Please buy this...

[nksyoon]

...so that I won't be tempted!

Foto Koch Versand ( HIFI & FOTO KOCH GmbH) in Duesseldorf is offering an R-D1 with Summicron 50 f/2 for 2999 Euros.

I've bought some accessories from them before, but nothing major like this. So buyer beware. Maybe some German members know them?

FWIW, here's their company info .


Cheers,
Nick

 

[vincentbenoit]

I've bought stuff (including a lens) from Foto Koch before, never had any problem.
Looks like you get the lens for free if you buy the camera at the "regular" price: http://www.fotokoch.de/digifoto/15918.shtml
I wonder what their motivation is to offer such a deal... Could it be that the camera and/or the lens are not selling well? Unfortunately 50mm is not a very useful focal length on a 1.5x crop factor camera.
Cheers
Vincent

 

[J. Borger]

I never bought something from Koch ... but i visited the shop a couple of times.
They are not big Leica sellers i think... in fact i did not know they sold Leica at all.
It is a shop targetted at the masses .... lots of point and shoots and the more popular DSLR's. Very large and good looking shop though .... more like a foto- wharehouse ... looks very reliable though!

 

[thmk]

I also bought some stuff there (cameras and lenses) and never had any problem.

 

[LCT]

...Unfortunately 50mm is not a very useful focal length on a 1.5x crop factor camera...

As usefull as a 75mm lens on a 35mm camera.
A marvelous lens for portrait IMHO.
Best,
LCT

 

[vincentbenoit]

As usefull as a 75mm lens on a 35mm camera.
A marvelous lens for portrait IMHO.
Best,
LCT

Hehe... Of course, I was just being a bit provocative here. Still, in my opinion the real strength of rangefinder cameras lies in the wide-angle range where RF lenses beat SLR lenses for compacity and quality. For portraits I'm not sure an R-D1 + Leica 50/2 would give much better results than, say, a Canon 350D + 50/1.8 combo which can be had new for 844 Euros at Fotokoch... ;-)
Vincent (ducking for cover)

 

[LCT]

...For portraits I'm not sure an R-D1 + Leica 50/2 would give much better results than, say, a Canon 350D + 50/1.8 combo...

Suffice to compare to be sure Vincent.
Did you try those two combos yourself?
Best,
LCT

 

[vincentbenoit]

Suffice to compare to be sure Vincent.
Did you try those two combos yourself?
Best,
LCT

No, I haven't. I'd guess both combos would deliver "adequate" image quality (as far as 6 Mpix APS-C sensors go), with the RF camera being much more enjoyable to use if only for the superior viewfinder and the tactile satisfaction of manual focus.
I have a Canon 10D, I hate its tunnel-like viewfinder and unfriendly autofocus system.

 

[LCT]

As a Leica, Epson and Nikon user, I did make a lot of comparisons myself and the Summicron 50 makes a lot of difference in terms of colour, bokeh and 3D rendition.
A $100 lens can be very sharp indeed but sharpness is not anything in photography needless to say.
FWIW
Best,
LCT

 

[SteveRD1]

I agree. I get better portraits from my CV 35 f2.5 than I did from my Oly E1 and 50f2. Something about the "look" of the photos from the Rd1 remond me very much of teh film images I have viewed from various RF cams. Plus the "bokeh" seems MUCH nicer than those on any DSLR I have tried. SHarpness is not mainly what I look for as sometimes that leads to a sort of digital, sterile look if the color and depth is not there as well.

 

[peterbilitch]

1-2 Weeks

1-2 Weeks

I contacted Fotokoch and they said there is a one to two week delivery time. So it seems as though the deal is real, even if we don't know how it is that they manage to finance it.

It seems to me that at this price it is worth getting the camera and lens and then selling my current R-D1, just to know that I have both a new camera and summicron - Then again, I don't suppose anyone would be interested in a second-hand R-D1 with no more than a little paint abrasion now would they... What do you think? 😉

Peter

 

[nksyoon]

IThen again, I don't suppose anyone would be interested in a second-hand R-D1 with no more than a little paint abrasion now would they... What do you think? 😉

Peter

Depends on how much you're willing to sell it for, especially to the kind soul who alerted you to the great offer! 🙂

Cheers,
Nick.