Just bought an Epson R-D1...

[xtian]

BTW, I had to send back the R-D1 that I bought... it was a smoker unit, and the rubber REEKED of stale cigarette smoke. I wouldn't have minded a little, but everything from the strap, and rubber smell made me dizzy and almost threw up... I was nauseous for 2 days even after I returned it just by thinking about the smell.

>_<

so... i'm in the market for another one... *sigh*

 

[Johnmcd]

BTW, I had to send back the R-D1 that I bought... it was a smoker unit, and the rubber REEKED of stale cigarette smoke. I wouldn't have minded a little, but everything from the strap, and rubber smell made me dizzy and almost threw up... I was nauseous for 2 days even after I sold it just by thinking about the smell.

>_<

so... i'm in the market for another one... *sigh*

I can understand - that's one smell that would never have gone. Good luck in your search.

John

 

[Johnmcd]

john, the 21 skopar is an amazing lens, I had it for a few months, but got turned off by the external VF. I found myself using the R-D1 VF all the way to the edge, it just wasn't wide enough... I opted for the 28 1.9, and life has sure changed after that 😉

As for the red stuff... actually got a 9x12 sheet of it from morgan at cameraleather.com, I think it was $13 total. I measured all the rubber coatings on the epson and went to town with my xacto knife and straight edge... I kept the rubber in place, I'd have to double, even triple up on the leatherette to achieve the same thickness as the rubber.. I even coated the FM grip, felted it as well... some may say I have too much time on my hands, I hope not, I still get out and shoot as much as I can 😉

Ivan, you haven't made this any easier 🙂 If I got the 21 I would use my Ricoh (from GRD) 21/28 finder (at 28) and scale focus.

I just concerned if I get the 28 Ultron I'll still be on the hunt for a 'normal' wide angle. The funny thing is that my 40 Nokton equates to 60mm but it just doesn't seem that long. The 28 will end up 42. But tell me, does it seem wider to use in actual use?

The leather looks great. I also did a Nikon F in a real thick red leather from Morgan. The runbber finish on my R-D1 sits quite high. Perhaps this leather will sit flush? The more I look at my R-D1, the worse that rubber surface appears. Did it come off easily?

John

 

[ramosa]

I would say that the R-D1 gives nothing away in IQ to the 20D, even at 800 and 1600 iso. It does have a different colour and feel though that I actually prefer.

I also don't miss the auto focus or the 5 frames per second. The images I take with the R-D1 rely on me making decisions about focus that can only happen with manual focus. I can also scale focus - quicker than any auto focus.

Extra pixels? I don't miss them at all 🙂

I use the 20D almost exclusively for sport (since I got the R-D1) and quite often I crop in anyway. So in terms of printing I am rarely printing all the pixels. Yet with the R-D1 I rarely crop and basically compose well enough at time of taking. The end result is that the images from both cameras as very similar in pixel size.

Before the 20D I had a 300D and never saw a great difference between those two either.

John

john, great thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. i don't think i'd miss the auto focus or shots-per-second either. your comments about pixels help mitigate my concerns there. thanks again.

 

[ramosa]

BTW, I had to send back the R-D1 that I bought... it was a smoker unit, and the rubber REEKED of stale cigarette smoke. I wouldn't have minded a little, but everything from the strap, and rubber smell made me dizzy and almost threw up... I was nauseous for 2 days even after I returned it just by thinking about the smell.

>_<

so... i'm in the market for another one... *sigh*

xtian: oh, man, sorry to hear this! :bang: i had never considered "a smoker unit," but i'd have the same reaction. good luck in your new search ... maybe this means we should be considering new R-D1s ...

 

[Johnmcd]

john, great thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. i don't think i'd miss the auto focus or shots-per-second either. your comments about pixels help mitigate my concerns there. thanks again.

Ramosa,

Have a look at my zenfolio gallery. Lots of 20D, Ricoh GRD and R-D1 images to compare as well as the odd film shot.

I use the R-D1 most of the time, but I could never sell my 20D - it's just too versatile for anything that has action or telephoto or ultra wide.

If it's any consolation I am an IQ freak and if the R-D1 didn't do it for me it would have to go no matter have much fun it is to use.

Cheers,

John

 

[xtian]

back to YAY, just picked up an R-D1s from user VICTORIAPIO. Looking forward to finally taking some shots with this body and the CV 40 Nokton. 😀

 

[Johnmcd]

back to YAY, just picked up an R-D1s from user VICTORIAPIO. Looking forward to finally taking some shots with this body and the CV 40 Nokton. 😀

Yes, I saw that in the classifieds. You must be very happy and a Luigi case into the bargain and specifically a 'non smoker' version'!

John

 

[Thomas Turnbull]

.Favorite accessory-Leicatime halfcase.

Hi Steve —

What's this about a Leicatime half case? Was/is that made specifically for the RD1 or did you adapt one made for Leica?
I just bought a beautiful RD1 so I'm VERY interested and haven't yet found an affordable half case.

Can you steer me toward one?

Cheers

ThomasTurnbull

 

[Broke]

BTW, I had to send back the R-D1 that I bought... it was a smoker unit, and the rubber REEKED of stale cigarette smoke. I wouldn't have minded a little, but everything from the strap, and rubber smell made me dizzy and almost threw up... I was nauseous for 2 days even after I returned it just by thinking about the smell.

>_<

so... i'm in the market for another one... *sigh*

Hehe -- I had a similar experience with a Canonet... replaced the cover with a Cameraleather kit and threw out everything else that came with it. Amazing how horrible that smell is -- thinking about it just made me nauseous too.

 

[bellyface]

john the 21 is still pretty wide, at least the look and spatial depth is the same as say 21mm on 35mm fov, but ends up being like a 33mm. these lenses are bargain priced imo, $240 is a good deal...

I also remodeled my Fe2 🙂 "griptac" grey:

yeah, agreed, the rubber on the r-d1 just peels off after a while...

 

[Johnmcd]

john the 21 is still pretty wide, at least the look and spatial depth is the same as say 21mm on 35mm fov, but ends up being like a 33mm. these lenses are bargain priced imo, $240 is a good deal...

I also remodeled my Fe2 🙂 "griptac" grey:

yeah, agreed, the rubber on the r-d1 just peels off after a while...

Thanks Ivan. BTW where can I get a 21 for $240 - second hand?

I will definitely releather my R-D1 soon. I don't want to go over the rubber though. My rubber sits very high, especially at the sides near the top and bottom plates. So if I was to take the rubber off, do you think a thick leather would sit flush? It may also mean that I lose the raised thumb grip at the back or alternatively I would just keep that as is.

Did you actually take your rubber off to check the fit / depth? If so, how thick would the leather need to be? 1mm plus?

Any help here would be great as once that rubber comes off, there's no going back!

Cheers,

John

 

[kshapero]

Hi Steve —

What's this about a Leicatime half case? Was/is that made specifically for the RD1 or did you adapt one made for Leica?
I just bought a beautiful RD1 so I'm VERY interested and haven't yet found an affordable half case.

Can you steer me toward one?

Cheers

ThomasTurnbull

here is my RD-1 with Luigi half case:

 

[Steve Litt]

Hi Steve —

What's this about a Leicatime half case? Was/is that made specifically for the RD1 or did you adapt one made for Leica?
I just bought a beautiful RD1 so I'm VERY interested and haven't yet found an affordable half case.

Can you steer me toward one?

Cheers


Hi Thomas,Sorry about the delay-just got back from work.Here is a link to the leicatime RD-1 cases line.Not the cheapest but,top quality Leather and Craftsmanship and Luigi is a fine gentleman to deal with.

http://www.leicatime.com/a000-CasesEpsonR-D1.htm

Regards
Steve

 

[bellyface]

john, the rubber comes off and you'll need 2+mm of leatherette... also, there are indentations, screwholes, patches that show thru to the leatherette. No matter how thick you go on the leatherette, it'll show thru, that's why I placed the leatherette over the rubber...

Yeah, my 21 skopar sold for $230 here on the rorum, it's kinda the going rate... it was mint..

 

[Johnmcd]

john, the rubber comes off and you'll need 2+mm of leatherette... also, there are indentations, screwholes, patches that show thru to the leatherette. No matter how thick you go on the leatherette, it'll show thru, that's why I placed the leatherette over the rubber...

Yeah, my 21 skopar sold for $230 here on the rorum, it's kinda the going rate... it was mint..

Ivan, that makes it difficult.

Could you possible glue (using a resealable glue or gum) a cut to measure piece of plastic card over all the holes etc, then go over with the leather? That would cover any indentations and also take up a couple of mm. It would require that there are no bumps only indents.

Do you think that could work?

John

 

[bellyface]

John, I tried it and it just didn't fit right. this stuff is too thin, it's nice cause it already has adhesive backing, but it's just too thin. I covered most dimples, but still you could see the edges. Really, best thing to do is get new rubber, if it's in bad shape, and re-rubber it, then look into placing the leatherette over the rubber, trust me it fits nicely 😉

 

[foto_fool]

I just spent part of the morning going through my R-D1 files. Once more I am struck with the feeling that this camera really does something special, especially compared to the other digital stuff I shoot (don't have a 20D to compare to, though 🙂).

My 35mm UC Hexanon spends most time on the R-D1. That may change when I receive the 35mm Nokton. The 35mm Summilux ASPH would spend more time on the R-D1 if it wasn't parked on the M6 so much of the time.

The other two lenses that I spend the large balance of time shooting with are the 5cm Summarit (in M-mount) and an M-converted Canon 55mm/f1.2 FD. The 50mm Summilux (type 1 - E43) is another lens that does well on this body - it is just that when I want the "artistic" look the Summarit gives more of it.

Ivan - I like the look of your leatherette job. I have been debating whether or not to send my R-D1 body to Morgan (cameraleather) to use as a mule for making the template he needs to offer a kit for this camera. The issue is - I'm sure that all the shipping back and forth would probably require that I then to send it off to Steven Choi for rangefinder alignment. Your results encourage me to get out a new X-acto blade and have Morgan send me a sheet of something.

Ivan and John - I recovered my R3A with a kit from Morgan:

The rubber on the R3A is the same thickness as that on the R-D1, and IMO the camera handles better with the thinner covering. Yes, you can see the shapes underneath the leather, and you give up the ridge on the back. None of this was a problem for me - but you may have a different esthetic.

 

[bellyface]

John, that looks great! Yeah the R-D1 is a bout the same dimensions in terms of rubber, except morgans kit for the bessa has holes for the strap eyelets... I wonder if we email him to not punch holes in the kit he'd do it... as for the rubber on the back, I covered it too.

 

[foto_fool]

Ivan - the thickness of the rubber on the Bessa and on the R-D1 is the same, but the panels on the Epson are taller and wider - the Bessa kit doesn't fit at all, eyelet holes or not. If I do manage to recover my R-D1 myself I will send you some pics.

Right now I'm looking forward to some 35mm lens testing!