Received my R-D1 refurb, few questions...

[lhsa]

hi all:

first off i want to say how great and informative this forum is. i haven't been shooting much as of late since i'm frankly too lazy to go about processing film for my M6. i was waiting for my M8, but really unsure about jumping in so deep when the next model will likely be better.

alas, the R-D1 appeared to fit the bill. i ordered a refurb last thursday and received it yesterday. it is serial number 45XX. i absolutely love shooting rangefinder via digital! however i have some concerns about the R-D1.

1) i have slight vertical misalignment which isn't a big deal to me.

2) i have backfocus issues unless i focus to infinity first.

3) the focus mechanism seems extremely sloppy and sluggish. the focus patch seems to lag behind the lens focusing. compared to my M6, which is quite precise, focusing is like running your finger across a stovetop covered in old grease. is this characteristic endemic with the R-D1?

since i just received it, i assume the best thing to do is return it to epson for repair. is that correct? i am worried that it will take a long time, though. should i just spend the money to get it fixed by DAG?

i am absolutely sold on the concept of digital rangefinders. i so prefer it over DSLR and other point and shoots. no extra bits, just straightforward shooting. now i can't wait to have a reliable tool!

 

[fgianni]

Just pay DAG, Epson is unlikely to do a decent job with it.

 

[lhsa]

can the sloppy focus mechanism be repaired?

 

[tmessenger]

This is not typical my finder patch follows the lens movement, if it has back lash then I don't think it can be adjusted. Sean Reid reported sending one to DAG that had the same problem and Don said it could not be adjusted out. Just make sure it's not a worn helix in the lens, try another lens on the camera, if the lens is OK I would think about sending it back to Epson for replacement.

Good luck

Tim

 

[Plasmat]

I beg to disagree. I posted about this last month.

I returned a VERY badly misaligned R-D1 to Epson under warranty in December and in less than a week I got back a perfectly calibrated camera, repaired in house, not replaced.

I think there's someone now at the Epson Indianapolis repair facility who knows how to repair the camera.

 

[lhsa]

i'll give the warranty repair a go to see what they can do. thanks for all the advice

 

[bchoiniere]

Let us know how it goes. I am waiting for my refurb and the suspense (not knowing if it is a good one) is killing me!!

 

[tmessenger]

Misalignment is an easy fix, but if it has backlash that's another matter. If any of the linkage is loose (this causes backlash) you can not adjust it out, you need to replace the parts. Epson should be able to take care of that also, most likely just replace the RF assembly.

Tim

I beg to disagree. I posted about this last month.

I returned a VERY badly misaligned R-D1 to Epson under warranty in December and in less than a week I got back a perfectly calibrated camera, repaired in house, not replaced.

I think there's someone now at the Epson Indianapolis repair facility who knows how to repair the camera.

 

[ZorkiKat]

This is not typical my finder patch follows the lens movement, if it has back lash then I don't think it can be adjusted. Sean Reid reported sending one to DAG that had the same problem and Don said it could not be adjusted out. Just make sure it's not a worn helix in the lens, try another lens on the camera, if the lens is OK I would think about sending it back to Epson for replacement.

Good luck

Tim

I believe my R-D1s has this too. Its RF arm feels sluggish. Lens (regardless of what I put on it) would focus correctly if movement is from minimum to infinity. Back focus is almost always certain if focusing starts from infinity, or from a farther focus setting to a closer one. I think I can live with it, and focus is always right if I stick to a consistent method of focusing which involves turning the lens from a closer focus setting until the RF focus patch lines up.

Jay

 

[RichC]

Rangefinder misalignment in the R-D1 is straightforward to fix (see my website). However, a very small number of cameras appear to suffer from backlash (there should be none in a new R-D1), and this is a different kettle of fish.

Unfortunately, as others have said, with backlash the only sensible course of action is to return the camera to Epson. The cause could be several things, from a loose screw to a manufacturing defect, and the solution may be straightforward (for a camera technician!) or require a new rangefinder (which probably means Epson replacing the camera, though (anecdotally) they do seem to be fixing more cameras these days).

 

[fgianni]

I beg to disagree. I posted about this last month.

I returned a VERY badly misaligned R-D1 to Epson under warranty in December and in less than a week I got back a perfectly calibrated camera, repaired in house, not replaced.

I think there's someone now at the Epson Indianapolis repair facility who knows how to repair the camera.

Well yes, my experience was with the Paris repair facility, so that may well be the case.

 

[Plasmat]

From what I've read, the Epson repair facilities in Asia (and of course, Japan), are usually pretty competent.

I don't have any experience with Epson, Paris, but since most of the R-D1's in Europe are shipped there for repair, I would imagine it's because they have experience with the camera.