Leica R9 User Manual

LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL

SPECIAL

LFI

LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL

D

19088

SPECIAL: DIGITAL-MODUL-R

F

D EUR 8,00 NL EUR 9,30 B 9,30 L EUR 9,30

4 194043 108000 09

DIGITAL

MODUL R

EDITORIAL

DEAR READERS

In this special edition on the Digital-Modul-R
we present to you, in addition to an abundance
of information on Leica’s professional digital
system, the related digital work of several
prominent photographers. In asking them what
their impression was of the Digital-Modul-R
the answers we received were at times quite
astonishing. Our thinking was that most would be
drawing upon digital photography for sideline
projects, never actually believing that it could
facilitate expression just as effectively as with
the time-honoured medium of film.

It turns out that the majority have become
completely engrossed in digital photography.
Occasionally, it sounded as though they were
beginning to remember film as an old friend to
whom they had only little contact. French
photographer Bernard Richebé, for instance,
whose black and white work is featured starting
page 36, experienced digital technology as a
liberating kick, providing his creativity with new
impulses. German photographer Uwe Dürigen,
who at first had to be talked into giving the Digital­Modul-R a try, is now so convinced by its quality
that he goes as far as to travel with a battery
charging emergency generator.

Now and again a sceptic will express how
digital pictures lack soul. But hand to heart:
both film and sensor are technical procedures
for image making, and technology itself does not
have a soul. Should one ascribe this quality to
film, then perhaps it refers to the aura that arises
due to the fact that our collective memory was
largely moulded by film. In the end, however,
it’s really up to the photographer, whose skill
ultimately defines the character of a picture.
In this sense, enjoy the read!

THE EDITORS

CONTENT

The Digital-Modul-R turns
the R9 into a professional
digital camera with brilliant
photo quality

DIETER BLUM

Flying legs, flowing fabrics and the Digital-Modul-R –
photographer Dieter Blum stages movement in aesthetic imagery

R SYSTEM DIGITAL

The Digital-Modul-R turns Leica’s R system into a flexible solution
for those wanting to photograph both traditionally and digitally

UWE DÜRIGEN

The photojournalist shows inspiring pictures from a trip to India
and explains what he loves about the digital R

R LENSES

The lenses are at the heart of the Leica R system, regardless of
whether one uses them with film or the Digital-Modul-R

GARY FAYE

Immediate results and more time for experimentation: the American
landscape photographer is thrilled by the Digital-Modul-R

THE RAW WORKFLOW

After exposure, the sensor data has to be formed into a
presentable picture. We explain how it is done

BERNARD RICHEBÉ

The face of the suburbs – the Parisian photographer interprets it
in black and white and demonstrates his approach

IN THE STUDIO

The cover shot was of course taken with the Digital-Modul-R.
We show in great detail how the picture was prepared for print

4

6

16

22

26

28

36

42

Schwalfenberg, Hair/Makeup:

Cover photo: Joerg

Martin Schmid/Optics,

Model: Flavia Lang/

Modelwerk; special thanks

to Briese Studios, Hamburg

TANGIBLE PICTURES

With a bit of preparatory work, photo printers and exposure
services can deliver high quality pictures on paper

JAMES VAN LEUVEN

Of large landscapes and small animals – the Dutch photographer
captures the wonders of nature in fascinating images

IMPRINT

DMR/2006 LFI 3

48

52

58

TECHNOLOGY R SYSTEM

THE DIGITAL-MODUL-R

With the Digital-Modul-R, Leica now enables owners of
an R8 or R9 the unique possibility to convert their
35-mm camera into a high-performance digital solution.
Here an in-depth appraisal.

BY HOLGER SPARR

Leica’s entry into the market of
professional digital cameras may have
taken longer than hoped for, but the
reason for this was quite simply that the
Solms-based company felt that an active
involvement in this market segment
would only make sense once analogue
and digital were capable of generating
the same, super-quality results. Leica
customers expect the R system to deliver
nothing else than supreme photo quality
whether with film or chip.

In the area of 35 millimetre, Leica has
in fact accomplished a singular solution:
the Leica R9, which normally operates
with film, and its R8 predecessor,
which has an almost identical body, can
now be equipped with a digital back,
transforming the analogue into a digital

camera by means of a simple manoeuvre.
The only difference between this digital
camera and its analogue counterpart is
that it registers the exposures via a
10-megapixel CCD sensor, storing them
on an SD memory card instead of on film.
In terms of size and weight, the digital R9
is no different from the analogue version
mounted with an optional Motor-Drive-R
for automatic film transport.

In order for the Digital-Modul-R to
be completed, Leica teamed up with
two distinguished partners: Kodak is
considered one of the most experienced
developers of first-class image sensors,
equipping the vast majority of digital
backs for medium format cameras.
One of the most famous developers of
such back units, in turn, is Imacon

DMR/2006 LFI 7

TECHNOLOGY R SYSTEM

from Denmark. They now belong to
Hasselblad and were originally in
charge of the conceptualisation of the
module. Together, the three companies
planned and developed the Digital­Modul-R, taking on the by no means
trivial task of converting the R9 into
a fully-fledged expert digital camera,
without depriving the camera of its
ability to work with film. It is this choice
between film and chip that makes the R9
with the Digital-Modul-R such a unique
concept. Depending on application and
need, the owner of this double-action
system can always choose whether to
insert a 35-mm round or a memory
chip. That the digital picture quality will

satisfy the demands of the professional
world is guaranteed thanks to a 10­megapixel resolution, a high input
dynamic range and an accurate colour
recognition; and that the concept is
beginning to bear fruit becomes evident
when we study the respective field
reports or what Leica considers the
favourable increase in demand.

R-SYSTEM BASE

From a formal point of view, the Digital­Modul-R is an accessory item for Leica’s
R8 and R9 and thus an element of the
wide-ranging R system. Leica’s single
lens reflex system can look back
upon a long tradition, scoring high marks
in all areas of photo technology with
highest precision and quality, unrivalled
longevity and simple and intuitive
handling. An excellent example for these
virtues is the core piece of the system,
the R9. In spite of its comprehensive
features and options, the camera prides
itself on its minimum number of control
elements. The photographer is thus

never faced with mysteries. Behind the
unassuming details, however, one will
discover great finesse and technology.
Take the camera’s viewfinder, for
instance, which is known to be one
of the brightest in 35-mm photography:
it enables eyeglass wearers to see
effortlessly into its corners, featuring
dioptre correction and a curtain shutter
against stray light; and the matt screens
are also interchangeable.

Countless other details – such as a
mirror pre-release against shake,
the classic synchronised flash socket
for studio light systems, the multiple
metering system, which can be
influenced in steps of tenths, and
much more – are the result of the
fact that the R9 was constructed in
consideration of people who would be
working with the camera on a daily basis.
As part of the comprehensive accessory
programme we find the Motor-Winder-R
and the slightly larger Motor-Drive-R,
facilitating up to 4.5 exposures per
second. The slightly unusual form
of the camera is very ergonomic;

8 LFI DMR/2006

The R9 is built from high-tech material
such as magnesium for the body. Most of
the assembly process is done by hand,
which, through constant control over the
working steps, secures higher quality