R-D1 vs R-D1s - which to buy?

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GrahamWelland

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I'm in the market for an R-D1 or R-D1s - any thoughts on whether its better to pick up a R-D1 at discounted price (and upgrade firmware later) vs. getting an imported R-D1s from Japan?

Robert White still has new R-D1 in stock at basically $2200. I can get an R-D1s fron Japan for $2500.

Are there still rangefinder adjustment issues with the R-D1 or R-D1s that might require warranty service?

Advice?

Thanks
 
As far I know, there are still QC issues with the R-D1. Don't know if any have been addressed with the R-D1s, but being that it is only a firmware upgrade; I doubt it. That being said, I have a love hate relationship with mine. I love the pictures that I get out of it, but hate the misalignment issues and the "workarounds" I must do to get those pictures.
 
Let's see, in my past camera-buying experiences I've had "QC issues" with Nikon (requiring replacement), Contax (requiring replacement), Minolta (requiring trip back to the service center and then exchange), Leica (requiring several trips to factory service center), and R-D 1 (requiring 10-minute adjustment using two cocktail toothpicks and a jeweler's screwdriver.)

Even though the R-D 1 seems to stack up better than most, you can see why I normally prefer to buy locally if possible. If I were in your shoes, I'd rather save the $300, get the benefit of local support if needed, and wait for the firmware update.
 
jlw said:
Let's see, in my past camera-buying experiences I've had "QC issues" with Nikon (requiring replacement), Contax (requiring replacement), Minolta (requiring trip back to the service center and then exchange), Leica (requiring several trips to factory service center), and R-D 1 (requiring 10-minute adjustment using two cocktail toothpicks and a jeweler's screwdriver.)

Even though the R-D 1 seems to stack up better than most, you can see why I normally prefer to buy locally if possible. If I were in your shoes, I'd rather save the $300, get the benefit of local support if needed, and wait for the firmware update.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.

The upgrade is free for R-D1 owners AFAIK, so that's $300 easily saved.

BTW, let RObert White inspect the camera before you buy it. I asked Dr Yao in HK to do the same and he did a great job. I got a camera that was near perfect (apart from some hot pixels, which I'm not concerned about).
 
I got my R-D1 from my local Calumet dealer in San Francisco. He had one demo and one fresh one. He actually let me take the demo home for the weekend. It tested out nearly perfect. When I got back to the store, I checked out the fresh one which I found had a mild rangefinder issue. The dealer ordered a third sample in which turn out to be OK but not as good as the demo. I finally ended up taking the demo and paying full price even though it had nearly 1000 shots on it. But I'm glad I did because it is one sweet camera.
It has a very minor vertical alignment problem which, although I know how to fix it, am hesitent to do anything about.
I would get the plain R-D1 . Epson's doesn't even make an effort to fix a camera under warranty. I honestly think they don't know how! So if your camera is returned under warranty they will probably send you a new R-D1s anyway!
I know this sounds crazy but those of us who have been in Epsonland are used to it. We wouldn't put up with it except the camera is soooo...coool !!
Rex
 
FWIW, I was just in your position & opted to get the R-D1 from Robert White. It arrived a few days ago & is in perfect condition as far as I can tell (RF patch in alignment, focus tested w/Noctilux, etc.). Since I haven't heard or read anything that indicates any substantive mechanical differences between the R-D1 & the R-D1s, other than possible improved quality control, it was a no brainer.

GrahamWelland said:
I'm in the market for an R-D1 or R-D1s - any thoughts on whether its better to pick up a R-D1 at discounted price (and upgrade firmware later) vs. getting an imported R-D1s from Japan?

Robert White still has new R-D1 in stock at basically $2200. I can get an R-D1s fron Japan for $2500.

Are there still rangefinder adjustment issues with the R-D1 or R-D1s that might require warranty service?

Advice?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
furcafe said:
FWIW, I was just in your position & opted to get the R-D1 from Robert White. It arrived a few days ago & is in perfect condition as far as I can tell (RF patch in alignment, focus tested w/Noctilux, etc.). Since I haven't heard or read anything that indicates any substantive mechanical differences between the R-D1 & the R-D1s, other than possible improved quality control, it was a no brainer.
Click to expand...

I get the impression that Epson improved its QC since the initial release of the R-D1, as I've heard of fewer issues with recent cameras (in comparison to the earlier cameras). That is, currert R-D1 cameras seem to have fewer problems. Do others agree?

Phil
 
Phil_Hawkes said:
I get the impression that Epson improved its QC since the initial release of the R-D1, as I've heard of fewer issues with recent cameras (in comparison to the earlier cameras). That is, currert R-D1 cameras seem to have fewer problems. Do others agree?

Phil
Click to expand...

I believe that is a true statement. However, there is a new wave of QC issues that are plaguing some of us early adopters. Specifically, there have been some semi-failures of the analog guages as documented in this thread:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23109

For a few of us, this has happened outside of warranty. As these problems occurred through extended use of the camera, it is doubtful that they were factored into the QC issues that were fixed. Who knows though, I may be wrong. There is also a strong chance that this only affects a small percentage of us.

Even with this problem though, I absolutely love this camera. Between all of the bodies that I've had, I've easily shot over 10k images. I couldn't imagine using my DSLR as much as I have used the R-D1 over the last year and half. Even my wife loves the camera and now calls it "hers". I don't mind, as I get to use my MP ;) and have the joys of film and wet processing.
 
furcafe said:
FWIW, I was just in your position & opted to get the R-D1 from Robert White. It arrived a few days ago & is in perfect condition as far as I can tell (RF patch in alignment, focus tested w/Noctilux, etc.). Since I haven't heard or read anything that indicates any substantive mechanical differences between the R-D1 & the R-D1s, other than possible improved quality control, it was a no brainer.
Click to expand...


Robert White has a great price. What is their return policy?
Will Epson USA honor the warranty on a camera from the UK?
thanks.

-eugene
 
Which domestic (US) dealers have people used to purchase R-D1's?

Calumet, B&H Photo, others? What have youre experiences been like with warranty service through the dealers or have you dealt with Epson USA direct?

Whilst the prospect of saving some money is appealing, I'd rather pay a few $$ more locally and have peace of mind dealing with an established local dealer as the hassle of even a single return far outweighs any savings.

I see B&H Photo are still selling at list, Calumet are advertising at $2799 but I don't have any local dealers here in OR/WA - Calumet San Francisco would be my closest to deal with (not a problem as I travel there almost weekly). Have you folks dealt successfully with these folks remotely to get any QC issues resolved (I'm hoping it will never happen but ...) ?
 
Camera World in Portland OR has one...i have never bought anything from them but they are right downtown and relatively close to home for you...But i do not believe that they will let you play with it until you buy it...but it may be worth a try if you want local...and no sales tax...


GrahamWelland said:
Which domestic (US) dealers have people used to purchase R-D1's?

Calumet, B&H Photo, others? What have youre experiences been like with warranty service through the dealers or have you dealt with Epson USA direct?

Whilst the prospect of saving some money is appealing, I'd rather pay a few $$ more locally and have peace of mind dealing with an established local dealer as the hassle of even a single return far outweighs any savings.

I see B&H Photo are still selling at list, Calumet are advertising at $2799 but I don't have any local dealers here in OR/WA - Calumet San Francisco would be my closest to deal with (not a problem as I travel there almost weekly). Have you folks dealt successfully with these folks remotely to get any QC issues resolved (I'm hoping it will never happen but ...) ?
Click to expand...
 
I bought mine from Calumet. R-D1s are still coming through with RF misadjustments and I made a guess as to why in another thread. One of my R-D1 bodies (a replacement actually) is going to DAG this morning for RF adjustment. The other, which is an earlier body, is more accurate.

For potential US R-D1 buyers, I think it would make sense to expect that a camera might need to go to DAG for RF adjustment and then be pleasantly surprised if it does not. I'm willing to put up with the hassle because I love the camera.

Cheers,

Sean
 
I echo what Sean said. I can't believe that I would recommend buying a camera that is possible defective and then PAYING a third party to fix it. The problem is, it fills a need that is not met by any other camera, period. Its a wonderful camera, if you get a good one or have a misalaigned one fixed. I know thats a hell of a note but hey.... where can you get a "M" mount digital rangefinder?
Of course many, if not most, of current R-D1 are waiting and lusting for the digital M. That being said, I'm still keeping my precious, much maligned little camera even after her classier rich cousin makes her debut. After all the abuse, I've fallen in love with her charms. Those little analog gauges are as cute as a bugs ear!
Luv is blind
Rex
 
This question might have been answered but I couldn't find it using search:

1) Do R-D1 and R-D1s have identical hardware? Looking at the presentation on the epson website there *seem* to be differences ...
2) If the hardware is not identical - does it matter in practice?

Best regards,

Marcus
 
What differences do you see between the R-D1 & R-D1s? I've looked @ the Epson UK site & taken the 3-D "tour," etc., compared the R-D1s w/my new R-D1, & see no differences.

Marcus B said:
This question might have been answered but I couldn't find it using search:

1) Do R-D1 and R-D1s have identical hardware? Looking at the presentation on the epson website there *seem* to be differences ...
2) If the hardware is not identical - does it matter in practice?

Best regards,

Marcus
Click to expand...
 
I would love to know if they have increased the buffer size in lieu of the RAW+JPEG option. As it is, on the R-D1 in RAW mode, you can shoot 2 pictures before having to wait for the buffer to get written to disk. With the new RAW+JPEG mode, I have to image that this problem is going to get worse.
 
Not necessarily! There are data compression strategies available that might speed up the write process. I'm definitely not going to be one of the first to download the firmware update, however. I remember Sean Reid mentioning that the delay in writing raw files is also tied into each photographer's style. It hasn't been a problem for me. But then again, I don't make my living as a photographer. To each his own!

Respectfully,
 
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