Help me ...

[Aurelius]

I am a happy RD-1s owner as of to day.

When I look through the finder my view looks like this. Problemos? What should I do. Send it back to RW or can I fix it here at home. The local Epson people are helpful and a service partner is also available.

 

[furcafe]

You don't necessarily have a problem if that's the view @ your lens's closest focusing distance. Unlike a Leica M or Hexar RF, for example, the R-D1's focus patch doesn't move w/the framelines when they shift to correct for parallax.

 

[Aurelius]

I think it´s in the "wrong" place all the time. This is the 35 mm view.

When I look att the pic the framing is not the same as indicated by these lines. There is a slight shift to the upper left. And if the focus patch would be in the middle it would probably be OK.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

When I look through the finder my view looks like this. Problemos?

When you see that view do you have a lens fitted?

 

[Mark Norton]

Without a lens fitted, press the roller at the top of the lens mount in an out. You should find the viewfinder frames move up and to the left as you press the roller in, down and to the right as you let the roller spring back out. The rangefinder patch should stay in the middle of the viewfinder view, but NOT in the middle of the frames.

My viewfinder looks as in your picture with 50mm selected and no lens mounted. furcafe is exactly correct that with a Leica, the rangefinder patch moves as well.

If the frame lines do not move when you press the roller in and out, there's a problem with it.

 

[Aurelius]

Thanks for your help and comments!

I have been using the RD-1s every day and I hope I have learned something ... I am so used to the Bessa R and it´s solid framelines so the moving framelines was a new thing for me. And yes they are moving when I focus the Ultron 35 mm.

But then I have problems composing with the Ultron. When I align the left vertical frameline to for example a doorpost the result is something else. There is, in my opinion, quite a lot more in the picture to the left of the doorpost.

Is here something I don't understand (hope so!) or is there something wrong with the camera.

 

[Mark Norton]

Are you sure you have the 35mm frame selected and not the 50mm frame?

I only have a 50mm lens at the moment because most of them are back at Solms being upgraded but I've checked the 50mm lens with the 50mm frame selected and mine is pretty much spot on; treat the outside of the frameline at the edge of the frame and there's a very small amount of extra coverage. Don't know if the 35mm frame is as accurate.

 

[Aurelius]

Are you sure you have the 35mm frame selected and not the 50mm frame?

I only have a 50mm lens at the moment because most of them are back at Solms being upgraded but I've checked the 50mm lens with the 50mm frame selected and mine is pretty much spot on; treat the outside of the frameline at the edge of the frame and there's a very small amount of extra coverage. Don't know if the 35mm frame is as accurate.

Yes, the 35 mm frame is selected. I have a feeling that the final pic is, in comparision to the frame, shifted to the left.

 

[pfogle]

Mine's the same... 35 frame cuts too much slack to the left.

 

[Aurelius]

Mine's the same... 35 frame cuts too much slack to the left.

OK, I think I will use the 28 mm frame instead ... at least the 35 don't disturb the composition!

 

[iUser]

Mine's the same... 35 frame cuts too much slack to the left.

Mine to. It's normal.

 

[sreidvt]

What you're seeing is very likely just the natural framing innaccuracy of a rangefinder camera. It is there with your Bessa as well but one doesn't notice so much with film because it's not so easy to compare the picture (on the LCD for digital) with the finder view. Over time, your mind can learn where the picture edges will really fall in relation to the frame lines. Again, this is true for all RF cameras all though some are a bit more accurate than others.

Two lenses that are both nominally "35 mm" can have noticably different fields of view in practice. The FOV of a lens also changes as it is focused from near to far. As such, RF frame lines need to be a bit conservative. These factors are part of the reason SLRs caught on so well...but I still prefer RFs. One has to "learn" each RF camera/lens combo and it's edges.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Aurelius]

What you're seeing is very likely just the natural framing innaccuracy of a rangefinder camera. It is there with your Bessa as well but one doesn't notice so much with film because it's not so easy to compare the picture (on the LCD for digital) with the finder view. Over time, your mind can learn where the picture edges will really fall in relation to the frame lines. Again, this is true for all RF cameras all though some are a bit more accurate than others.

Two lenses that are both nominally "35 mm" can have noticably different fields of view in practice. The FOV of a lens also changes as it is focused from near to far. As such, RF frame lines need to be a bit conservative. These factors are part of the reason SLRs caught on so well...but I still prefer RFs. One has to "learn" each RF camera/lens combo and it's edges.

Cheers,

Sean

Thanks for all your help and and advice!
I think I am learning every day. Interesting process ...
What a wonderful camera this is.