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The R8 was without doubt the most complex camera Leica had ever constructed containing extensive electronics including a microprocessor, despite its manual operation bias, and in addition was built in a very modular fashion to integrate seamlessly with motor drive units and new backs such as the Digital Modul R. The size and bulk of the camera attracted much criticism although the R8/9 fitted with motor winder were almost exactly the same size and weight as the preceding R7 with motor winder. The styling of the R8 proved controversial, some photographers consider it ugly and dubbed it the "Hunchback of Solms" ( Solms is the German town where Leica was headquartered the company moved back to its original home town of Wetzlar in 2014). This is partly explained by being built to take and balance the heavier zoom lenses in the Leica R lens range. The R8 is substantially larger and heavier than the R4-R7 series cameras, being about a third heavier at 890g than the R7. The top control wheels are sunk into the top plate, with knurled edges protruding at the front where they can easily be operated by the photographer's fingertips. In this it differs strongly from other contemporary SLRs, which were designed primarily for automatic operation. Although the R8 is capable of fully automated exposure and (with the addition of the integrally-styled motor drive or winder) automated film transport, the location of the shutter speed dial lends itself to manual exposure control, as many Leica customers preferred this. The shape is strongly asymmetrical, especially in plan view, with a bulged right handgrip and smaller, tapered left-hand side.Īnother goal was to improve the ergonomics and to place controls so they could be easily reached and operated without removing the eye from the viewfinder. A key design goal was to evoke the Leica M and its smooth top plate instead of a raised pentaprism as in previous R series cameras, the R8 has sloped "shoulders" that blend almost seamlessly into the pentaprism housing. The R8 was intended as a clean break from the previous generation of Leica R cameras, which had been developed in cooperation with Minolta.
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Industrial designer Manfred Meinzer was chiefly responsible for the R8 design, along with a team of designers largely new to Leica or drawn from outside.