Man those R8/R9 are so gorgeous. Some people think they're ugly... If my DSLR looked like that I'd be stoked.
Ah, yes. The Hunchback of Solms. ;-)
I really like my R8. The ergonomics truly are first rate. All of the controls are in the exact right place. You could run this camera with your eyes closed. It also happens to be one nice looking piece of gear.
I only have a few complaints.
The shutter speed dial turns far too easily and will change settings unless you are carefull. I often lock it down with a piece of gaffers tape.
The R8 is a little on the heavy side, especially with the Winder. It's a lot of mass to quickly raise to your eye, even with a 35 or 50.
It's a rather bulky camera and you really need the Winder to get the most out of it. Even something like an SL looks trim in comparison. It dwarfs something like an R6.2, so it's not exactly an additional camera you toss in the bag without much of a thought.
The viewfinder is the brightest around, but I really wish the eye piece was round like on a Nikon F or the new S2. Eyes are round, not square... But then again this is a complaint I have about almost all cameras out there...
I wish the Winder used AA batteries, instead of the much more expensive CR2(?). You can get an additional battery pack, but it adds bulk and weight.
The matrix meter is pretty good, but starting to show its age, especially in comparison to something like Nikon's 1005 point RGB metering system, which is pretty close to sorcery.
No serious weathersealing. So, far no problems, but it is something you need to keep in mind under severe conditions.
But never the less it is a great camera and I really enjoy it.
