Epson R-D1 questions

[dreamsandart]

Hi All,

Well, I did it... just returned from the city and with a new R-D1. This is my first 'real' digital camera and I'm looking forward to getting everything straightened away and using the camera.

And so I have a couple questions:

First is that I've only picked up this camera once before, checking it out at the shop I noticed that the rangefinder patch unlike the Leica I'm used to does not move. Yes the frame-lines adjust to distance, but the center rangefinder stays in the center of the whole viewfinder - Is this normal, the way it should be?

Next , any pointers on downloading the updated firmware to the camera ( I got the R-D1, not s , got the update off the Epson site along with eh RAW conversion software.

And finally ( for now 🙂 Got a Lexar Platinum II 1 GB ( 60x) SD Card thrown in, its OK?

Thanks for your help and any other suggestions you may have.

 

[Paul T.]

Yes, I found the fact the rangefinder patch didn't move somewhat disorientating at first.

When you buy your next SC card, look out for a SanDisk Extreme III - they don't cost much, and you get Capture ONe thrown in right now.

Info on the firmware upgrade, including the PDF that tells you how easy it is...
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32391

 

[RML]

I've put links to all the available R-D info on my blog: http://shardsofphotography.blogspot.com/2006/11/epson-r-d1-dowloads-overview.html .

 

[RichC]

Well, Paul got in first!

It's worth reading all the threads in this forum - loads of useful info.

Two more tips:

1. The camera is somewhat heavy on the battery, so buy at least one spare. Make sure it's a reputable brand-name 1500 mAh, pref. Epson's. If possible, store spare batteries in the fridge (not freezer) when not in use (use an airtight container, to minimise corrosion from moisture), as lithium batteries degrade significantly within a year if kept fully charged at room temp. or higher. Also. lithium batteries have a life-span of only 2-3 years, regardless of use - I suspect that the battery sold with some new R-D1's may now be getting a bit long in the tooth.

2. Depth of field. In practice,* the DOF on the R-D1 is approximated by that at the next largest full-stop aperture, e.g. if using your lens DOF scale with the aperture set to f/8, use the distances on the distance scale corresponding to f/5.6.

[*Assumes that you'll be printing your photos exactly the same size as 35mm film prints, i.e. they'll need more enlargement than the latter. For more info, see http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=241964#post241964]

 

[dreamsandart]

Thank you, its been helpful. Thought I had a SD card adapter/reader but not, will have to wait till tomorrow to try an update.

Anyone here using a Mac and OSX? Any software suggestions.

Thanks

 

[scho]

Thank you, its been helpful. Thought I had a SD card adapter/reader but not, will have to wait till tomorrow to try an update.

Anyone here using a Mac and OSX? Any software suggestions.

Thanks

I like Raw Developer for converting the R-D1 raw files to tiffs. Excellent sharpening, good color, and many options for B&W conversion.
http://www.iridientdigital.com/products/rawdeveloper.html

 

[dreamsandart]

Still charging the battery before I even try things out with the older firmware. Do see that the vertical image of the rangefinder is out a bit, usable but needs adjustment.

 

[jlw]

Still charging the battery before I even try things out with the older firmware. Do see that the vertical image of the rangefinder is out a bit, usable but needs adjustment.

This is one of the easier DIY jobs on an R-D 1; there are a couple of threads here with complete instructions and photos.

However, if you just bought your camera with a warranty and if it isn't too much of an inconvenience, I suggest you might want to have it serviced under your warranty instead. One of our ongoing concerns here is about how long and how well Epson is going to support the R-D 1 with servicing, so I figure this is one way to keep reminding Epson that there are a lot of R-D 1s out there and that they do need service occasionally.

 

[Ben Z]

lithium batteries degrade significantly within a year if kept fully charged at room temp. or higher. Also. lithium batteries have a life-span of only 2-3 years, regardless of use...If possible, store spare batteries in the fridge (not freezer)

Where are you getting this from? I've got LiIon rechargable batteries in various things that I've had since '99 or '00 that are still working perfectly. The literature says in normal room-temp these batteries lose 20% capacity per year so that would mean about a 4-5 yr span. You can cut that way down the colder you store them, down to 32-deg F, which would indicate it's probably ok to put them in a home refrigerator-freezer but not a "Zero degree" deep freeze.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery

 

[SteveM(PA)]

I've put links to all the available R-D info on my blog: http://shardsofphotography.blogspot.com/2006/11/epson-r-d1-dowloads-overview.html .

Thanks for that. It is nice to have a gathering of information at a glance. I wonder why no one has put together a dedicated R-D1 website, similar to the diaxa site for the Olympus XA...

And wow, the UK brochure is so much nicer than the US brochure, but of course, so is the whole R-D1 section of the epson site, with the photog profiles et al.

 

[RichC]

Where are you getting this from?

I'm a chemist. There are good, reliable, sources on the Web on batteries, e.g. http://www.buchmann.ca/article23-page1.asp (lots of other battery info on this site for these interested).

The average lithium battery life-span is considered to be 3 years on average, though that is an average - my brother has my old Canon 10D: one battery has died (aftermarket one, 3.5 years old); the other (original Canon) is 4 years old and still going, albeit it runs out of juice fairly quickly.

 

[scho]

Thanks for that. It is nice to have a gathering of information at a glance. I wonder why no one has put together a dedicated R-D1 website, similar to the diaxa site for the Olympus XA...

And wow, the UK brochure is so much nicer than the US brochure, but of course, so is the whole R-D1 section of the epson site, with the photog profiles et al.

The UK site also has the latest version of the Epson RAW utility (1.21) for Mac, whereas the USA site only offers the older version.
http://tinyurl.com/svmqd

 

[Ben Z]

I'm a chemist. There are good, reliable, sources on the Web on batteries, e.g. http://www.buchmann.ca/article23-page1.asp (lots of other battery info on this site for these interested).

The average lithium battery life-span is considered to be 3 years on average, though that is an average - my brother has my old Canon 10D: one battery has died (aftermarket one, 3.5 years old); the other (original Canon) is 4 years old and still going, albeit it runs out of juice fairly quickly.

Thanks so much for that! According to your linked article if I charge up my spares about halfway and put them in my fridge (which is 35-40F) they would lose 2-3% capacity/yr which would mean that it would take 17-25 years until they could only hold a half charge. I can live with that 😀 Sounds a lot better than 2-3 years till they're useless.