Epson R-D1 vs. Leica M8

Epson R-D1 vs. Leica M8

  • Epson R-D1 or R-D1s

    Votes: 267 55.6%

  • Leica M8

    Votes: 213 44.4%
  • Total voters
    480
I had an M8 and got an R-D1. I decided to part with M8, as ergonimically the R-D1 is so much better. To me the noise of M8 is louder than the R-D1. Even if my objects would not notice it, I myself feel uncomfortable using it in quiet places. It is a shame that an $5000 Leica M could be this loud. This single issue unjustified my spending that much money on it, so I went with R-D1 and shot with it comfortably and happily, with satisfactory results.

Dave
 
The price is really important to me and I think the pic quality of the Epson is very nice too. If the M8 wasn’t so expensive probably I would prefer it because of the bigger sensor (for exemple).

I can’t justify a 4000€ camera for street and travel photography (my main interests) and I think in the end I would be afraid to use the camera in some situations… but yes the M8 is a very nice camera : )

Regards

Nuno
 
RD1s still available new in Japan

RD1s still available new in Japan

I bought a new RD1-s yesterday at Bic Camera. They also had them in Yodabashi Camera down the road - and I'm in the not so gigantic city of Sapporo. Got the 5 year cover I usually avoid due to the camera being discontinued, just from some of the points I accrued by buying, so the store can pick up repair or maintenance costs should/as they crop up.

Bic and Yodabashi also sell them on their respective websites. Plenty of lenses on offer at both stores - picked up a Nokton 1.4 and the 15mm Super-Wide Heliar for starters.

Anyway, I'm totally in love with the RD1-s, and love the ergonomics and handling of it. From the images I'd seen (as a previous SLRer) I had no idea how solid it would be. It looks pretty plasticy on the web, but I'm love the weighty, tank-like body.
 
I really like the RD-1 especially the colors and ergonomics. However the 1.53x crop and 6.1Mp swayed me to the M8. No way was I going to have a 6.1 Mp body as my main user so I thought. I kept the RD-1 even after acquiring the M8 so had a chance to compare. I found I had an easier time focusing the Noctilux and 50/1.4 wide open with the RD-1 than with the M8. Focusing was always right on at f/1.4 with the RD-1 but hit/miss with the M8. I later sold the RD-1 due to a long story with the M8 being broken I won't bore anybody here. I have always wondered if I had sold the wrong camera.
 
I've had two R-D1s at various times, and sold them both as I 'upgraded'. I'm now on my 3rd M8, albeit the new and improved M8.2. I slightly missed selling my spare silver M8 to a buddy of mine but this has passed now that I have the M8.2 replacement for it. If I were to sell my black M8 then I don't think I'd miss it other than the exposed feeling of not having a backup digital RF.

However, I still miss my R-D1 ... and I missed each one as soon as I sold them. I sold my first R-D1 to fund the M8. I then bought another R-D1 because I missed the ergonomics of the Epson, even though I seldom used it any more. I eventually sold this one too but still feel tempted to get another one - I realize that this is madness but I guess it's GAS at it's worst.
 
GrahamWelland said:
I've had two R-D1s at various times, and sold them both as I 'upgraded'. I'm now on my 3rd M8, albeit the new and improved M8.2. I slightly missed selling my spare silver M8 to a buddy of mine but this has passed now that I have the M8.2 replacement for it. If I were to sell my black M8 then I don't think I'd miss it other than the exposed feeling of not having a backup digital RF.

However, I still miss my R-D1 ... and I missed each one as soon as I sold them. I sold my first R-D1 to fund the M8. I then bought another R-D1 because I missed the ergonomics of the Epson, even though I seldom used it any more. I eventually sold this one too but still feel tempted to get another one - I realize that this is madness but I guess it's GAS at it's worst.
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I upgraded my M8 and am very happy with the new shutter and viewfinder lines. I did however miss having a film camera badly. That's why I bought an R-d1. I now only use my M8 when I need to shoot fast, otherwise I enjoy using my R-d1 more. I think wanting both is a very sane desire.
 
jamriman said:
I did however miss having a film camera badly. That's why I bought an R-d1.
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It sounds unintentionally ironic.
But yes, having had an R-D1, I understand what you mean. Problem was, whenever I shot B+W with the R-D1, I still missed a film camera badly. It seems from images I've seen that the M8 is more satisfying at this stage.
 
noimmunity said:
It sounds unintentionally ironic.
But yes, having had an R-D1, I understand what you mean. Problem was, whenever I shot B+W with the R-D1, I still missed a film camera badly. It seems from images I've seen that the M8 is more satisfying at this stage.
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I suggest you try an M8 for yourself then.
I did, and I can say the b+w rendering from the RD1s was infinitely more film-like than the Leica: at low ISOs the M8 is very smooth (so if film chrome is your thing?), while at high ISOs the texture is posterized, banded and very digital.

As I've said elsewhere, I'll probably buy an M8 again sometime in the future, but if I'm bitter about one aspect of the whole experience, it's that I eventually swallowed the line about the M8 files being 'film-like'.
 
yanidel said:
not mad 😉 exaggerated 🙂
Let's face it, the cling gets you noticed when in quieter environnment.
In my experience, the M8 (not M8.2) gets unnoticed, probably because people do not assimilate its strange noice to a camera. You can be two meters away from a person and most do not react to the shutter of the M8. Even in a church ! maybe also because my leather half-case smoothen the noise.
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noimmunity said:
It sounds unintentionally ironic.
But yes, having had an R-D1, I understand what you mean. Problem was, whenever I shot B+W with the R-D1, I still missed a film camera badly. It seems from images I've seen that the M8 is more satisfying at this stage.
Click to expand...

May be the comparison of RD1 vs M8 for one photographer especially is more meaningful. Hence, I looked at yanidel blog as he seemed to show both. The puzzle is that whilst the M8 color one has its appeal, I like his RD1 B&W picture (in his 2008 Sept archive) much more. Fortunately for me, I still have not enough $ to buy a M8. Still target the RD1.
 
dng88 said:
May be the comparison of RD1 vs M8 for one photographer especially is more meaningful. Hence, I looked at yanidel blog as he seemed to show both. The puzzle is that whilst the M8 color one has its appeal, I like his RD1 B&W picture (in his 2008 Sept archive) much more. Fortunately for me, I still have not enough $ to buy a M8. Still target the RD1.
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And the RD1 is an excellent choice too. Funny you mentionned the B&W pictures of my blog because today I took the RD1 out for the first time in many months. I am having problems with the shutter of the M8 in the cold, so its stay at home. Today I used mostly CV15 and CV28 and when I processed them to the same colors style than I use with the M8, it just doesn't come out like I want. But when I process in B&W, they look better, and definitely better than the B&W I get with the M8.
I had forgotten how fun was the RD1, I just love that 1:1 finder, it would be great on the M8. So really, if your budget doesn't allow for the M8 yet, the RD1 is a very good and fun alternative. Don't feel that you are getting the lesser one because it excels in some areas while the M8 is great in other ones.
Anyway, the RD1 will be my alternative until the weather warms up ... or I fix the M8 (long weeks). I just haven't decided yet whether I will post the RD1 pictures in B&W or colors on my blog.🙄
 
mn4367 said:
You have problems with the shutter of the M8 in the cold? That's the first time I read about this kind of problem. How cold is it in Paris these days?
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it's actually warmed up, but it was below freezing for far too long!

curious, yanidel, which do you prefer for high ISO shots?
 
Yes, the shutter has a recocking problem. Sometimes it takes 1-10 seconds to recock and makes an awful noise. This seems to be a spreading problem though for most it is unrelated to the temperature. In my case, once I return home, problem is gone ... go figure out.

Cam, I really try to avoid 1250 on the M8 unless the speed is needed. Yet on the RD1 I have no problem going to 1600, it even gives a special look to pictures. Just returned from La Bastille where I took RD1+CV28 M only at ISO1600, great combination in my opinion (and the RD1 does not cough ... 😉 ) I'll try to post a picture on my blog tomorrow.
 
yanidel said:
Cam, I really try to avoid 1250 on the M8 unless the speed is needed. Yet on the RD1 I have no problem going to 1600, it even gives a special look to pictures. Just returned from La Bastille where I took RD1+CV28 M only at ISO1600, great combination in my opinion (and the RD1 does not cough ... 😉 ) I'll try to post a picture on my blog tomorrow.
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thank you! that's ind of what i've been seeing from images posted. it seems the new auto-ISO feature on the M8 has been a godsend, allowing for lower ISO's than expected. the 1250 images look quite murky, whereas you can get gorgeous depth at 1600 on the R-D1 (mostly all i've been shooting lately).

as for your CV on the R-D1, i look forward to seeing it. i just picked up a 50 year old itty bitty Canon 25/3.5.
 
EPSON RD-1!!!

R-D1 introduced on March 2004
R-D1s introduced on March 2006 (identical but with a firmware upgrade)
R-D1x introduced on March 2009 (identical but with fixed 2.5 screen, firmware upgrade and support SDHC up to 32 GB)

5 years with life, with not to much changes. The RD-1 will become in to the VW beetle of the digital rangefinder cameras?


Leica M8

M8 Introduced on September 2006
M8.2 introduced on September 2008 (upgrade program, vulcanite grip, black paint, sapphire crystal screen)


The time is and will be the judge!!!
 
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I thought I'd reactivate this thread, since I received both an M8 and an R-D1 last week. My decision to try them was based largely on this thread and other similar ones...and by the fact that I had recently bought a Voigtlander R4M and some M-mount glass.

After a couple of days fiddling around with them, here's what I came up with.

Leica M8​

Pro's​
  • good range of shutter speeds (I like tripods and longer exposures)
    ​
  • good range of frame lines​
  • built like a Sherman tank
Con's​
  • ergonomics like a greased pig...though soon to be remedied with a Zhou case and a Thumbie (will have to cut and re-sew some of the Zhou)
    ​
Photo quality roughly similar to my Canon 5D full-frame (not really a pro or con -- since I also have a Sigma DP1 to compare it to -- but it's significantly better than the Epson)
​

Epson R-D1​

Pro's​
  • exquisite analog meter. It was love at first sight, seeing those needles come to life. I wish more cameras where like this.
    ​
  • set and forget LCD screen and settings. I really appreciated the non-digital aspirations of the Epson
    ​
Con's​
  • narrow range of frame lines for lenses​
  • photo quality typical for a 6mp camera
It was the last con for the Epson that made the decision for me. The photo quality was just too sub-par. I also have a Sigma DP1, so I'm constantly reminded what is possible with a small digital camera.

Luckily, the seller (Camerajapan 20 on ebay) has a 14 day return policy, and they have no problem with the return. But because of holiday scheduling, they don't want me to send the package until next weekend. So I'll have the beautiful little unit sitting on my shelf for a week, silently admonishing me for giving in to pixel-peep.
 
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