I just volunteered and became admin for this group

[driggett]

I sent an email to Jorge about needing an admin for this group and I volunteered. He has agreed. Please send me your suggestions and comments and I will do my best to make this group the most informative group on the R-D1.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[back alley]

welcome aboard chris!

joe

 

[driggett]

Joe,
Thanks. I did not know we had another moderator for this group. I hope I can help.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[back alley]

oh yeah, for a while now.

joe 🙂

 

[Ajax]

RD1-stuff

RD1-stuff

Just finding my way around this site and came across the following courtesy of google,

'Is it presumptuous of me, or merely too early to suggest that this group jointly write a book, or at least an on-line publication on the R-D1? This group is by far the best informed of any group I have found on the web on the ins and outs of the R-D1, and several of us have already written on it for public consumption. I think of the books that, let's say, Jonathan Eastland has written on the Leica M's. '

I was suprised to find someone mentioning the print run for the Epson RD1 book released in Japan at 20,000 copies. I met with the authors and 'father' of the RD-1 concept in London recently and would suggest the figure is closer to 2K! However, with regard to any independent book, my view at present is also that it may be too early. The interest in digital seems to wax and wane depending on who one is talking to and on what day of the week!

And there are a number of problems with the RD-1 which really need to be resolved and I see no hurry at Epson to tackle the issues of focus or viewing accuracy.

I have considered including a reference to the use of Leica and other lenses on the RD1 in my next tome on Leica lenses. I have had a couple of test RD1s for several months and while the results obtained from dozens of pieces of glass are excellent, a number of issues are beginning to gel.

I recently wrote in my overview of the camera in F2 magazine that this is perhaps the camera that Leica should have built. After using it a lot on all sorts of assignments, I can now modify that view. The RD1 is a great digital camera; but it is not a Leica - M(D). I just hope that when and if Solms does get to market with theirs, the problems associated with the RD1 will have been fully addressed and solved.

I have some reservations about that hope, but we shall have to wait and see a while yet. In any event, going on the quality of images coming from the Digital R back - at least the ones I have here supplied by Leica - I am not going to hold my breath that Leica will better Epson's signal processing or colour space.

 

[mtokue]

Hi Ajax,
Welcome to the forum here on FRR.

I was suprised to find someone mentioning the print run for the Epson RD1 book released in Japan at 20,000 copies. I met with the authors and 'father' of the RD-1 concept in London recently and would suggest the figure is closer to 2K!

I received the above information from the publicity office of the publishers, I am still also trying to work with them to bring an English version of the Book. It would however seem that as the difference in the figures is one zero that there may have been a mistake, But a couple of points, to me still suggest a higher print run than 2k.
Epson was handing out the book to all RD-1 owners for free at the Photo Imaging show in March, When I went to receive mine I saw that they had prepared what to my mind looked to be at least 500+ copies of the book.
Plus I live in Tokyo and most of the bookshops that I have been to have three-four copies. Through this forum and to other friends I have posted near 35+ copies to various corners of the globe. Map camera in Shinjuku, has a book section as do Yodobashi Cameras. They both hold a fair stock of the book (100+)
Anyway, Sorry, wasn't trying to make it a big issue.

It sounds like you have a couple of Digital R backs, How are you finding them?
I know that this is RFF but I'm sure that the members would be very interested in what you found. I know that Jorge (Founder) has stated that he is purchasing one. And as someone who seems to have good sources, any info on the M(D) 😀
Cheers
Mike.

 

[Ed Schwartzreic]

Unless I am quite wrong, welcome Jonathan. Good to have you here!

I was the one suggesting the book, and I agree it is too early for it, so I did not follow up. When I suggested it, the postings on this forum were hot and heavy; they have now settled out to a few per day. Nonetheless, I have myself ironed out the major problems with my own R-D1 (namely the RF focus issues), and am enjoying it immensely. If cost were not an issues, I would have 3 of them.

Ed

 

[Sean Reid]

Me too.

Sean

 

[Ajax]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your warm welcome. Not sure I have a great deal to add at this stage. The RD-1 is a fine start and I use it more or less constantly on assignments; most recently out with the Romanian Navy. However, while I like the image quality and it is more than acceptable for most end uses including bill board repro, I am still having a problem with accurate focus, viewfinding especially and the colour space.

I have almost forty years + of Kodachrome culture too deeply embedded to let it be seen off in a trifle ! This is a problem of aesthetic - how the final image looks on paper or on a screen and whichever way I look at digital things currently, it is just not up there yet with that kind of heavy culture!

I have suggested to Epson the next model needs to offer more than one colour space (currently a tweaked sRGB/sYCC arrived at after some considerable subjective evaluations involving up to 30 people.) and should include accurately arrived at 'Kodachrome' ICC profiles plus the facility of .TIF filing.

About the Leica MD - I know little that is not already known. There was a story floating around recently that Leica willl use a 4/3rds sensor instead of APS-C type. I have not seen more recent images from the Digital R modul than those shown from the prototype and which I thought looked very Imacon Ixpress; sharp but in their own (not Leica) colour space. Some sources indicated this was a reason why Leica delayed release while they sorted the problem. I have no idea if it is or not and frankly and in all honesty, I still don't see the point of this device. There are other products out there that offer better value.

My concern about the MD rests on colour quality. I cannot see how they could get the overall image quality wrong, but whether or not the ICC space will reflect the nuances of Leica glass in the same way as happens with film, I haven't a clue. We'll have to wait. And by the time it comes, Epson will be up there probably, with RD-2.

In theory, the Leica MD should be really good. Imacon (sorry, Hasselblad) engineering is of a very high standard. I used a V96C digital back recently and couldn't stop wondering at how well it was manufactured - work of art! So I expect the digital portion of the MD to be of a similar quality and I guess if we want one we'll just have to put up with whatever colour it's got. At least - pain in the neck though I know it is - colour issues can fixed in Photoshop.

keep pressing the button!

Ajax

 

[Ajax]

Hi Ajax,
Welcome to the forum here on FRR.



I received the above information from the publicity office of the publishers, I am still also trying to work with them to bring an English version of the Book. It would however seem that as the difference in the figures is one zero that there may have been a mistake, But a couple of points, to me still suggest a higher print run than 2k.
Epson was handing out the book to all RD-1 owners for free at the Photo Imaging show in March, When I went to receive mine I saw that they had prepared what to my mind looked to be at least 500+ copies of the book.
Plus I live in Tokyo and most of the bookshops that I have been to have three-four copies. Through this forum and to other friends I have posted near 35+ copies to various corners of the globe. Map camera in Shinjuku, has a book section as do Yodobashi Cameras. They both hold a fair stock of the book (100+)
Anyway, Sorry, wasn't trying to make it a big issue.

It sounds like you have a couple of Digital R backs, How are you finding them?
I know that this is RFF but I'm sure that the members would be very interested in what you found. I know that Jorge (Founder) has stated that he is purchasing one. And as someone who seems to have good sources, any info on the M(D) 😀
Cheers
Mike.

Well, you could be right about the book numbers - it's a fairly lavish production and doesn't seem to make a lot of sense arithmetically for fewer. However, no issue Mike; they told me 2K. ??

Leica are keeping very close to the skin on the MD and as you know, have some bigger problems right now. I am sure they will stay with it - cannot imagine a player of their calibre in the camera business opting out of digital - but stranger things have happened. Reverting to core business and upping the unit price of what would become very limited production runs has been suggested by several observers already. My only comment about that is; bet on it not happening or buy now before the price rockets! The next few weeks will be interesting on that front.

See my more general post for what I can tell you. Not a lot I'm afraid; I am waiting with bated breath like many others!!

regards
Ajax