i don't understand

back alley

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Jul 30, 2003
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why folks with m mount lenses that want to shoot digital refuse to try the rd1!?
i know it's an old sensor and only 6mp but have you looked at the results people get with them?

and how many of you are really (fess up now) printing large?

i had the lumix g1 and loved it...but not so much with my m mount lenses...much more with the panasonic lenses...but in the end i want a rangefinder and i wont pay leica prices (can't really).

so, why is the rd1 dismissed?
 
Maybe because one per year shows up on my local auction site? The RD1 has never sold well where I live, whereas the M8 is available in quantity.
 
there are 3 for sale here on rff right now...

same here where i live...no cv, zeiss gear...but we have a leica dealer!
 
So much hype about the Rd-1 lately, makes me want to give one a try. I rarely print and need to start doing more and more.
 
I fear the limited repair options should a camera of this vintage fail on me (and failure is not an idle concern given that I once bought a RD1 from a fellow RFFer and the screen did not work so I returned it to the seller). If my fear is unfounded, please educate me.

-Randy
 
I think its the price. I cant afford a 6+ year old digital camera when its 1100$+, and I want one REALLY bad. Its jsut impossible to justify why for many people I think.

Find me one for 500-600$ and I'll buy it in a heart beat.
 
repairs can be done by epson japan...i sent one of mine for a tune up there and it just purrs now.

the price...i can only say there must be a reason that it stays up there. at 500 i'd get another myself!
 
I'd be willing to trade my canon gear to try one of those puppies out, going from full frame to crop might be challenging. I would like to hold one to get the "feel" for it.
 
Suppose the 1.5X of the Epson R-D1 vs 1.33X for the Leica M8 focal length would likely put people off too?

And worries about service too I guess.
 
I really think it's the megapixel count. My mobile phone is 8.1MP, now anyone who know anything about digital cameras will know that the R-D1 will blow the doors off that phone for image quality, but people like specs and numbers, and the R-D1 does not fare well there.

I think the R-D1 is a real bargain right now, but like computers, people want numbers in GHz not MHz, and nowadays a "good" camera has 12MP or more. Of course, if you do a bit of research, you'll know it does not make much difference, but most people would rather look at some numbers than understand the facts.
 
thegman said:
I really think it's the megapixel count. My mobile phone is 8.1MP, now anyone who know anything about digital cameras will know that the R-D1 will blow the doors off that phone for image quality, but people like specs and numbers, and the R-D1 does not fare well there.

I think the R-D1 is a real bargain right now, but like computers, people want numbers in GHz not MHz, and nowadays a "good" camera has 12MP or more. Of course, if you do a bit of research, you'll know it does not make much difference, but most people would rather look at some numbers than understand the facts.
Click to expand...

fortunately, i don't really understand the whole digital thing all that well...i just look at the images.
 
I had two RD1 bodies and they were fantastic. I got rid of them because I had the opportunity to move into Leica digital (M8 at the time) and I had the rather unfounded fear that I wasn't going to be able to get the camera repaired. I had contacted Epson USA about it and they told me to stalk to Steve's for repair. I wasn't aware at the time that I could deal with Epson Japan directly but that's water under the bridge now.

The price is probably a bit inflated by the scarcity of the body and the fact that those people who do shoot with them know that they are awesome cameras and don't get rid of them. The features that the RD1 has aren't found anywhere else by any manufacturer. It's a true one-of-a-kind and for that is a stellar tool. Add to that the very good sensor, which is aged but still works fine, and you have a superb camera. I used to have my CV 15mm on one body (and never took it off) and either a 35 or a 50mm on the other. The camera deserves its "cult" status but what it deserves more is to not be in the shadow of the Leica digital bodies. The RD1 had so few issues in comparison to the M8 and M9 that it stands alone in the rangefinder world (this coming from a former M8 owner and current M9 owner.)

It's just a great camera that does truly deserve more respect. (Maybe if one of the Magnum folks were spotted with an RD1 then it would gain this respect. Epson isn't in the game of providing cameras to Magnum shooters a-la Leica though.)

Phil Forrest
 
Telling people that my digital camera has 6mp and a lever winder gets a lot of laughs.
If only they knew...
 
Phil_F_NM said:
I had two RD1 bodies and they were fantastic. I got rid of them because I had the opportunity to move into Leica digital (M8 at the time) and I had the rather unfounded fear that I wasn't going to be able to get the camera repaired. I had contacted Epson USA about it and they told me to stalk to Steve's for repair. I wasn't aware at the time that I could deal with Epson Japan directly but that's water under the bridge now.

The price is probably a bit inflated by the scarcity of the body and the fact that those people who do shoot with them know that they are awesome cameras and don't get rid of them. The features that the RD1 has aren't found anywhere else by any manufacturer. It's a true one-of-a-kind and for that is a stellar tool. Add to that the very good sensor, which is aged but still works fine, and you have a superb camera. I used to have my CV 15mm on one body (and never took it off) and either a 35 or a 50mm on the other. The camera deserves its "cult" status but what it deserves more is to not be in the shadow of the Leica digital bodies. The RD1 had so few issues in comparison to the M8 and M9 that it stands alone in the rangefinder world (this coming from a former M8 owner and current M9 owner.)

It's just a great camera that does truly deserve more respect. (Maybe if one of the Magnum folks were spotted with an RD1 then it would gain this respect. Epson isn't in the game of providing cameras to Magnum shooters a-la Leica though.)

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

i contacted epson canada and never even got a reply...but they did put me on their email list...
 
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