Buying a used R-D1 - what to look for?

[ChristianD]

I've read a lot of posts where people have into issues with misaligned rangefinders and sensors. I was thinking about buying a used R-D1 from someone locally and he's offered me the chance to stop by and shoot with it to decide if I want it. Is there anything in particular that you think I should look for?

Also, since I won't be covered by the warranty, what concerns would you have about buying it used? Can most simple issues be fixed at a local camera store?

Advice from experienced owners would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Christian

 

[anaanda]

Hi Christian
I've had no major problems and I am not very techincal so I can't comment but there are quite a few posts about potential problems if you look on the R-D1 forum....Obviously shoot with the camera and take enough shots. Go home and examine🙂 Before you shoot get the manual on-line and learn the camera before testing. There are some quirks with this camera like my framelines are slighly titled to the right and they are somewhat off but this doesn't bother me, I compensate. Most rangefinders aren't exact on framlines anyway. All I know is mine focuses correctly and takes great pictures. It's a pleasure to use. Good luck
Scott

 

[saxshooter]

Bring your lenses, do some focus tests. Close focus wide open. Hopefully the updated firmware is installed so stuck/dead pixels won't be much of an issue. FWIW, my first RD-1 shutter died (I think the problem was electronic, not mechanical) after about 13,000 exposures, I used it pretty hard, so YMMV. Luckily it was under warranty.

My framelines were slightly off kilter too but it didn't bother me. Off focus close and wide open would bother me.

Service will be a challenge. Mechanical aspects of the camera can probably be serviced (people speak of Don Goldberg DAG) but there is a BIG question mark as to its electronics. Epson did not fix my first camera, they sent me a refurbished one.

As to price... I am seeing them not move on ebay at $2000.

 

[ChristianD]

Yeah, I've noticed them on eBay for 1700->2200 used. Otherwise they are 3,000 new. I think if the camera has made it a year, it probably doesn't have any bugs that people have found in their new R-D1's -- then it's a question of how long the technology inside will last. Do you think it's too risky to buy a used 1 year old R-D1 (w/ no warranty)?

 

[Terao]

Depends on how you treat your money invested in camera gear. For me I expect my R-D1 to be worthless, have already written off the cost to me (£1000 s/h)
I know it won't be worthless at the end but this way I'm not constantly worried about issues, using the camera and getting the odd ding, etc.

I base this judgement on the fact its a digital camera - not an M3. They become obsolete quickly and if someone else sees an opportunity to move into the digital rangefinder space with a budget competitor for the M8 used values will drop. I also don't expect it to be working in 5 years time - electronics wear out and they become uneconomic to repair

Same goes for my lenses, they're already written down to half what I paid for them.

But then I always was a pessimistic accountant!

 

[saxshooter]

I think when he asks about "risky" he is more concerned about its ability to function (and not its value) since it already has a year of mileage on it. My answer is depending on how much it has been used, but then again, since the QC on the camera was so dubious it is hard to gauge. Thus in my opinion, "risky". But you could get lucky and get a good one.

So my suggestion is negotiate aggressively on the price.

 

[ChristianD]

Terao and Saxshooter: thanks for the feedback. I definitely agree that it's not going to last forever and I'm sure will drop drastically in price when another DRF comes out and just naturally over time (the specs are already a little dated). I would be happy if it lasted me a few years -- then I'll consider upgrading to something new.

As for the QC issues, I'm going to test it tonight, and if it works out well, I'll pull the trigger. I'm also going to invest in some nice lenses, which I'm not as worried about.

Saxshooter, you raised one point that's really on my mind:

So my suggestion is negotiate aggressively on the price.

So, what is the consensus on the forum? What is a used R-D1 really worth if it's in good shape? I've noticed them not selling on ebay for $1799-2100. Perhaps they are worth somewhere closer to $1400-1500? Or even lower? The only way I can gauge the price is based on the current retail price and Epson's refurb price.

Thx.

 

[saxshooter]

Since this is a private sale I think you should try to go for no more than $1500... hopefully he is throwing in a couple of batteries too since you'll definitely need more than one. Good luck!

 

[ChristianD]

The R-D1 was in great shape and I didn't notice any defects after shooting with it for an hour and reviewing the shots on the previous owners nice Mac Studio Display. He threw in 2 extra batteries, an extra charger, 2 1GB SD Ultra II cards, and all original packaging.

I also picked up 2 lenses: a Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit M and a Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux M ASPH.

I got all this cheaper than the price of a M8 body. Now let's hope that the R-D1 lasts a couple years!

I appreciate the feedback and posts on this forum. A lot of the older posts about problems that others have had helped me understand what to look for when testing the camera.

-CD

 

[frncz]

These are great lenses.

Mike