Hi Chris! Took a peek at your gallery at http://leica.free-silver.org/ and your test shots look good. However, I really liked "Walk by the Canal 1". The lighting on your walkers really adds to the shot! Nicely done! As for the R8's finder not being as good as the SL/SL2, it is true. However, that being said, it will blow just about anything else out of the water, no matter who makes it. :-) The exposure meter (and automation) are head and shoulders above the SL/LS2 (which has no automation). If you plan to stick with film, an early, German production, R8 is no problem... they're fine. The static problems were vastly over-rated and over-reported. Their compatibility problems with the Winder/Motor/DMR are not. If you plan to later acquire a winder/motor/DMR, you should be able to phone the UK Leica distributor and ask about [a] the cost of upgrading, if it needs it, and [b] if they have a record by serial number as to which cameras have been ungraded. They should be able to tell you that. You will, of course, need to first ask your dealer for the s/n of the unit in question. I admit, than since getting the R8, my SL gets very little use... I have to force myself to use it, so that the oils don't go "gummy". I know that Doug will differ with me, in this, but I think the R8/9 is one of the finest picture taking instruments ever built. And mine has survived some rather amazing abuse, including a four foot fall onto concrete! Let us know, what you decide! Cheers! --- David Young, Logan Lake, CANADA Wildlife Photographs: http://www.telyt.com/ Personal Web-pages: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/