[LRFlex] Re: Leica R6 or 6.2 opinions
- From: David Young <dnr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 09:10:57 -0800
At 11/19/2004, you wrote:
Hello fellow 'flex users,
I've been trying for some time to decide on whether to
go forward with an R8 or one of the R6's. My friend
has the beautiful 19mm which I cannot use on my SL :(
I know some of you would not consider it a comparison
between the R6 and SL, but if you have any experience
with the R6 and SL would you consider it a similiar
replacement upgrade?
I've read that the R6 shutters were not available to
Leica anymore which caused it's discontinuation. Has
anyone had any problems with them?
Just a side note, I'm used to and prefer mechanical
cameras (coming from Nikon F2 photomic and Leica M)
Gary E
Hi Gary!
I use the R8. I sold my R6 to get an SL. Would I do that again? Tough call.
The R6 (or 6.2) is probably the best of the Minolta based 'R' cameras. It
is small, easy to handle, and if you come from an "M" background, you'll
probably like it very much. By reputation, it is superbly reliable.
The R8 is considerably larger. And it's styling makes it look much larger
than it is! That being said, it's no larger/heavier than an F/Photomic
combo, and a helluva lot better.
The R8 has the best finder in the lot, better than anything I've seen out
of Canon or Nikon - at any price. Slightly better than the SL's finder and
noticeably better than the R3 through R7 finders. As well, it is classed
as a High-Eyepoint finder. Not as good (though a lot brighter!) as the
Nikon F3-HP finder, but better than just about anything else. I can see the
whole finder wearing glasses. Not so easy with the R6/6.2.
The R6 has noticeable mirror slap. Surprisingly, the R8 does not. Now, I
realize that most of the commotion is on the way down, but the R8's mirror
is so well damped on the way up, it feels much more like an 'M' when you
press the button. And the sound level is the lowest of any SLR I've ever used.
The R3 through R7 cameras really need one of Tom A's "Softie" releases for
best results. By Tom's own admission, the R8/9 is the only camera on the
market that will not benefit from one. The release is simply too smooth
already!
The R8 has automation which works as you think it should, and the manual
mode is virtually identical to the operation of an "M". Again, it works
the way you think it should. And the manual metering is absolutely intuitive.
The R8 has a mirror lock-up (OK - pre-fire) that works really well. So
well, that I've been able to do macro work with a 400mm Telyt and get
results good enough for publication!
The top speed of the shutter is 1/8000th of a second. I really like this
feature. Why? Because I now use the 80~200/f4 Vario and the 21/4 lenses for
most work. These necessitate the use of ISO 400 film for general use. If
I stick my Summicrons on, I can still shoot wide open in bright sunlight
for those times I wish to blow the backgrounds out of focus. Something I do
a lot. The 1/2000th top of the 6.2 (or 1/1000th on the R6) makes this much
harder.
All this sounds pretty good, I admit. So, the drawbacks?
The R8 needs a battery to function... there is not even one mechanically
operated speed. The R6 only needs a battery to meter. (I make it a point
to always carry spares and I've never had a problem. The R8 seems to go for
150+ rolls (about 15 months for me) on a pair of CR2's, even when I forget
to turn the camera off for days at a time!
The R8's mode selector wheel is a bit too easy to turn. I find it turns
"at will", sometimes leaving me in the wrong mode. This is rare, but it
has happened. So, when doing something like a wedding, where I cannot
afford screw-ups, I use a small square of Gaffer's tape to hold the wheel
in place. The other cure is to get an R9, which has a small finger lock on
the wheel. Still, this has not been a significant problem, as I use 'A'
mode, and in the other modes, if the lens is not set to the smallest
aperture, the mode light blinks in the finder, making it obvious you need
to check the wheel!
And, of course, the R6 is smaller and lighter.
However, I found the R8/R6 combination very hard to work with. The switch
from the R8 to the R6 was not intuitive. The switch from the R8 to the SL
(when using two cameras) was intuitive. That's why I sold my R6 and bought
the SL.
The only problem is that the SL, lovely camera that it is, languishes in my
kit - rarely used. The R8 is such a joy to use, the SL (as the R6) gets
ignored.
I hope this long diatribe helps you in your decision.
----------
David Young, | égalité, liberté,
Victoria, CANADA | fraternité et Beaujolais.
Personal Web-site at:
http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr
Leica Reflex Forum web-page:
http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr/lrflex.htm
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