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Commenst about the digital back for R9

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putnasaur

Well-Known Member
Has anyone heard when this system will be released? I just heard Contax is developing a new digital rangefinder sometime next year or early 2006. I wonder if Leica will do the same.

Peace.
 
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colin

Well-Known Member
Worth it? Only you can answer that, What things cost and what they are worth often are two different things. Take my Lincoln for ex&le.Oh! God please take my Lincoln!
The price in the UK is around 3300 pounds, but Leica is offering cash incentives upto 750 pounds off the price by purchasing R8/R9 bodies and lenses .(150 pounds per item). Can't find any price suggestions for North America/USA.
Colin
Colin.
 
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putnasaur

Well-Known Member
I'm not going to buy it. Why? Price and practicality. I just found a US store selling the digi-back for $5,000; there wasn't any word of rebates though. Beyond price, I question the digi-back's practicality. Pulling something in and out of the camera gives the camera more chance to attract dust and grime. What if I'm running down a street and the digi-back just falls out?
If Leica had come out with a dedicated digital SLR, yeah, I'd buy the damn thing with a set of lenses. But this product, while great on the outside, just makes absolutely no sense to me as a working photojournalist. I'm sticking with Nikon for digital SLRs.
 
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petermcwerner

Member
I would not change backs; I intend to use one camera body for digital and another one for film. After all, we did the same in the past for color and b/w. Could you tell me the address of this store? I could not find one anywhere yet. Do they have the back actually in stock or are they just taking orders?
 
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colin

Well-Known Member
I don't own an R8/9, but assume that like earlier R's it has a hinged back. Again, I assume that the digital back would attach by a hinge. Not much chance of it falling off. As far as dust is concerned, even a Leica requires one to open the back to load film and then there is that large hole on the front when one takes off the lens. One should always be conscious of dust, but I don't see a removable back as any additional problem as we've experienced that since the Leicaflex.
 
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petermcwerner

Member
The sensor of a digital camera is much more prone to attract dust and is very delicate to clean. I do not know if the Leica digital back can be cleaned by the user or has to be sent in for servicing when in need of cleaning. It would be an interesting point to know before deciding to buy. Does anybody on this forum know the answer? Some camera sensors cannot be cleaned by the user. That is the case, for instance, with the Nikons and a reason why I choose a Fuji S2, which has a protective filter on the sensor, rather than a Nikon.
 
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elmax

Member
I clean my D100, D2h sensors. Never had a problem.

How many times is one going to take the digital back on and off??

The Leica/Kodak sensor is covered by a filter.

Chris
 
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tigerish

Well-Known Member
Is there somewhere I can see the specifications? I'm not sure what this back does. I don't have an R9, and am not thinking of getting one.
 
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tigerish

Well-Known Member
CicLF> Mm. That's really interesting, and a 1.37 crop factor means CicLF> that you can use relatively wide angle lenses. I understand CicLF> that you can get an adapter to use Leitz lenses on Canon DSLRs, CicLF> which would be a cheaper way of going for those who don't CicLF> already have the R8 or R9.
 
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petermcwerner

Member
Leica lenses can be used on Canon EOS bodies (film and digital) with an adapter. However, you lose the transmission of aperture and focus data between the lens and the camera body. This means you have to manually open/close the diaphragm for focusing, exposure measurement is only at working (stopped down) aperture and you do not have auto-flash. It is not a very comfortable solution, but of course costs much less. Btw, the Leica digital back can be used also with the R8, and you can get a second hand R8 body for much less than the R9. I have both an R8 and an R9 and for my needs the differences are negligible. Early R8 are not so reliable, I have heard, but the late ones are.
 
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tigerish

Well-Known Member
CicLF> I use my old screw mount Super-Takumar lenses on a Pentax *ist D, and of CicLF> course their functions were limited in the way you describe in CicLF> the first place so it doesn't matter. I'll look into the R8, CicLF> but I think it'll be a bit beyond my budget. The back itself is CicLF> very expensive, too. If it worked on my R6, that would be CicLF> different. Of course I can scan film and slides with it and CicLF> have had some really nice results especially since I got PS/CS. CicLF> It has a 'shadow/highlight' adjustment that makes all the CicLF> difference I find. A really good investment.
 
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humble

Member
Hi All,

I was very disappointed to see in the recent LFI that an R8/R9 would not be able to use TTL/SCA flash metering with the digital back (? good bye to flash-fill, off-camera flash and accurate bounce flash, flash focus as focal length changes on zooms, etc - just what i love about my R8)
David
 
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ttam

Active Member
>Posted by Peter Werner (Petermcwerner) on Monday, October 18, 2004 - 5:06 am: > >The sensor of a digital camera is much more prone to attract dust and >is very delicate to clean. I do not know if the Leica digital back can >be cleaned by the user or has to be sent in for servicing when in need >of cleaning. It would be an interesting point to know before deciding >to buy. Does anybody on this forum know the answer? Some camera >sensors cannot be cleaned by the user. That is the case, for instance, >with the Nikons and a reason why I choose a Fuji S2, which has a >protective filter on the sensor, rather than a Nikon. > > > > Peter,

The new Nikon D70 has a menu option SPECIFICALLY for CCD cleaning and it is much easier to set the D70 for CCD cleaning than it is on the Fuji.

Tsun
 
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lvd

Member
David wrote:

> I was very disappointed to see in the recent LFI that an R8/R9 would > not be able to use TTL/SCA flash metering with the digital back (? > good bye to flash-fill, off-camera flash and accurate bounce flash, > flash focus as focal length changes on zooms, etc - just what i love > about my R8)

David,

The Digital back will work with SCA flash on A mode. The aperture in =20 use on the camera will be transmitted automatically to the flash.

Save with filter, it will not be very different than on TTL mode.

The flash will still zoom with ROM lenses.

And there is the SCA 307A adaptor for SCA off-camera operation.

Lucien
 
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