Leicaflex

[Hassasin]

My order of trying one would be

• R7 for final refinement
• R6 for all mechanical purity
• SL2 for built and jumbotron viewfinder
• R5 for being a lesser brother of R7, yet nearly as good

 

[snusmumriken]

No-one able to describe the Leicaflex viewfinder view?

 

[Hassasin]

No-one able to describe the Leicaflex viewfinder view?

Haven't I? Jambotron ... one needs to see it to believe it.

 

[Axelwik]

No-one able to describe the Leicaflex viewfinder view?

I have an SL2 and the viewfinder is big, beautiful, and clear. Both shutter speed and aperture is shown along the bottom (pointers sticking up, the numbers are permanent), split screen in the middle surrounded by a microprism. An elongated oval on the right is associated with exposure value, and is moved by turning the aperture ring and/or shutter speed dial; to get correct exposure match the oval to the light meter needle. The light meter needle moves down, not up, as light increases, which is kind of counter-intuative. If the 2nd battery is installed in the front of the camera there's a lamp that can be illuminated inside the prism to make it easier to see the meter and shutter speed/aperture in low light. There are two batteries: one in the bottom for the meter and one in the front for the lamp inside the viewfinder. The camera meters only within the microprism/split screen, so it's kind of a quasi spot meter. No stop down metering - it meters wide open. There's a button on the front of the camera for DOF preview.

There were optional focusing screens available at the time of ordering the camera, but are not interchangeable after delivery.