Leica R8-R9

Leica R8-R9

The Leica R8 & R9 are manual focus 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras produced by the German firm Leica as the final models of their R series. Development of the R8 began in 1990: the camera was introduced at the 1996 Photokina trade show, and was succeeded by the similar Leica R9 in 2002..

Both can be fitted with the Digital Modul R (DMR) digital back (discontinued in 2007) and used as a digital camera making them the only 35 mm SLRs to take a user-installable digital back. The R8 was the first R series camera to have no association with Minolta and was a completely Leica design, it was stylistically a clean break from the past as well.