Epson R-D1 gets another look

I've come close to selling mine a couple of times because it sat unused for several years and when I eventually decided to resurrect it and charge the batteries I wasn't even sure it would still actually work. It did however and I haven't stopped using it since ... in fact it gets used far more than my M240 currently and will still be here when the Leica is gone I suspect!

This is a pretty geeky video that doesn't really tell us much that we didn't already know but it does indicate that the RD1 is approaching cult status and rightly so. 2004 is getting on for any electronic device and though I'm sure there will be wizards out there who can and will repair them it will require donor parts and that will compress the numbers that were actually made ... which wasn't a whole lot I've read.

I don't exactly baby mine but one thing I don't do any more is use the screen because that is a weak point and the ribbon cable that connects it is known to fail ... not a problem on the X of course but the X is obviously a digital camera with that fixed screen. Hand someone an RD1 with the screen folded in they will assume it's a film camera.

I have 15, 25, 35 and 50mm lenses for it so even with the crop factor I'm well covered. The sensor produces beautiful colours and the files convert very well to mono. What's not to worship and love about this camera? 🙂
 
Does anyone actually know the total production ... no amount of googling is finding me that figure? I know the first model was 10,000 but not sure about the X which was for Japan only.

It's also very good that the bartender has a resource page on his website. 🙂
 
I was gifted the RD 1s by my brother together with a Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f2. As Keith says, the sensor produces beautiful colour and the files convert well to mono. I have an Ultron 35mm f1.7 and a Canon 50mm f1.8 to supplement the 40mm and I will not be parting with this combo ever.

Tim
 
At one point, I had all 3 variants of this cult classic. There's really no difference between the original R-D1 and the R-D1s after the firmware upgrade. Eventually, I parted with the first 2 and kept the R-D1x, in favor of the ability to use SDHC cards as well the non-articulating screen. I really enjoy the fact that all the key shooting parameters can be set on the camera without turning it on.

Thi model is officially discontinue and original Epson batteries are now no longer available at most retailers. What are you guys doing for replacement batteries?

Cheers,
 
bennyng said:
At one point, I had all 3 variants of this cult classic. There's really no difference between the original R-D1 and the R-D1s after the firmware upgrade. Eventually, I parted with the first 2 and kept the R-D1x, in favor of the ability to use SDHC cards as well the non-articulating screen. I really enjoy the fact that all the key shooting parameters can be set on the camera without turning it on.

Thi model is officially discontinue and original Epson batteries are now no longer available at most retailers. What are you guys doing for replacement batteries?

Cheers,
Click to expand...


Mine came with half a dozen batteries when I got it five or six years ago and they are all still good amazingly. But yes ... that could be one issue.
 
Benny, I have 3rd party batteries called "betterbatt SKU: BBCB-06 3.7v 1500mAh 5.6Wh". They seem to work OK. I don't think batteries of the right format are hard to find. Certainly you need more than one. They are pretty low capacity.
 
I still use my R-D1 whenever the relatively small image size is sufficient. It's fun to shoot, the colors look natural and the digital noise looks OK even at iso 1600. My main long-term complaints are the image smearing around bright lights and the terrible battery life... often as short as one hour. I carry three spares. Along with the other sources mentioned above, I've gotten replacement cells from Z-Battery.com.

Much is made of the lack of repair support, but the underlying Voigtländer mechanism is robust enough and most modern electronics are good for 15-20 years. Leave the folding screen in one position or the other and enjoy the Epson as long as you can! There will never be another camera like it.
 
Probably the only B&W digital files that I have ever liked came from these. If I had to go digital, this would be the camera.
 
One of the funnest cameras I've used. Looking back when I was getting into digital rangefinders and having a digital toy to mess around with the RD-1 really fit the bill.
 
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