[Leica] R8 motor exposure bracketing and Pascals response

[dvcinc@swbell.net]

Rick:

You had better get your F5 checked by Nikon. I have both an F5 and a R8. I think the R8 has a pretty good meter, better than any of the preceeding R cameras. The F5, however, has the best meter of any camera I
have ever used. I can leave it set on color matrix and have every shot be perfectly exposed on slide film. I have total confidence in that meter. If I do the same thing with the R8  I will have some exposures
that are off. I have always felt that Nikon metering was better than Leica. The F3 was better than Leicas of that vintage for example. But I still think the R8 is the best Leica SLR I have ever used and that
it does not deserve some of the criticism I read on this list. It does not have autofocus which is the reason I have the F5, but it is a fine manual focus SLR with advanced features. And, with the exception of
Nikon, its metering is as good as any.

Bob

> >from: Rick Dykstra <rdandcb@cybermac.com.au>
> >Subject: Re: [Leica] R8 motor exposure bracketing & Pascal response
>
> >Pascal wrote:
> >
> > Hi Ted,
> >
> > And in that mode, it must be acknowledged that the Nikon F5 matrix will
> > deliver a higher "hit rate" than the R8 simply because of the more
> > elaborate light metering system. And I am not even talking about the
> > autofocus... ;-)
> >
> Hello to Ted and Pascal
>
> Well, I think the R8's meter is better than the F5's.  Yep, I find it
> hard to understand, but the proof is in the pudding.
>
> My chromes with the R8 are better exposed than the F5.  And as for print
> film, the lab technicians I surrender my film to produce better prints
> from the R8.
>
> Today I used the F5 for soccer action in flat light overcast conditions.
>  It has autofocus, you see.  In almost perfect light the F5's meter, on
> matrix mode, would jump by as much as a stop depending on the colour and
> texture of the shirts worn by players.  This variability clearly drives
> the lab techs nuts when printing, due to the exposure shifts from frame
> to frame.  Now I thought that 1005 (?) segment matrix meter and RGB
> sensor in the F5 were supposed to be immune to such things.  Not so, in
> my experience.
>
> My nature shots with R8 are beautifully exposed. Again, I'm rather
> dissapointed with the F5 in this respect.  The F5's autofocus is very
> useful, but it does wierd things at the worst times, and I don't trust
> it.  I find using the F5 as a manual focus camera almost unworkable
> (focusing screen, viewfinder, lens turning direction, ... are all
> problems, for me.).
>
> The R8 has a light meter that is a gentle, forgiving teacher.  The F5
> has a meter that is a wayward wizard I will never understand.
>
> IMHO
>
> Regards
>
> Rick (love that R8) Dykstra
>
> ------------------------------
>