Epson R-D1 - the story so far... lots of photos :)

[Hamish Gill]

About 4 years ago i bought a second hand Epson R-D1 ...
It was a really great bit of kit!
For those who don't know, the Epson R-D1 is a digital rangefinder, similar to the leica m8, it was in fact the first digital rangefinder, released in 2004 a clear 2 years before the M8

Unfortunately mine deteriorated over the course of its time with me, the sensor has basically failed, causing a lot of banding and green coloration to a potion of the photo...

Because of this it has sat unused for 2 years ...
I decided today to make some inquiries regarding getting it fixed
I have spoken to independent repair agent before, but the only one who said he could fix it said he had never replaced the sensor!
Today I spoke to Epson...
A bit of too and fro and they have agreed to replace it with a guaranteed refurbished one, for the nominal fee of £200!
All i needed to do was send it to Epson and they have said they will have the replacement back to me before the end of the week!

I am absolutely over the moon!

I had agonised over getting this repaired or buying the x100 ... now i have both!
It should be interesting comparing the two!
The Epson is obviously manual focus, it takes leica m mount and ltm lenses ... of which i have a few.
Its not a patch on the x100 in low light, but it does produce arguably film like grain!

some shots from prior to its demise... various long forgotten amounts of tweaking

not very film like in this one i admit... this was very pushed

 

[Pete Askew]

What fantastic news Hamish. I so nearly bought the R-D1 but was still mainly shooting film at the time and it was just too early for me. There are many aspects of this camera I really like and I'm looking forward to seeing some new images from one. As you say, a different beast to the X100 and it'll be interesting to hear, first hand, how they differ.

I'm sure you've seen this before:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/epson-rd1.shtml

 

[Hamish Gill]

I have looked at that many times
Some great shots of the camera for those interested...
Im not sure if he covers this in thet review, but one feature oft overlooked is its 1:1 viewfinder...
The world through the view finder is the same size as the real world!
the effect of this is the ability to shoot with both eyes open ... it takes a little getting used to, but eventually the framing lines almost appear to be superimposed over your vision as a whole! It makes for quite an unusual but somehow very natural shooting experience ... that is something that no leica DRF does
With all your kit Pete, i would still consider buying one, despite you owning the m8 and m9 i think it would still add something quite significant!

 

[Pete Askew]

I have read others comment on the one-to-one aspect as well. It's never a problem for me as I always use my left eye but only because it is my 'better' eye - it would be so much more convenient the other way round!. The VF magnifiers get you close to this but not as close as the R-D1 although I think there is a Japanese manufacturer that makes one that does.

As to an R-D1, we'll see...

 

[Hamish Gill]

BAM r-d1s
Ex demo, mint £200 ... Mint!!

I've missed this camera!

 

[Thomas brookes]

I have no idea what a range finder is but enjoyed your photos very much!!!!

 

[Pete Askew]

Excellent news and what a great first shot! Love it!

 

[Hamish Gill]

Cheers chaps!

I'll show you next time I see you Tom ... It's a type of camera I think you would like!
Have a look at my Bessa r2a review ... That should help!
http://www.realphotographersforum.com/content/387-voigtlander-bessa-r2a-review.html