Squeaky Gut: Mild GAS

[Pfreddee]

Never being one to leave well enough alone, I took advantage of the offer from my local camera shop to rent a Leica R5 and a Elmarit 35mm f/2.8 lens to go with it. I've never handled an SLR Leica before, and it's a subtly different feeling from using my usual Nikon or Canon gear. The camera feels more precise, more expectant (if I can use that word) in my hand. I don't know if this is because I know it's a Leica, but there is something different about using this camera, at least for me.

I have found very little about either the camera or the lens online. Little gritty nuggets of information here and there, but a Google search comes up dry if you compare the results to Nikon or Canon kit, especially. I like the camera; I have a week to decide if I like it well enough to buy it. But I'm tempted to add this one to my collection. Honestly, I really prefer an SLR to a rangefinder, and if I had the cash, I'd get their latest SLR offering. But I think I can settle for this one. Both the body and lens look like they were shelf queens, but they work very well. Is a Leica R also part of the Leica experience?

Thank you to all who reply.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

 

[B-9]

I had a R3, with 28 Elmarit and 50 Summicron as my first ever Leica.

I have to agree, although the R3 was basically a Minolta XE, it had a unique feel and form in use.

But maybe i was drawn into the Leica lust by then...

I say buy it if its reasonably priced! You only live once, do you need any other excuse?

 

[FrankS]

Sure. Just a different part of the experience.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

The Elmarit-R 35s are nice lenses, sharp and contrasty with good color. The first two versions were 49mm filter size, second version a little nicer than the first. The third version is E55 filter size, and is the one with the built in hood, generally considered to be the best version, if that is what he is offering you. General feeling seems to be that the 35 Summicron-R has a little better color, but the E55 Elmarit is sharper, and a better lens to get for black and white, though other considerations as well.
I've not had an R5, only earlier and later Leica reflex bodies, so can't comment on that, but I've found it to be a nice experience in general, and the bodies are not too pricey. Lenses can add up, though.

 

[mfogiel]

I have both the R5 and the E55 Elmarit 35 R.

The camera:
PRO's : small, feels nice in hand
CON's : ridiculously squinty VF, ridiculously long shutter lag, flimsy film advance lever
The lens:
PRO's : Mandler rendering - medium contrast, great bokeh, good sharpness ( in the close range), well built, hood well made, small for a Leica R lens overall
CON's: can flare a bit, not as sharp at infinity as 35 Summicrons R or M

Conclusion? - I've Leitaxed the lens and shoot it on a Nikon body. The R5 is used for longer lenses that I shoot on a tripod at infinity, this solves the difficulty with focusing through a squinty VF. Overall, the R system has some of the greatest SLR glass ever made and some of the flimsiest bodies. Shoot these lenses on a Nikon, or a Canon, or if you really want a Leica R get an R4s2.