New epson rd1 with Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 Super Wide Heliar focusin problem...

Y

yavaro

Member
Local time
2:25 AM
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
27
View My Gallery
Dear All,

I just receive my new rd1 from Hongkong and I purchase a second hand Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 Super Wide Heliar, maybe not the best lens to start with a rangefinder camera no..?:bang:

And I have a problem with focusing.
When I try to focus looking thought finder small square, I can see the two images. But I move the focus ring and the images stay in the same position ,they don't come together.

My question is that this is normal because the Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 Super Wide Heliar it's not a rangefinder couple or because I have a defect on my new r-d1.

Sorry for my ignorance and thank you for the help.
 
This lens is not rangefinder coupled, so this behaviour is absolutely normal.

Focusing by scale with this lens is really easy. Use DOF scale on the lens. But as this is meant for using on film you can use it a little different. If you use f8 you can look at the scale at f5.6 (1stop wider open) to get the appropriate DOF-range for the Epson.

Rainer
 
Last edited:
Don't worry. Your Epson R-D1 is fine. As rainerV pointed out, the lens is not rangefinder coupled. Voigtlander's 12 mm and the 25mm LTM lens are also not rangefinder coupled.

Cheers,
 
Thank you very much for your fast response !!!

So I will need to get my second lens soon, a the nokton 40mm 1.4.

I was comparing the pictures I made this days with the rd1 and the ones I made with my ricoh grd2, and the diference it's not that big. The ricoh as a very good quality.

thanks
 
The depth of field of the Heliar even at f4.5 is very large ... if you learn a little about hyperfocal distance you'll have absolutely no problems with sharp images. As long as you understand the basics of how it works and how to set your lens using the distance and aperture scales you'll be fine with it.

Check this link for a basic explanation ... http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html 🙂
 
The GRD2 is an excellent small DC. If one is not familiar with his R-D1, M8 or DSLR, it's very likely that one gets better results from the GRD2 than the others.

There is no do-it-all camera, IMHO. I own both the R-D1s and the GRD2; if I mount lenses like the Summicron 35/2.0 IV, Nokton 35/1.2 or Super-Angulon 21/3.4 on the R-D1s, they got me pictures that I can't possibly get with the GRD2. Yet when I prefer the "GR color" (it's been famous since the GR1 days), you can't get it with the R-D1 either.

A shallow depth of field is what can't be done with any small DC yet, and that's when you'll use the R-D1 with a >f4 lens. The Super Wide Heliar 15mm f4.5, on the contrary, has a very long DOF even at 4.5, thus not a good choice to tell the difference of a digital rangefinder and the GRD2.
 
another GRD owner here, and it's precisely why i've chosen *not* to get wider lenses on my R-D1. for 28mm, i already have what i need!

the Nokton 40/1.4 will be a very nice complement.
 
cam said:
another GRD owner here, and it's precisely why i've chosen *not* to get wider lenses on my R-D1. for 28mm, i already have what i need!
Click to expand...
I got the Ultra Wide Heliar 12/5.6. That's a 18mm on my R-D1s. Still much wider than my beloved GRD2. 😉

Even though the 15/4.5 equals 24 with the R-D1, please know that a 24 is still very different from a 28. That's why I still keep both the Natura Black F1.9 (24mm) and the Minolta TC-1 (28mm).

The 15/4.5 + R-D1 combination gives very distinctive images with the vignetting and the distortion around the edge area. This is also what makes it very different from a GRD2 shot. You can go to flickr.com and look for the work of Tommy Oshima. He's got some great work with this combination (15/4.5 + R-D1).
 
not going to look!

i am trying desperately to control my lust for lenses (and you're already reminding me of my love for the SA 21mm that i can't afford :bang: ) so i'm focusing on the longer lengths i can't get with the Ricoh.
 
Deepwhite I both the 15/4.5 because I saw the pictures of Tommy Oshima ( amazing work).

And yes I like a lot the vignetting it give ( I don't need to put after on Lightroom 🙂 ), and the image it's less distortion that with the grd2 in close objects.
 
cam said:
not going to look!

i am trying desperately to control my lust for lenses (and you're already reminding me of my love for the SA 21mm that i can't afford :bang: ) so i'm focusing on the longer lengths i can't get with the Ricoh.
Click to expand...
Loooook ! 😛 The 15mm on the RD1 is a beauty and the vignetting gives it a special look. It gets some time to get used to the outside viewfinder (I use the regular CV21mm finder for that) but this is definitely one of my favorite lens on the the RD1. It corresponds to a 23mm, so much wider than your GRD. Here is an example :
2745690877_2ba0e39789_b.jpg

showphoto.php
 
hi yayaro,

There are some difference in the real world condition of the two photos you posted above, for example, the shooting angle which led to different amount of light into the lenses.

Yet as a lover of both R-D1s and GRD2, I would say that these two photos do show the difference between the two cameras. Everything looks more 3D in the R-D1 shot, while the color transition is also smoother. I haven't seen your original files, but I guess the R-D1s will look "cleaner" due to its larger sensor size.

Shoot more! The 15/4.5 is a great lens. I did some heavy comparison between this one and the 12/5.6; first I came home with the 15/4.5, but the next day I went back and exchanged it with the 12/5.6. Not because I think the 12/5.6, but because I already have a 24mm (Natura Black F1.9).

p.s.: This is off topic, but I also suggest that, if you have the budget, get yourself a Bessa R2/3/4A and enjoy these lenses in the film world too.
 
Hi deepwhite,

I agree with you, the grd2 picture look more flat.

I did today more shots and I like the lens, I hope one day my pictures look closer to the ones of Tommy Oshima.

I don't think I will go analogue, I am from the digital generation (born with a spectrum 16k). It will take me a long time to learn all the analogue technique.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom