Leica R4's...............

Is the R4 a collectable Leica? I have one in minty condition and was wondering

what the price might be for such a camera.

 

 

Regards,

Glen

No. The poor quality almost caused Leica to go under. It was probably the worst slr they ever made.

 

When they were turned in for problems, Leica put the serial # on new cameras and returned them. Basicly they considered them unrepairable.

 

Add to that the lack of mirror vivration dampening and the dim viewfinder.

 

R4 S were somewhat better made. Still no prize.

worth about $200. (I like mine, no matter what Ronald says... )

ha! i just dropped mine off for repair. the jury's still out on whether or not i'll give up on it. the lenses are amazing but the newer bodies are so damn expensive...

I agree with Mark. The R4 is definitely not a collector's camera. It's a very cheap way to start

using R lenses.

 

I just bought an R4 for under $200 and I have been pleasantly surprised by it. However, I

must admit my expectations were very low. The viewfinder is better than I expected but it

aint no Leicaflex SL.

How much of an improvement was the R5 over the R4?

 

I have used an R5 and was quite impressed. However, the lure of the rangefinder was too strong and I bought a CL outfit instead.

If you are interested in Leica SLR's, Andrew nailed it. The SL is a great camera with the best SLR viewfinder ever.

when my R4 breaks I am going to replace it with a R6/.2, the SL is really heavy.

I had an R4 that I used for 7 years without a hiccup; may have been 2nd best camera I ever owned. The SL is the best one I've ever owned.

"Best" meaning reliable.

"when my R4 breaks I am going to replace it with a R6/.2"

 

...I really do not get why so many Leica R users think the R6.2 is the best? The VERY best buy in the R cameras is without any doubt, the R7...a LOT less than the R6/6.2 and can do things they cannot...and I certainly do not buy this 'electronic cameras are unreliable'...BS.

...the perception is that as it was the last fully mechanical Leica R camera it is likely to be easier to repair and more reliable, which to Leicaphiles is a big plus. I have had mine for 10 years with no problem. It may be somewhat irrational, but not entirely so. The R7 is also a slightly larger camera as it has a thicker baseplate.

I have a contrary opinion regarding the R4. FOR ME the R4 is the best R camera having owned and used all other models except the R3. I have really poor vision due to a rare eye condition and these days can no longer focus an SLR. Rangefinders are ok of course except when I am using the Noctilux :) Anyway the R4 has the highest finder magnifcation of .90x and that is higher than any subsequent model. I can easily focus the R4 even in low light. The subsequent models has much lower magnification I guess to make room for the built-in diopters. I use the R4 in AE mode and the exposure is always perfect. I would recommend an R4s mod P, the later version with R5 electronics.

I second what Raymond Tais said. The greater image magnification is very usefull. The R4 is easier to focus than even the r8/9 which has a fantastic viewfinder/screen. It's important to replace the original, relatively dark, focusng screen with a brand new one. The R4 shares the same screens as R5, 6 and 7.

 

JJ

And the R3 is a bad cammera too?

the R6 and R7 both go for about $500. Yes, there is some allure to purely mechanical cameras, no doubt... nothing wrong with that. Many things will be repairable on a R6, no electronics will be available when the solder self destructs over time... maybe not the biggest deal since film may not be available when that happens.

 

Didn't know about swapping screens with a brighter new one, I'll do it, my R4 is kind of dim.

 

There is a bit of shutter lag to my R4 that I'm not super pleased with, but it is minor really.

 

I just like the size and weight and the way the camera looks.

Mark, the newer screens are marked with "Leica R" on the little tab.

The older, dimmer screens have "Leica R4" on the tab.

I sold a nice but used R4s Model P for over $300 on eBay a few months ago. But of course

this was a very late R4 model, essentially a transition to the R5. A genuinely mint R4 with

box, manuals etc should command a premium, assuming that it all works properly, which

may not be the case if it's been sitting idle for years. But unless this is some rare R4

variation, we're not talking really big bucks.