 Another goal was to improve the ergonomics and to place controls so they could be easily reached and operated without removing the eye from the viewfinder.Although the R8 is capable of fully automated exposure and (with the addition of the integrally-styled motor drive or winder) automated film transport, the location of the shutter speed dial lends itself to manual exposure control, as many Leica customers preferred this.In this it differs strongly from other contemporary SLRs, which were designed primarily for automatic operation.