RD 1 and Heliar 12/15mm rangefinder coupled?

[24mgdriver]

Hi folks,

i'm new and still waiting for my new r-d1. Still bought an 28mm ultron 1.9 with adapter. im interested for a heliar 12 / 15mm but is it rangefinder coupled ? Waht fiewfinder did you get for framing ?

Are they any problems if i use m39 / m mount adapter plates ?🙄

thankx

seeyou
Michael

 

[Jim Watts]

Both the VC 12mm and 15mm are not rangefinder coupled, but then depth of field with both these lenses is so great that scale focusing is accurate enough.

There were R-D1 'D' viewfinders made for both these lenses that take into account the crop factor and it may be possible still to find one of these new or secondhand (I saw both on sale in London recently (now sold). I have found the VC 25mm Skopar finder works fairly well when I have used my friends 15mm (23mm equivalent) on the R-D1.

No problems with good quality Leica or VC adapters, just beware of cheap ones off e-bay.

 

[sevres_babylone]

I don't have the 12mm, so I can't answer questions on that one. I have the 15mm, which is not rangefinder coupled. Because of the depth of field, I don't find that to be a problem. You can use the same adapter you use for the ultron. For a viewfinder, I bought a used 25mm with viewfinder. I use the that viewfinder with the 15mm, and find it works okay for me. I use the 25mm with no external viewfinder; I just try to use the whole viewfinder of the R-D1. In choosing which of the wides to get you should look at Sean Reid's review of wide-angle lenses on the R-D1 which is on the Luminous Landscape site. There is more vignetting with the 15mm. The Epson raw software, which is downloadable, does a good job of dealing with the vignetting.

 

[mwooten]

I have the 12mm for my rd1. Like the others have said, it is not coupled to the rangefinder. I use the cv12mmD viewfinder that Jim Watts refers to in his post. I found mine here in RFF. Our host, I believe, has the "D" view finders once again new for sell at Camera Quest.

One thing I have noticed with the external view finder is that it is much brighter than the RD1's viewfinder. I tend to use the camera on AE (+/- a bit), and the external finder fools me into thinking that the shutter speed will be quicker than it actually will be. It seems to be a stop or two brighter.

 

[Rob-F]

Neither the 12mm nor the 15mm Voigtlander lens is rangefinder coupled. That's because a rangefinder is really not needed for lenses with such great depth of field. Scale focusing is perfectly adequate.

Cameraquest is once again stocking the special finders for use with the R-D1. Alternatively, if you happen to have a 21mm finder, you could "wing it" with the 15mm lens. Just be aware that the finder will cover a teeny bit more than the lens. And if you have a 24mm finder, you can wing it that way; the finder will cover a "teeny bit" less than the lens (often safer).