my love for M bodies). Right now I have a black R8 body and would like to get me an R9 (I had two R8 bodies that turned out to be lemons) to use with my other Vario-Elmar zoom.

Life certainly changes... :)
 
Thanks, Derek! I just got my 'cron R 50mm (a nice ROM), which will be my third R lens. Hopefully, my R9 will arrive from Germany in a few days.
 
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