Operating Instructions

146
Characteristics and use of variable automatic
program mode
The LEICA R9’s variable automatic program
mode combines the security and speed of fully
automatic exposure control with the freedom to
adjust the speed/aperture combination selected
by the camera to your own preferences at any
time. This is done using the shutter speed dial
(1.16).
For example, if you are taking sports photo-
graphs and prefer to use fast speeds and large
apertures, a fast speed can be selected. If, on
the other hand, you would rather have a large
depth of field (small aperture) and accept the
associated slower speeds that are necessary,
then a slower shutter speed can be set (e.g. for
landscape photography). The overall exposure,
i.e. the brightness of the image, remains unchanged.
In general, the automatic program mode works
as follows. Starting from very low brightness,
only the shutter speed is automatically shortened
to the set value as the brightness increases,
while the lens aperture remains completely
open. After the set exposure time, the shutter
speed and aperture are adjusted automatically,
i.e. the speed is continuously shortened and the
lens is continuously stopped down. If, due to the
program, the lens aperture has reached its smal-
lest f/stop, only the shutter speed continues to
be reduced as the brightness increases, until
it reaches 1/8000s. If, on the other hand,
1/8000s is reached before the smallest apertu-
re of the lens, from this exposure time onwards
only the aperture is reduced.