Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Mon, 20 August 2001, "Lee, Jonathan" wrote: > > LUGers, > > My wife is expressing a budding interest in photography (bless her for > that!). She doesn't like my M6 and also wants to do some macro/flower > stuff. Now, that I've dumped all my Nikon stuff, I've no SLR for her. I've > noticed that the R4 is very cheap relative to the other Leica SLRs. I've > searched the archives but couldn't find a thread on R4 durability. Could > any ex or current R4 users comment on an R4 for a beginner photographer? > > thanks > > Jonathan Lee I'd recommend either an SL or R4sP instead, depending on her desire for automation and her willingness to lift weights. The earliest R4 production was very unreliable, while the late production (s/n 1,600,000+) was good. IMHO the idiot-proofed switches introduced with the R4sP are very handy, and the R4sP has always been reliable. OTOH the SL has a much better viewfinder, feels much more like a Leica ought to, and is nearly indestructible. Some repair technicians no longer service R4-series cameras while the SL is considered by many to be among the best mechanical SLR cameras ever made, and has a very loyal following among users (myself included) and repair technicians. See: http://www.wildlightphoto.com/leica/SL.HTM http://www.wildlightphoto.com/leica/R4.HTM Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com ___________________________________________________ The ALL NEW CS2000 from CompuServe Better! Faster! More Powerful! 250 FREE hours! Sign-on Now! http://www.compuserve.com/trycsrv/cs2000/webmail/