pfogle
Well-known
Now that I've got the Canon 50mm f1.2 working to my satisfaction (see thread here), I've been able to get a measure of the backlash in the R-D1 rangefinder for the first time.
Robert White have reported that the tolerance of the rangefinder is approx 1.5" either side of the focus point (see post by Didier here), and that ties in very closely to my observed magnitude of the backlash. In fact, I'd say that the main factor limiting the rangefinder accuracy on the R-D1 is the inherant slack in the RF coupling rather than the short baseline. I can focus consistently within 1cm at 2m distance, but there's a difference of about 6-8cm according to whether the focus point is approached from in front (give back-focus) or from behind (giving front-focus).
This is something to bear in mind before condemning lenses as being 'soft'.
Robert White have reported that the tolerance of the rangefinder is approx 1.5" either side of the focus point (see post by Didier here), and that ties in very closely to my observed magnitude of the backlash. In fact, I'd say that the main factor limiting the rangefinder accuracy on the R-D1 is the inherant slack in the RF coupling rather than the short baseline. I can focus consistently within 1cm at 2m distance, but there's a difference of about 6-8cm according to whether the focus point is approached from in front (give back-focus) or from behind (giving front-focus).
This is something to bear in mind before condemning lenses as being 'soft'.