[LRFlex] Re: R8 Winder problem?
- From: Alex Hurst <corkflor@xxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 19:34:36 +0100
David and I wrote in part:
Alex Hurst (who also owns a Nikon F3-HP) gloated:
Anybody have a better idea?
Yep - get yourself a Nikon MD-4 motor drive (99.9% reliable), and a
Nikon F3..... :-)
It's true, the Nikon F3-HP with MD-4 (its HUGE!) motor is probably
the most reliable motorized camera out there.
Me? Gloat? It's a great , but heavy, combo. But IMHO the SL2 is still
the best SLR ever made, despite the fact that it's not a true system
camera. I won't be getting a winder for it either...... :-)
Seriously folks, Leica always seem to have problems with winders.
Not entirely true...The Winder-R on either the R5 or R6 seems
totally reliable. Never hiccuped for a moment.
Having used your F3 HP, Alex, I sometimes think that selling the
Leicas and going back to Nikon might be an option. The ability to
see the entire viewfinder, while wearing glasses, is superior to
anything Leica can offer.
But the brilliance of the F3-High Eyepoint finder is more similar to
the R3 & R4s. (the R5 & later were a bit brighter). And the silky
smoothness of the Leica simply isn't there.
I tend to agree - if you wear glasses. It's the first Nikon v/f which
begins to approach the brilliance of the SL and SL2 'flexes. Not
quite as good, but within a whisker. I think a lot of it has to do
with the fact that the metering cell is no longer in the finder head,
but in the body as it is on the 'flexes.
I admit, my R8 has given my more trouble than any camera I've ever
owned. However, the camera is such a joy to use. The mechanism is
so smooth, nothing Nikon has ever made comes close. Its metering is
the equal of the F5 (vastly superior to the F3) and the lenses....
ah yes... the lenses...
Nikon bodies are tough and well-engineered. Leica bodies are equally
tough and the ultimate in precision engineering in cameras. None of
my Nikons comes anywhere near the 'flex feel.
Don't get me wrong... some of the Nikon glass is very, very good.
But I've never seen glass like Leica's. That's what took me away
from Nikon, in the 80's, and that's what has kept me in Leica ever
since. The 80~200/f4 Vario Elmar is superior (sharpness & contrast)
to any Nikon prime lens I've ever used. (That's not supposed to be
possible with a zoom!)
Leica glass is amazingly consistent., which Nikon glass certainly
isn't. It's not just a question of sharpness, but the 'plastic' 3D
quality which most Leica glass seems to have.
The brand new one I bought for my R3 either ran away with film or
didn't work at all. It is now in my junk cupboard (closet?)
Sadly, the R3 wasn't much better than it's winder. :( At least, mine
wasn't!
OTOH, with its' motor mounted, the R3 makes a nice anchor for a
small boat. ;-)
The R3 makes a nice entry-level R camera - if you like Minoltas.
Mine feels nothing like a Leica, and its v/f is not a patch on the
F3's - or even the F2's. If I inadvertently lost it overboard, I
wouldn't grieve too much - which I certainly would if one of my SL2s
ended up in the drink.
Best
Alex
--
Alex Hurst
Waterfall
Nr. Cork
Ireland
Tel: +353 214 543 328 (H)
+353 214 270 907 (W)
Fax: +353 214 271 248
email: corkflor@xxxxxx
Also: corkflor.2@xxxxxxxxxx (when in the UK, which isn't often)
Home website: http://www.iol.ie/~corkflor/
Business website: http://www.corkflorists.com/
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