Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Pascal wrote: > > It would be interesting to know of other people's experiences with the > current incarnation of the R8. > > How could it be bettered in the future? Pascal, Good question. I hope Solms is taking notes. The frame counter should be live regardless of whether the camera is on or off. The G2 does this, BTW. If you really want to go hog wild, either move or duplicate the LCD panel to the top of the camera. You'd destroy the design purity but make a more useable camera. There's a lot of real estate up there for this addition, which could be completely flush with the existing surface, retaining its elegance while adding to its functionality. And the information you COULD "publish" could be very useful and comprehensive. Could also be a dramatic update (8.2) feature. Eric is right about the mode selector being too easy to turn, especially inadvertently. Yesterday, I, too, was shooting outside (great Spring day here in Maryland!) and noticed strange readouts through the viewfinder, only to learn that I was on "F." How the hell this happened I do not know. And the motor drive is coming, when?.... Fix Leica's marketing strategy. The full page R8 ad says, "...You're a serious amateur photographer...." I've been doing this for 25 years, have a B.S. degree in photography, have $30k worth of Leica stuff in my car right now, and have an exhibit up at the Smithsonian (BFD to all, eh?). Probably am a tad past "amateur" here. Why not just say "serious photographer", which covers the waterfront? This is a minor point but symptomatic of amateur advertising work. Who's writing this stuff, anyway? Photographers should at the very least highly contribute to the ad and marketing copy! That's not happening now. How about a testimonial series of "Great photographers & the Leica R8"? Create the perception that leading edge shooters are using Leica. Eric, are you up for the inaugural ad? THIS is really broken at the moment. The R8 is an under-rated camera, IMHO, overall. One example: I use an F5 and going back and forth to the R8, viewfinder to viewfinder, is startling. The F5's finder is like looking through a ND filter. Bottom line, aside from the reliability issues, autofocus and the above, there's not a great deal to fix about this camera. Now, Leica, SELL the thing effectively! Cheers, David W. Almy Annapolis