Leica R8–R9
About 1990 Leica management decided to break away from the Minolta co-developed cameras and design a completely new replacement in house.
A new team of developers were put on the project and some of their design briefs were:
- A completely new design with no links to previous models
- Best possible ease of use especially in manual control
- Maximise benefits of electronic control
The industrial designer ?? was employed and given the brief to make the camera look less like a conventional SLR and more like the flat topped M cameras.
When the camera was released in 1996 it met a very mixed reception, attracting criticism for its size and the styling was also not universally appreciated, some derisively calling it "The Hunchback of Solms".