Sure are a lot of R-D1"s for sale lately

tokek said:
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beware he is looking at your head and is gonna blow that by continuous arguing
 
If someone wants to sell their R-D1 for an M8, great for them. Still the question remain, Leicasniper, what is up to your standards?
 
leicasniper said:
"Countering one's views on a subject is not a defense against a personal attack."

I agree completely. But all too often here expressing ones views on a subject is considered a personal attack and results in accusations of the poster being a troll. There seems to be a broad inability to separate the camera or lens from the person who owns it.
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That is NOT my experience at RFF. He who smellt it, dealt it.
 
Those that bring something negative to almost every thread, luckily, eventually leave for dpreview or some other place.
 
Oh my god ... there is another one in the classifieds! :eek:

I'd have one in a heartbeat at $1300.00 or so but here in Oz I have enough sleepless nights wondering if my M8 is going to keep on keeping on. I was fettling it last night for an exhibition opening shoot I have to do today and it had it's first freeze for a while. The Epson would be the perfect backup for me for these events and I've come very close to clicking the button on a couple. In the meantime I carry my Hexar and a brick of Fuji 800Z 'cause at least that will get me out of trouble if Solms's finest decides to quit on me! :p

With the Epson I could shoot it at 1600 ISO with my 25mm Zeiss and the world would keep turning without having to resort to film!
 
Keith said:
Oh my god ... there is another one in the classifieds! :eek:

I'd have one in a heartbeat at $1300.00 or so but here in Oz I have enough sleepless nights wondering if my M8 is going to keep on keeping on. I was fettling it last night for an exhibition opening shoot I have to do today and it had it's first freeze for a while. The Epson would be the perfect backup for me for these events and I've come very close to clicking the button on a couple. In the meantime I carry my Hexar and a brick of Fuji 800Z 'cause at least that will get me out of trouble if Solms's finest decides to quit on me! :p

With the Epson I could shoot it at 1600 ISO with my 25mm Zeiss and the world would keep turning without having to resort to film!
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If I was you, I'd bought it. It is more as a nice complement for M8 :) Rd1 has many unique features :)
 
leicasniper said:
Well, as Kenny Rogers sang, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

With the RD-1 long in the tooth and Photokina coming up, some folks are likely deciding it's time to fold 'em before the price drops out. Or to buy a tank of gas. ;)
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My R-D1 (body) purchased new November 2004 for £2,000 ($3900) present UK dealer secondhand price £900 ($1750) so = 45% of original value.

My Canon 20D (body) purchased new December 2004 for £1,100 ($2150) and sold June 2008 for £250. Present secondhand UK dealer price £275 ($538) So only = 25% of original value over about the same period.

And as a further comparison, as as eventually rarity value may have an effect on the R-D1:
My (Black Chrome) Leica M4 purchased new in November 1974 for £300 ($586) Present secondhand UK dealer price £1500 ($2931) an increase in value of 500%. The Leica is just a tool, nothing else, but it is one that I have owned and used for 34 years and is still capable of making 'quality' images. It has only cost £8.82 ($17) a year to run (no repair or sevice costs in that time) so its cost is negligble. 'Holding' and using has proved very good value.

I don't expect the R-D1 to hold up for that length of time (and its very doubtful that I'll be around to care anyway), but I still think I'll HOLD!
 
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In the UK inflation has averaged 8.25% P/A since 1974 so its £4443 or $8672. More than the UK price of an M8 and slightly less than a Canon 1DsMK111, but I would have been unlikely to have got 8.25% invested and would have had to wait 34 years to take any pictures :bang: :D
 
Jim Watts said:
In the UK inflation has averaged 8.25% P/A since 1974 so its £4443 or $8672. More than the UK price of an M8 and slightly less than a Canon 1DsMK111, but I would have been unlikely to have got 8.25% invested and would have had to wait 34 years to take any pictures :bang: :D
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8.25% per year .... are you talking about a third world country ;)?
Your sources must be wrong ... 3-4% would already be substantial.
 
That's the average P/A over the whole time period, there was no official consumer price index till 1996, but the unofficial figures are generally accepted. In 1975 the UK had 24.2% inflation (I nearly got to taking my wages home in a wheel barrow as in 1930's Germany :D), it didn't drop below 5% till 1983 and returned to 7.5% in 1991. In 2006 it was 2.6%, but now is really about 5% again, although how the RPI/CPI are calculated make it appear a little better. We were (are?) a third world country. ;)
 
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hi leicasniper,

I do not dislike you for doubting my, an R-D1s user's, choice of tools; I just wonder why you did that.

Let me explain why I chose the R-D1s over the others:

I fell in love with photography (or taking pictures) when I got the GRD2. I've used other small DCs before, but never have I felt the joy of taking pictures til I got this one.

Later I bought a lot of small film cameras, Minolta TC-1, Contax T3 (black!), Rollei 35S, Minox 35GT, Leica CM, Fujifilm Natura Black F1.9, Olympus u2 & LT-1, Pentax Espio Mini, etc..

In the meantime I browsed through the internet and learned about the Leica M system. Very soon I bought my first combo, the Bessa R2A + VC Heliar Classic 50/f2, both non-Leica though. When I got the photos of the 1st roll (cheap xtra400) I felt "awakened" suddenly, and started to sell my small film cameras (except for the TC-1 and Natura Black F1.9).

One day I lost my head and brought home a Elmarit M 90/2.8. After several rolls, I thought I saw some difference between Leica and Voighlander Cosina. I borrowed lenses and took more pictures, and found out that it was not my imagination. I'm not saying that the Leica is definitely "better" than the VC, but for my personal taste, I simply prefer Leica over all the rest.

Then in June I had to shoot a lot of photos for a project. Sadly I found that film developing was five times more expensive than in Taiwan. I had to make sure what photos I've got successfully (yes I'm an inexperienced amateur) but I really couldn't afford having the film developed and scanned there. So I did the math and bought the R-D1s.

(I could have just used the Nikon D80 we borrowed all the way, but I just felt something wrong when using it, which I never felt when using my Bess R2A. That led me to believe that I'm more of an RF guy than a DSLR guy.)

Now whenever I looked at the photos I took with it, I thank myself for making that decision (ordering an R-D1s and having it sent from Japan to Paris). We got some great shots from the Nikon D80 we borrowed, and our beloved GRD2, but most of the best ones come from the R-D1s.

------

That's my story. I'm still using the R-D1s happily, especially when I got myself a Summicron 35/2 IV and a Super-Angulon 21/3.4 last month. I still use other cameras, and a DSLR will be great sometimes, but if I can only have one camera, that would be a R-D1s, even if you put a free M8 in the list. (Sorry M8 users. Prefer the Epson color myself.)

We can always reason something wrong out of a decision, a choice, or a belief, but just like our careers, our beloved ones, and our fates, there are always chance and something unpredictable involved.

I'm not a native English speaker, and after writing an article this long, I've lost my head somewhere in the middle.... I hope you understand what I'm trying to say anyway.

Best,

Arys
 
Arys of deepwhite, you hit the nail on the head. Doesn't matter what camera it is, if that is your experience then you are better for it. there is a guy on Flickr who shoots with a pinhole camera ($35) and his shots are really expressive. Go for it.
 
Hi Leicasniper,

I get you point now.

I don't make a living on photography, so I'm allowed to be more emotionally attached to my tool. When there are times that it stops me from taking some picture, like when I see a pretty bird but the lens attached is a 35mm and after I changed it to a 90mm the bird is long gone, it's ok that I miss the shot. And I won't blame my camera for that. But it's probably not like this in your situation.

Photography is my "escape from the real world". As you all know the record industry is going down drastically these years, and it hasn't hit the bottom. It's getting pretty difficult for people like us. Whenever I feel really bad, I'll just pick up the camera with my favorite lenses and take pictures. Then I'd feel much better and be able to go on with the heavier and heavier burden on my shoulders. So for me, I've already got my "investment" back. ;-)

The bad thing is that, sometimes when the headache is more serious than usual, I'd have to take two pills to kill it. Maybe that's why I'm thinking about a 2nd R-D1s...?
 
hmmmmmm, another from the audio world smitten with the R-D1... made my living from digital but my preference is for analogue all the way!
 
The R-D1 is like a great digi preamp or d/a converter. Makes me forget analogue completely. I don't care if it's not the latest tool or if it's worth nothing when the next Leica arrives. I like the pics i take with it and it will probably remain the only DRF ever made allowing to shoot both eyes open. Priceless to me.
 
Well I'm happy to say that I just bought this old fashioned R-D1 from fellow forum participant José Pedro in Portugal, with two nice lenses (ultron 29F1.9 and nokton 50F1.5). I cannot wait to receive it at the airport in Lisbon next week.

It took me a lot of time to come to this choice, and I must say that I could have bought an M8 or D700. Even so, I opted for the R-D1 because of: constant image quality; versatility; it is inobtrusive; it normally does not present mechanical or software problems - some appear but these can be solved; and price - what I save will allow me to invest in optics.

No matter what appears at Photokina, I think the R-D1 has created its own niche and will stay with us for quite some time.

cheers to all
wouter
 
If anyone is willing to take a wager, I will bet that the bottom will not fall out on the R-D1 resale price. For that to really happen, any new M-mount dRF body would have to be priced under $2,000, closer to $1,400. And just how likely is that to happen?

I will put up a nice J-3 if someone will take the other side of this bet. How about my J-3 for your J-3 if the price goes under $900, and my J-3 for your 50mm Summilux ASPH if it goes under $300? :D

Just kidding, but I really believe that dRF economics are not comparable to dSLR economics.
 
I tend to find that people who don't own the RD1 and are here sniping at it are either:

1. hoping the price will fall so they can afford one
or
2. generally negative individuals who enjoy running down other people's choices simply for the sheer fun of it.

I just got back from a holiday in Denmark and the RD1s was the best possible camera for the trip. Quiet, reliable, wonderful image quality - people smile and feel relaxed when they see what looks like a traditional film camera. I enjoyed every minute of using it.

When the one I own goes wrong I'll snap up another one (if not before).
For amateur photographers, I frankly wonder why people feel they need a massive DSLR with 12MP.
 
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