I want to acquire a R-D1

L

Licorice

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I was reading this forum for some time now and I joined in to ask some questions hoping for answers that will guide me well.

I am 43 years old and my first RF was a Yashica Electro 35 with a fixed 45 mm lens. Then I shoot Nikon F90X, later D90 and had a couple of compact cameras such as Canon S3IS and Leica D-Lux 3 and now D-Lux 4.

I am fed up with a DSLR and I considered Panasonic GF1 to simplify my gear and be able to carry a capable camera with me everyday.

However I think I would better get with a DRF with a fast lens since I like to shoot with available light, sometimes need shallow DOF, and like to have a simple camera, enjoy manual focus etc. The only option for me is an Epson R-D1 now, since Leica Ms are way more than I can afford. To be honest I also seem to prefer R-D1 photos to even M8.

I intend to buy and R-D1 on e-bay and I believe I should make sure the rangefinder is properly aligned (anyway it can be done at home, right?) and the software updated to R-D1s. And do I need to check the serial number? Is one with serial# on 4000s better than 1000s? Or all 10 thousand units produced in one batch, all at the same production quality?

How many actuations is the shutter's lifespan ?

Is there any other issues with the camera that I should be careful with?

And two side questions :
- Which low cost fast lens would you recommend me for lovely bokeh? Voigtlander 40 mm f/1.4 ? Or 50 mm f/1.1 ?

- Just curious about the new software on the new R-D1x. The EDiART. Is it a big improvement over R-D1s? Probably there is no user here with a R-D1x, well maybe some heard something about it. (Anyway there is no way I would spend $3000 for it)

Thank you in advance.
 
I got an RD1 with RD1s software upgrade for the same reason and I was lucky to get a good one newly CLA'd by Steve Choi from here. The 40 1.4 is a gem with the RD1 as can be seen in some posts of sample pics using this lens. I am using this set-up as well and a VC 28 2.0. Just make sure it has a recent RF adjustment and if not you can easily DIY with some instructions from Cuttler site.
 
I would wait for an RF-1 to come up for sale here at RFF. Chances are, the person has used it. You can also look at the posts that they have made on the forum and learn something of their character.

I felt much better buying a used M8 here, could read posts by the seller, and communicate with them via PM.
 
Second Brian's opinion there. They pop up several times a month. Legitimate reasons for selling too. Those that have been sold on ebay lately haven't been that cheap either. Or they've been quite cheap, but definitely chearful. An R-D1(s) with a recent CLA would be good. Expect to pay $1100 to $1400 depending. Some ask for more, but then they should be more or less as new.
 
Thank you for yours. It would be good to have one coming up here however there are some on ebay who is sold by experienced sellers with 100% positive feedbacks and I think I can trust them.

What is strange in some sites I found very cheap R-D1s sold in Spain. Some are down to EURO 220 and the highest prices is EUR 750 and there is even a new R-D1XG for EUR 1400 which is equivalent to around USD 2050. Maybe its because the demand in Spain is lower than in USA or UK?
 
I agree to wait for one to come up here. I bought, then sold mine here a while back. However, I didn't take my own advice; I bought an M8 from ebay.
 
Take care in Spain. If you have seen it on webs like segundamano, etc. it could be a fake. You can find there Leicas M8 for 350 or 500 Euro. If you send the money, you will never get the camera. There are a lot of high qualitiy gadgets anounced for very low prices ... I looked once for an iBook. All cheap iBooks had very strange stories. Like "I lived in Spain as an architect, now I am in London for work, but I send it to you for free, just use PayPal ore intenational money order ...". I asked several sellers from different posts and got allways the same - literally the same - answer. As a friend of mine says: "An artical cheaper than dogfood can not be better."

If you have seen it on webs from camerashops, it should be ok.
 
Wait for an RD1 to come up here in good shape for about $1250ish, put a 35mm or wider on it and you'll be all set...
 
Beware that some (lots of?) R-D1 cameras have tilted framelines. There are also many reports of lenses that either front focus or back focus when used with this rangefinder.

My R-D1 has both of these problems. I also have to adjust the rangefinder patch about once a month, which requires removing the hotshoe.
 
These are adjustments, and with a little bit of guts can be done by yourself, at least focus patch adjustments. Other Rangefinders suffer from the same ailments, but maybe with less frequency. I don´t hold it against the most fun camera I´ve had in years. The results can be good too. I´ve read a number of British photo mags recently and a lot of reader features are still taken with less than new cameras, Nikon D70 for one - which happens to have the same chip. You don´t need the best there is, not to have fun.
 
Kevin said:
Beware that some (lots of?) R-D1 cameras have tilted framelines. There are also many reports of lenses that either front focus or back focus when used with this rangefinder.

My R-D1 has both of these problems. I also have to adjust the rangefinder patch about once a month, which requires removing the hotshoe.
Click to expand...

I have the tilted framelines, but I can work around it pretty easily and I don't think I've ever 'lost' a shot because of it.

Is the back/front focus issue really caused by the camera? I'd think it'd be the lens, no?
 
Well, abumac, when I see an abundance of cheap offers in a certain region of the world, it has to have a very good legitimate reason to it. Otherwise it's almost always too good to be true, the cheapest could come up as the most expensive purchase in the end.

Anyway the Spanish site is habitamos.com, apparantly an online listing site and here is the link where I searched for Epson in photography section : http://www.habitamos.com/search?bus...x&category_id=221&min_price=min&max_price=max

Kevin, I know the misalignment problem, 33% of Epson DRFs suffered however I think this is easily corrected at home following DIY instructions online. But the backfocusing... is this the body's fault or is it specific to some lenses or to some defective lenses? If it's the camera body then how to fix that.

I want to buy an Epson and would like to add a fast, creamy-bookeh-capable :) lens on it. 40 mm 1.4 Nokton seems fit however some reports it has an ugly bookeh, and for some its signature is excellent. Otherwise I wwould go for a 50 mm /1.1 which is pricier and less easy at effective 75 mm even though its perfect as a portrait lens.

Frankly speaking, if I would get a decent bookeh and DOF with a mFT such as EP-2 or GF1, I would go for it. However even the excellent Pannasonic lens 20 mm (effective 40) /1.7 is not enough for that effect.
 
I can't believe how helpful you are here. I see that I had more posts while I was typing my above message. Thank you all.

bwidjaja, thanks for the link, a new body with the serial transferred to it? I could never guess such a thing could be real. I will check into that for sure.
 
Ezzie said:
An R-D1(s) with a recent CLA would be good.
Click to expand...

am not sure how easy CLA'd R-D1's are to find. Epsons support is notoriously bad for this camera, and CLA is much more complex than mechanical M bodies for instance.

if OP is not in hurry with his camera decision, perhaps worth wait if PMA in February will bring something new to camera shops.
 
If I were in the market for a second rd1 I would either buy it from an established rff member, or from the e bay store of matsuiyastore. Most, if not all, of the RD1's sold here through the classifieds are in the 35mm bodies category. If you have a smart phone, then you can set up rff to send you an email each time someone uploads an ad in that category.

--michael
 
Common problems are tilted framelines and shutter failure. I may or may not have the former -- looking at contact sheets from my Olympus OM cameras, I think I may have a tilted brain. But I definitely have had the dreaded shutter problem, and have had them on both of my bodies. While both of my cameras are heavily used, I don't think there is any way to predict when the problem will occur. That said, both have been repaired and are now (fingers crossed) working well.

There may or may not be issues with generic batteries. I have stopped using them, but others have swear by them. If you can, I would try to buy a camera which came with at least one original battery, and preferably at least one extra Epson.

I have both the Nokton 40mm and the 50 1.1. I would not want the 50mm as my only lens because of its size. I like them both.
 
Lico Rice, These spanish classifieds you've posted are absolut crap. DON'T even think about buying one of these.

There are very, very few R-D1(s,x)'s here in Spain. And people that have one know what they have. They'll sell it here, or in e-bay for a realistic price, surely not 250$. I got one here in Madrid for 1300$ two years ago. And it was a good deal.
 
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I have an early R-D1, bought on eBay years ago from a seller in Singapore. I'm the third owner. Thr framelines are fine but the RF patch is a little tilted - no big deal. I am over 7500 shutter actuations and the camera has never failed me. You are not going to get creamy bokeh from the CV 35/1.4, 40/1.4 or 50/1.1 - if you want creamy get a pre-asph 35/2 Summicron or a 35/2 UC Hexanon. I have not shot one but might be interested in a Canon 35/1.5 - if you want something faster than f2. The only other 35mm that interests me is the CV 35/1.2 Nokton. Images I have seen with this lens are very smooth.
 
snausages said:
I have the tilted framelines, but I can work around it pretty easily and I don't think I've ever 'lost' a shot because of it.

Is the back/front focus issue really caused by the camera? I'd think it'd be the lens, no?
Click to expand...

I have to correct many shots because of tilt but it is no biggie. The image is usually open in Photoshop anyways.

I really wish I knew the definitive answer to the front/back focus issue. I think it is my camera after all but I'm too anxious about taking off the top plate to get at screw #4.

No shutter problems with mine (knock on wood) ... 11000 pics and still going strong.
 
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