Leica R8, what a brick of a camera !

[italy74]

Hi guys

not to start any "gas" for anyone but today I had the opportunity to handle for a few minutes a Leica R8 with a 35 mounted. What kind of a brick it is - I then discovered it was actually the lens weighting so much - and what a HUGE and bright viewfinder it has ! Actually I found it more or less at par with F6 with magnifier mounted (which is a tad bigger, though, but you don't see well the sides). Also the shutter click (which feels like a smoothed "clock") has kind of pleasant to both ear and feel. It looks like something SOLID is happening inside the camera.

Overall, the weight with a lens mounted is probably the first and most remarkable thing you notes. Probably the R9, being lighter and whose weight is distributed differently would be better to handle, yet if you can try one, do it.

 

[Ken Shipman]

The R8/R9 is one of my all-time favorite SLR designs. There are so many well thought out features. I still lament the demise of the R10 digital body.
I assume you had the 35 Summilux mounted; it is a heavy lens. The Summicron isn't so heavy of course. The R8/R9 handles any of the R lenses well, even the very fast and heavy ones. You should try the 80mm Summilux-R if you get a chance. It reminds me of the 75 Summilux-M in the way it performs.

 

[kdemas]

The R8 and R9 are really beautifully made, so true. I still have an R9 that I use with a 50 cron, very nice combo.

My only gripe is the shutter button and strap lug placements. Both are a bit awkward in my opinion, detracting from the cameras terrific organic shape and feel. The shutter button requires a very loooong reach compared to cameras like the F6, awkward for me. A drive solves this problem with the auxiliary shutter release.

That said, what a beautiful viewfinder!

Kent

 

[elmer3.5]

Differences?

Differences?

Hi, once i grabbed one but it´s so well designed that it didn´t felt bulky in my hands!

Please tell me the differences between each R8 and R9!

Bye!