R-D1 queries. Is there a handstrap? What about...

[John Camp]

I just got the R-D1 today; love the camera (so far; I'm going to do some focus testing tonight), but I'm not wild about the shoulder strap. Has anybody invented/found a one-hand carry strap?

As an aside, I'm a glasses wearer and got a Tri-Elmar 28-35-50; I have no trouble seeing the frame lines, which surprised me. From the reading I've done, I thought the 28 might be a problem. Now, I suspect I could see all the way out to 21...or close to it. It may have something to do with the glasses, which are of the rimless variety and quite close-fitting.

Having been a Nikon user, I half-press the trigger and wait for the focus to snap-in, and when it doesn't, there's a kind of instinctive panic: Oh, s***, the auto-focus is busted...

I've already taken my first proud pictures of the inside of a lens cap...

The trigger noise is quite loud; perhaps a hair less loud than the D2x, but higher-pitched and, I think, more noticable than the Nikon's. Sean Reid mentioned this in his review, but it's louder than I expected even given that...

I'm wondering about getting "protective" filter." I never was much of a believer in them until I started doing a lot of work in a desert, with a lot of dust and sand blowing around. Do people find filters degrading (of the image?)
JC

 

[back alley]

you are looking for a wrist strap.
they can be found on ebay or various sites on the net. also available here, just click on gordy's camera straps.
protective filters will get both sides of the argument here. i will use them in poor weather ir environments if i fear damage to the lens. mostly i just keep a lens hood on all the tiime.

welcome to the forum.

 

[Kyle]

If you want a wrist strap, you can't do much better than buying one from Gordy...

 

[RML]

Or you might ask BJ Bignell very nicely for a strap. I saw his home-made straps in use during the latest Benelux RFF meeting. Very sturdy! Made of webbing material and stitched as a professional would. BJ, do have a black one for me? What are you asking for them?

About the shutter noise. During the aforementioned RFF meeting, people were actually complimenting the camera on the relative low noise of the R-D1. I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder.

In bad climes a protective filter might be a good idea. In generally calm environs I never-ever use a filter for more than one reason. I do, however, always try to use a hood.

 

[wlewisiii]

Wrist strap - click on Gordy's link on the homepage. You'll be happy with whatever you get from him.

I'm a believer in the protective UV filter. No real valid reason, anymore than anyone else has either way. All you can do is choose which way you swing and buy as appropriate. I also always try to have a hood for all my lenses.

Right up there on the fence...😀

William

 

[sircarl]

I use two different ProStraps -- one on a Contax G2 similar in size to your R-D1 -- and I find them superb. The wide leather band around the wrist is very comfortable (and reassuring!). See http://www.prostrap.com/.

 

[Phil_Hawkes]

As an aside, I ... got a Tri-Elmar 28-35-50; ... <snip>...I'm wondering about getting "protective" filter." I never was much of a believer in them until I started doing a lot of work in a desert, with a lot of dust and sand blowing around. Do people find filters degrading (of the image?)
JC

Hi John,



Filters have been known to result in ghost images (there is thread on this somewhere on the rff site). The ghosting seems to be most noticeable when there is a bright light source and dark background. If you aren't often in this situation, then the protective filter might not degrade the image (it might even enhance it?).

Since lots of my photos are low light, I became used to not having a filter. Now it is simple out of habit that I don't use a filter, even in lots of situations where it probably would be better if I did use a filter. I always have a filter with me, just in case. If I was in a desert environment, I would have a filter either on the lens, or with me.

If there is lots of dust and sand around, then another concern of mine would be sand/dust getting between the focus ring, aperture ring and the barrel of the lens. Does anyone have good or bad experiences with lenses and dust/sand they could share?

Phil

 

[John Camp]

Thanks, everyone. I ordered a wrist strap from Gordy; still thinking about filters. The best solution might be to have one around, just in case.

As for the dust and sand getting in the rings...I worked for several years as a photographer on an archaeological dig in the Jordan River valley of Israel. Since we were digging, and shooting right in the pits, there was always dust around, and the terrific heat meant that you were often sweating into the dust to make mud...My Nikons held up very well, but I became an almost compulsive cleaner, with lens-cleaning fluid and lens papers, canned air, brushes, etc. When I look at my two F5s, which were the main cameras for most of the digs, they still have a dusty look about them that I can't seem to eliminate...but I never really had any mechanical problems with the lenses. I don't know if that was because of the compulsive cleaning or the quality of the lens seals, and I don't know how that will translate to Leica gear. I also did nightly sensor cleanings, using home-made Pec pads, and never had much trouble with it.

JC

 

[JoshRoot]

As for the shutter sound, it is plenty quiet.

Anyone who dismisses the R-D1 because of the shutter noise needs to have his/her head examined. There are plenty of reasons why one might like or not like the R-D1, but the shutter is the least of it.

 

[Sean Reid]

I agree with the general comments on the shutter noise. In actual use, amongst conversations, at wedding ceremonies, etc. the R-D1 is indeed quieter than most SLRs.

I usually don't use filters on my RF lenses unless there's an immediate risk to the lens. If you do use them, by all means spring for the better multicoated ones.

Sean