Leica R4 with the 50mm and 28mm lenses

5 frames taken with a Leica R4 that I got by chance

By Robert Mangelmann

A German proverb says: “Unverhofft kommt oft.” (The unexpected often happens.) and so a friend called me some time ago to offer me the Leica collection of his father’s estate. It included a Leica R4, the Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8, the Summilux-R 50mm 1:1:4, the Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm 1:2.8 and the Vario-Elmar-R 70-210 1:4.

Since he had no use for it and wanted the collection to be in good hands knowing that I like analog photography, I took care of it. Two of the lenses, the 28mm and 50mm, had to be repaired – the focus at infinity was blurred – and when they finally came back, I took various opportunities to try out the “new” old equipment.

So, I very carefully exposed a Kodak Gold 200 film in August 2024 on trips to the island of Møn in Denmark and to Berchtesgaden in Germany as well as at home in Offenbach/Germany.

The beach of Møns Klint with a tree
Leica R4 + Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8 | F8 | 1/1000 | Møns Klint/Danmark
Reflecions at the harbour of Offenbach/Germany
Leica R4 + Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8 | F8 | 1/500 | Offenbach/Germany
Two guys sitting on stairs at the harbour in Offenbach/Germany
Leica R4 + Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8 | F8 | 1/125 | Offenbach/Germany
Panorama of the Alps near Berchtesgaden during Golden Hour
Leica R4 + Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8 | F8 | 1/125 | Stanggass/Germany
Panorama at the Berchtesgaden National Park
Leica R4 + Elmarit-R 28mm 1:2.8 | F8 | 1/500 | National Park Berchtesgaden/Germany

I am very satisfied with the handling of the camera. It is pretty much self-explanatory, and I use it in manual mode right from the start though the camera offers program automatic and aperture / exposure priority. With the new camera in my portfolio, I also wanted to professionalize my analog workflow a little more and learn from the different manual settings. I did my research and found the analog app by NOSSAFLEX, which now helps me to document the analog settings of each frame in an easy way.

Additionally, the lenses deliver pleasing results when used digitally with an adapter on my Fuji X-T4. Either way, I’m looking forward to having fun with the lenses and the camera in the time to come.

See more of my work on my website rm.photography or on Instagram.

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About The Author

By Robert Mangelmann
Robert is a travel-addicted amateur photographer, working both analog and digital. Favorite equipment: Olympus OM-2N and Leica R4 as well as Fujifilm X-T4 besides an iPhone 14Pro. In his professional life he is helping companies to focus on customers, employees and purpose in their digital transformation.
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Comments

Stefan Wilde on 5 frames taken with a Leica R4 that I got by chance

Comment posted: 28/11/2024

Hi there Robert,

that's quite a gift you got yourself there! I like Leica Rs as well anything from the 4 to the 7, with the seven having a reputation for flaky electronics. But as of now, your copy seems to work just fine!
I like the shot of the beach at Mön best, it would make a nice print.

Keep burning film, beste Grüße aus Hamburg,

Stefan
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Robert Mangelmann replied:

Comment posted: 28/11/2024

Hi Stefan, thank you for your comment and the positive feedback on the Møn picture. I am extremely grateful for this gift and will cherish it and keep it in honor. And I am really happy with the results, experiencing the „Leica look“ for the first time with self-made photos. On the other hand, repairs are quite an investment but contribute to the overall value retention. :-) I just started to take more black and white pictures with the Ilford FP4 - we will see where the journey goes.

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Reinhold on 5 frames taken with a Leica R4 that I got by chance

Comment posted: 28/11/2024

Hi Robert,
Congrats to this fine camera. Having a R5 with a 35mm Elmar, I am quite pleased with it. For recording my analog settings, I‘m using the Crown+Flint app, which fits perfectly into my workflow.
Need to shoot more film again.

Greetings
Reinhold
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Robert Mangelmann replied:

Comment posted: 28/11/2024

Thank you Reinhold for your comment and the hint about the app, will definitely check it out!

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Scott Gitlin on 5 frames taken with a Leica R4 that I got by chance

Comment posted: 10/12/2024

The equipment plus film produce a nice light, airy feel to the captures.
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Robert Mangelmann replied:

Comment posted: 10/12/2024

Thanks Scott, I couldn't agree more.

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