I want a Leica R4 -- what's wrong with me??

[mfogiel]

I think the whole point of getting into R glass is to get the Mandler lenses - possibly the first versions, as they had better bokeh. In the wides, I'd go with the 35 Summicron - if you want some high performance wider glass for reasonable money, get the Zeiss ZF.

 

[shadowfox]

I think it's cool that the OP is back with his old favorite.

What do you guys say about R7 ?

 

[cpc]

I think the whole point of getting into R glass is to get the Mandler lenses - possibly the first versions, as they had better bokeh. In the wides, I'd go with the 35 Summicron - if you want some high performance wider glass for reasonable money, get the Zeiss ZF.

That was my reasoning in keeping an R film body. I use it with the Lux 80 most of the time. And the Lux 80 is one of my favorite lenses in general, on both film and digital.


Imo, if you want to shoot 24/2.8 you are better (and cheaper) suited with a Minolta body. The 24mm Elmarit-R is the same lens in the Leica R and the Minolta MC/MD Rokkor lines (different filter sizes though), but the Minolta versions are cheaper for obvious reasons.

 

[Beemermark]

Are there any adapters and such for the leica R system? The bodies are decently priced but the lenses, no way! So I was thinking (hoping) that I could get an SL2 and use my canon FD lenses on it or nikons. Can't seem to find anyone on ebay?

OMG a non Leica lens on a Leica!!!

Yes, Tamron made an adapter. They are semi-rare and do not work on all models. Also aren't cheap. I have one, Tamron did make some nice lenses. Any Leica zoom I could afford are not as good as the one or two tele Tamrons I own. My working setup - SL2, 60 and 24 Elmarits.

I also have two R3s. I love the R3, alas they both have issues. One big issue with the older Leica electronics is they are non repairable and reliability is nowhere as good as Japanese cameras of the same era.

 

[giganova]

One big issue with the older Leica electronics is they are non repairable and reliability is nowhere as good as Japanese cameras of the same era.

Would the cure to this malaise be a mechanical R6?

 

[GarageBoy]

Yes, or an R8

 

[giganova]

So I got an R4 from KEH for $100. Looks brand spanking new, that thing is mint! Meter works and is accurate, too. 😀 However, there's a problem:

As soon as I press the shutter button a little bit, the meter comes on and the shutter is being released at the exact same time!

1) What do you think is the problem and might I be able to fix it myself?
2) If I can't fix it, what repair technician would you recommend could take a look (I'm on the East Coast in the US)?

Thanks!

 

[analoged]

I really like my R-E, simple with AE. Also have a late SL which is elegant in hand, and the best viewfinder in the R series.

My lenses:
24mm Elmarit E60
35mm Elmarit E55
90mm Elmarit E55
180mm Elmarit E67
250mm Telyt E67

 

[Rob-F]

The slowness mentioned above was part of what I didn't like about my Leica R4, R5, and R6. The cameras responded to the shutter release with a lazy "cher-cluck" that I didn't like, compared to the authoritative, if tinny, sound of my FE2s. DAG wan't able to improve them much. And I didn't like the body shape, which never felt secure in my hands like the FE2 or any other Nikon. I didn't like how the shutter speeds were displayed, either. Concerning the latter point, I did like that my R6 displayed the exposure just like an M6 does. I did like the lenses, and converted the 90mm Elmarit, 135mm Elmarit, and 180mm APO-Telyt to F mount. I felt confident enough in my wide to normal Nikkors to keep them and sell the shorter Leica lenses. I couldn't get the 35mm Summicron to focus to infinity with the conversion mounts,or I would have kept it. The 28mm and 24mm Leica lenses had nothing on my Nikkor glass.

 

[mfogiel]

@giganova
Just send the camera back to keh. Any technical intervention on the electronics will cost much more than the camera itself.
BTW - I insist, R Leicas, except for Leicaflex, which by now is better left alone, as it is not serviceable at reasonable cost anymore, are better left on the shelf.
If you really want a travel camera with a 35mm Leica lens, get a Summicron R, Leitax it and put on your Nikon body. It will still be cheaper than a Summicron M alone. Alternative? - Yes, you can get a Minolta CLE or Leica CL with the 28 Rokkor or 40/2 C Summicron for reasonable money. Amen.

 

[giganova]

Agreed, it doesn't make much sense to invest in a Leica R system at this point. Don from DAG told me he stopped servicing Leica R because it is not worth the effort. I have a large collection of mint Nikon AIS-S glass and FE2 And FM2 bodies which are fantastic for film photography and I'll stick to that.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

@giganova

BTW - I insist, R Leicas, except for Leicaflex, which by now is better left alone, as it is not serviceable at reasonable cost anymore, are better left on the shelf.

"Reasonable cost" different people might have different thresholds of what is reasonable, depending on how much they enjoyed using the camera.
I recently had Sherry Krauter do a CLA, battery box repair, and recalibration of the meter to be accurate with currently available, i.e. legal, batteries and it cost me around $300, which means I've got an SL2 with accurate shutter speeds, accurate metering, and a nicer viewfinder than the one in my F6, with about $500 total invested in the camera, and it's a jewel. Is my F6 a better camera than the SL2? Other than the fact that the matrix metering on the F6 tends to be somewhat better in difficult lighting situations, no, it's not.
Since Leicaflexes have no electronics except for the meter, and will work perfectly well even if the meter failed completely, and are built to extremely high standards, I can't see any reason for it to be more prone to failure than an M3, and people aren't keeping those on a shelf. It's a shutter in a box, there's just not much that is going to go wrong with an SL or SL2, doesn't seem to me.
Plus, there's that whole feeling some of us have that it's just nicer to use lenses on the bodies they were made for, everything just works. But, that's another thread.
To each his own, and I'd agree about being nervous about R bodies, but Leicaflexes are a joy, at least they have been for me. Odds are very strong that I will die before those bodies. But, I'm old.

 

[mfogiel]

^^
I had a Leicaflex that had some winding issues and the shutter was no longer accurate. I got an estimate of 1200EUR for fixing these from the ONLY official Leicaflex repair place left in Germany....

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Rant mode on: why, oh why, do we say "invest" when we are talking about "buying" cameras and getting them repaired etc?

If you are buying to use then you have to get them checked etc and that costs money that you'll never recover, unless the ebay fairy smiles at you and a bidding war is started.

So just buy them and use them and enjoy them and forget investing.

OK; rant over. I'll take a tablet and lie down for a while...

Regards, David

PS Years ago a quote for my R5 and f/2.8 35mm lens to be thoroughly sorted out came to about 900 to a thousand pounds. I forget the exact amount but I was shocked. Since then I've looked at cheap but tasty bodies on ebay and worried because they have that special something that few others have (like the OM's and Pentaxes and Minoltas). But, do look at the cost of a couple of decent R lenses first.

 

[leicapixie]

I think wishing the OP all the best of luck and enjoyment,
is the order of the day.

He has taken the challenge and bought one.
I remember years ago, being offered a Zeiss Contarex Outfit,
including a SE body(electronic) and one mechanical one.
A superb kit of lenses, all Zeiss of course.
I was hesitant, as Zeiss was exiting South Africa ( before the so called sanctions).
Later one would hear their camera and lens was over for a time..
It would mean no official after service.
I asked other technicians, who would definitely not work on those products..
In time, my choice of Pentax, was a very good one.
Later Nikon-F, but I KEPT my Pentaxes!
The Leitz SLR lenses are good, some excellent.
The infusion of Minolta well documented.

The OP has not invested much, so any loss would be easily handled.
Yet at $100, I added a few Pentax Spotmatic bodies, 2xMinolta SLR,
the XD-11, XG,
a pristine Canon AV-1, lenses, 28mm,35mm,45mm,50mm,55mm.
I think my investment better.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

^^
I had a Leicaflex that had some winding issues and the shutter was no longer accurate. I got an estimate of 1200EUR for fixing these from the ONLY official Leicaflex repair place left in Germany....

1200EUR! Whoa. I take your point. Yes, I would have bailed well before that.
Sherry Krauter has what seems to be a large parts inventory for these cameras which she hoovered up long ago, and I found her to be quite reasonable for repair of older Leicas. She also loves Leicaflexes and that might be part of it.
My main reason for posting was that I hated to see people reading old posts after doing a Google search and being put off of these cameras because they are unrepairable, as my recent experience has been quite the contrary. Perhaps only in the States, and perhaps I just got lucky.