Leica R4s / R4s Mod.P
During the middle of its run of Leica R-series cameras (think the R4, R5 and R6) Leica was fond of releasing pared-down versions of the main model at the time. After the introduction of the Leica R4 in 1980, the R4s was added to the lineup in 1983. At its heart, the R4s is as robust a camera as the R4, but Leica removed a few of the features to reduce manufacturing costs as well as final retail prices. The biggest change between the R4 and R4s was the elimination of the Shutter Priority and Full Program Auto Exposure modes. Then in 1985 the R4s Mod.P (aka the R4s Mod 2) was made available. The changes here were more minor and were actually additions, with the Mod.P having a shutter speed display in the viewfinder while in manual mode as well as the ability to use both metering systems in Manual mode. Other than these changes, the R4s, and by extension the R4s Mod.P, were remarkably consistent with the original Leica R4.
As a whole, the Leica R4, R4s and R4s Mod.P can be thought of as an incredibly well-built SLR camera capable of using Leica R-series lenses. The camera was based on Minolta's XD-7 design, with Leica-developed exposure metering, mirror box and external body. The R4 was also notably smaller and lighter than the previous Leica R3 but don't let that fool you into thinking this is a lightweight camera... it is not! The Leica R4s features two exposure modes: a metered Manual as well as an Aperture Priority. To go along with these modes are two metering modes as well, a full field integrated mode that looks at the entire scene in the viewfinder and averages it as well as a selective spot that only reads what is in the central circle of the viewfinder and excludes everything else from its calculations. With the R4s the user is limited to just Selective metering when in Manual mode but can choose between an Aperture Priority mode using either metering system. Later the R4s Mod.P allowed Full Field Integrated to also be used in Manual with the pressing of the mode select button. While in Full Field Integrated, the R4s has a metering range of EV1 - EV19 at ISO 100. When switched to Selective the metering range is slightly reduced to EV3 - EV19 at ISO 100.
Rounding out the rest of the R4s' features there is a depth of field preview lever just above the lens release. The camera also has an electronic self-timer with an approximately 8 second delay. The film speed can be set between ISO 12 to ISO 3200. The user can customize their R4s with one of five interchangeable focusing screens and the camera can accept either the Motor-Winder R4 or Motor-Drive R4 accessory for rapid fire purposes.
While the R4s feels a bit dated by the successive evolutions of the R line (the limited 1/1000 top shutter speed, lack of diopter control in the finder, no TTL flash) it is still a sturdy Leica SLR and a decent way of getting into R-series lenses!
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