Today’s Best Value in an Analog Leica for Shooters?
How about the Leica R8, a multimode 35mm SLR masterpiece of 1996!
by Jason Schneider
It’s no secret that Leicas are the world’s most collectible cameras, and the recent surge in asking prices for clean M-series and the most coveted III-series Leica rangefinder cameras (such as the IIIg) confirms their elite status among collectors. However, there are also a few outstanding Leica models capable of exceptional imaging performance that have been largely overlooked by collectors and are consequently more affordable. A prime example is the formidable Leica R8, a 35mm SLR that debuted at Photokina 1996 and remained in production until the release of the Leica R9 (essentially a mildly tweaked R8) in 2002.
The Leica R8: Bold—and Ahead of Its Time
The Leica R8 was an audacious camera for its day, sporting a full complement of advanced modes and features—indeed, everything but autofocus. It provides aperture priority, shutter speed priority, variable automatic program, and selective TTL pre-flash metering modes, plus manual shutter speed and aperture settings via the light balance function. Exposure metering methods include selective metering (corresponding to a central 7mm circle in the finder), multiple field metering (6 fields), and center-weighted integral metering, all of which are available in all modes. In addition, center-weighted TTL metering and selective metering for flash are available with dedicated flash units.
The R8 has a Leica R bayonet mount with additional electrical contacts and accepts all Leica R lenses from 15mm to 800mm as well as earlier Leicaflex SL/SL2 lenses modified with an R control cam. Other key features: silicon photo diode metering system covers a range from EV -4 t EV +20 at ISO 100; Copal vertical-run shutter with speeds of 16-1/8000 sec in manual mode, stepless 32-1/8000 sec in automatic modes, plus B and flash sync at 1/250 sec; operating voltage 6v with power supplied by two CR-2 lithium cells; comprehensive LED finder readouts include metering method, operating mode, flash readiness, light balance for manual exposure , apertures in half-stops, shutter speeds in half-stops, frame number, and various warning displays. Both the Leica R8 and R9 accept the same Motor-Winder, Motor-Drive, Remote Control Unit, and Electronic Trigger (remote control) switches, and the dedicated Leica SF 24D dedicated flash with adjustable wide-to-tele zoom head. Finally last and assuredly not least, the Leica R8 and R9 are the only 35mm SLRs that can take a user installable digital back, the Digital Modul R (discontinued in 2007) that converted them into 10MP, 26.4 x 17.6mm-format DSLRs!
Complexity Abounds
The R8 was without doubt the most complex camera Leica had ever constructed, containing extensive electronics, including a microprocessor. It is also quite large (6.22 inches wide, 3.98 inches high, and 2.44 inches deep, body only) and heavy, weighing in at a hefty 31.4 ounces (just shy of 2 pounds) without lens. As far as styling is concerned, the M8’s top was designed to be “Leica M-like” without a pentaprism bulge, but some find it “ponderous.” Perhaps the nicest thing about the R8 is the current price, which hovers around $500 to $550 for a clean fully functional body. It’s a lot of 35mm SLR for the money, and (after a few in initial teething problems) the R8 has proven reliable. Of course, you’ll have to add an R lens (a clean 35mm f/2.8 Elmarit-R goes for about $350; a nice 50mm f/2 Summicron-R fetches about $400-$450). Finding repairs for an R8 (or any Leica R) is challenging and if electronic components are required you may need to find a parts camera, which isn’t always easy or cheap.
Finally, if you want a smaller, lighter, lower tech (but still autoexposure) Leica R, check out the Leica R7, and if you’ll settle for nothing less than the latest greatest Leica 35mm SLR, catch a glimpse of the R9, which will set you back about a grand. Many thanks to James Lager for providing all the photos and many facts for this article.