Thinking of RD-1 - is there a Mk2 or RD-2 imminent ?

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davidjt

Dave
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Hi there, after spending a number of days scanning slides from my last trip I am considering the merits of changing my M6 0.85 for an RD-1. Murphy's law suggests that as soon as I drop some money on one an upgrade or replacement will be announced. Unlike the Canon/Nikon DSLR camp where rumours spread for months I havent seen anything to suggest that this will happen. I would ideally like a digital M but could wait years for one - the RD-1 is here and now. Anything I have missed ?

The only lens I have is a 35mmF1.4 asph which I am assuming would be good on the RD-1.

Thanks

Dave
 
Well, waiting for years for Leica? The factory still claims sometime next year. I would suppose they will keep to that timetable unless they collapse under the development costs - in which case it will probably be brought out by General Motors or whoever buys the patents.......A RD2 would be quite a nice camera,though. I would'nt be surprised if it happened. Or, since the M-mount is patent-free nowadays, any other player could decide to enter the market of DRF, maybe even Canon. The used to make some very nice RF camera's (Didn't they, Joe?) And they do have undeniable high-end digital expertise. (Just trying to start some rumours here 😀)
 
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You haven't missed anything. There are NO rumours of a pending new version of the R-D1. And Leica and ZI aren't coming out soon with a digital RF either. Leica's been talking about it for years and produced nothing. ZI's latest RF cameras suggest a digital version might be in the pipeline but nothing official or unofficial has been uttered about it.

All in all, I'd spend my money on the R-D1 if I were you. Oh, wait, I did! 😛
 
You might consider the purchase of a used body, that might soften the blow should a new body come out... which I very much doubt would happen within the next year.

And yes, the 35 lux will work on the R-D1.
 
I had similar fear when I took the plunge and got a rather expensive MF scanner, "there will be a new model soon". It was a year ago, and no replacement has appeared... sometimes Murphy is on your side! 🙂

I do not see any replacement anytime soon. Leica will take their time and it will be very expensive. Zeiss has yet to produce a film body. I do not think Epson plans an RD-2 in the near future either. The only slight risk is a digital Hexar RF from Konica-Minolta, but I guess they rather fight for market share in strong competition with everyone else, rather than going for a virtually wide open niche segment. 🙁

/Håkan
 
the r-d1 is a very simple camera. I would only upgrade if someone made a full-frame chip RF, more features would'nt do it for me. It's a safe buy - and you cam allways ebay it if you don't like it. Don't spend too much time thinking about it - just BUY it - today! You can allways upgrade tomorrow - if there is any alternatives - so far there is NON.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. It is very difficlut as I get very good results from the M6/35mm after scanning, neatimage etc - it just takes soooooo much time. I have a D2X, have just sold my F6 as it was sitting unused and the M6 was my last bastion of velvia 50 - now discontinued. I would almost certainly use the D2X all the time but for its brick like proportions and poor lens choice. The Nikon 28mm F1.4 is very close to the lux on film but poor on D2X. My favorite focal length for geneal use is 28mm - 35mm so there is no easy solution.
 
Wait for future announcements on either the RD2 or Leica. I own a D100 and a Contax G2. I keep hoping beyond reason that someone will come out with either a digital back for the G2 or a Digital camera and adapter that will take the excellant G2 lenses.
The Nikor 17-35 f2.8 or the 28-70 f2.8 exceptional lenses and both are outstanding on the D2X.
 
ulrik said:
the r-d1 is a very simple camera. I would only upgrade if someone made a full-frame chip RF, more features would'nt do it for me. It's a safe buy - and you cam allways ebay it if you don't like it. Don't spend too much time thinking about it - just BUY it - today! You can allways upgrade tomorrow - if there is any alternatives - so far there is NON.
Click to expand...

Full frame for RF is highly unlikely for technical reasons. 🙁
 
I think that by the end of 2006 there will be a Leica digital and a Zeiss Ikon digital. Neither will be full-frame. The Leica will be more expensive than the R-D1. There may also be an R-D2 with some attempt to address QC issues, and probably a lower magnification viewfinder, at least as an option. A longer shot would be a Konica-Minolta RF with image stabilization; I guess the question is whether after the merger, there is still the quixotic spirit which allowed for niche cameras like the Hexar AF or Konica's film RF.

When I bought my R-D1 in March, only the Leica seemed vaguely on the horizon. i didn't own any Leica or other RF lenses, so any purchase was going to be more than just the body. And I didn't think I would be able to afford a Leica body if and when it came out. I was heading for a trip to Cuba/El Salvador, with not only the prospect of more scanning ahead of me, but more scanning for friends as well. The time seemed right then, and I don't have any regrets.
 
Dave,

Go for it, my friend. There's no guarantee that we'll see the Leica or the ZI in the near future, (or perhaps even an R-D2), but I think those of us here can virtually guarantee that you'll love the R-D1.

I've had mine since Feb of this year and just bought my second body yesterday. I've been shooting pro SLRs and then pro DSLRs for many years, but they're all gone now and the R-D1s are by far the most comfortable, most pleasurable to use, and produce the best images I've ever made.

Obviously I don't have to convince you of the form factor as you have an M6. Before I bought the R-D1, I had sold my D1X kit and gone back to film with an M7 and an M6TTL but quickly found that it was really digital that I preferred and eventually ended up with the Epson.

One thing to remember, however, is the 1.5X magnification factor, so your 35mm lux will be a 53mm f1.4 effective lens. If you are set on keeping to that 35mm FOV, you'll need to spring for a 21mm lens for an effective 32mm, or a 25mm to yield a 38mm FOV. If you can live with an f4 lens, the CV 21mm is a sweet lens on the R-D1.

As you may have gathered from the replies thus far, virtually everyone on this forum falls head-over-heels for the R-D1 once they get one. By far, as one member put it, it's the best camera I've ever had, warts and all!
 
You definitely shouldn't buy ANY digital camera right now. Undoubtedly there will be a better model within a year or two.

Also, you shouldn't marry the great person you're going out with right now. Eventually someone better may come along.

And don't invest your money in that stock your broker recommended. An even better opportunity might turn up eventually, and then where will you be?

It's the same thing with cars. Absolutely don't buy a car now. Next year's models are bound to be better.

Not having a car means you'll be spending a lot of time at home, but for heaven's sake don't go out and buy a TV set. Don't you know that everything on the market now will be obsolete in a year or two?

You could spend your free time reading, but why bother when in a few years everyone will be speaking Esperanto anyway? Just a waste of time.


Or you could look at it another way, which is: If you buy something that meets your needs now, it STILL will meet your needs even if something supposedly better comes along later. If it doesn't meet your needs, don't buy it in the first place.

Besides, "progress" isn't always an improvement. Look at Leicas. A lot of people think the best M model ever was the M3, and it was the first one of the line; to those people, everything else since then has been a step backward. Among the Canon people, some feel that the P was the ideal, and the later 7 and 7s were less desirable even though they did have more "features."

That's not to say buy an R-D 1, or don't buy one. It IS to say, make your decision based on how well it fits your needs, not what might or might not happen in the future.
 
i'm waiting to see how good zeiss ikon's 21/2.8 is on the r-d1 and digital zeiss ikon, which i hope keeps the .74x viewfinder.
 
I'll have to agree with benjamin here, i am running the same set-up (+ the CV 28mm Ultron )
and it is quite possibly the most fun camera ive ever shot with, I own plenty of stuff, that ive been collecting while im at school, and the r-d1 has been the most fun to shoot with, although i dont neglect my Dslr 🙂, or my Mamiya ( that is.. until i get the 7II 😀 )
 
I wouldn't buy an R-D1 at this point. It's not a great camera; it has too many QC issues. Just read the archives. It's popularity is based on the lack of competition.

You already have an M w/ lenses, and film and film processing is plenty available.

We know a digital M is coming out in a year or so, and those he say otherwise really have no basis for that belief. Based on the quality and function of the DMR, the digital M should be something special.

The digital M, however, will be expensive, and that's a point.
 
I'm wondering upon what basis you can claim that "we know a digital M is coming out in a year or so". The road to the DMR has not been without issues and Leica continues to struggle. Despite the QC problems, which are certainly real (although I've been fine with both my R-D1s), the camera is not simply the "only game in town", it really does perform.
 
rephrase it to "we know a digital M is planned to come out in a year or so".

and the r-d1 is a great camera, assuming it's working well. you don't judge a camera by one that's broken, duh!
 
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