What would you buy?

[Krosya]

Hi All,
This is kind of a follow-up to my previous thread about Digital Hexar RF.

As I'm sort of tempted by digital RF but still not really sure if I want to do it - I'd like to ask some opinions here.
What would you get and WHY - if they cost EXACTLY the same and you could afford only one of the choices:

Epson R-D1s or

Hexar RF limited with 50/1.2 lens (and hold out for digital till later point) ?

Both don't have much service support nowdays. No warranty on either.

I'd love to have that Hexar lens/combo. I'd also love to try Digital RF. M8 is way too much for me to spend now. There is a possibility of Zeiss or someone else making another DRF, but when ? How much will it cost? How good will it be? Epson seems like a nice option, but short RF base and some stories of it's reliability as well as service support make me think long and hard about it.

Hexar RF combo - great lens, nice camera, but I already have a Hexar RF. And even if Hexar RF breaks, I'd have another one, plus could use that lens on my M6. Yet there is always that " how long will film be around?" thing in a back of my head. Plus film/processing costs. I deal with that fine now, but Digital is tempting, even with it's shortcomings.

So, what would you do?

 

[Krosya]

PS. I could always get nothing and just wait and see what future holds. But .....I'm still tempted by both options.

 

[ferider]

What will enable you to take photos you couldn't take before ?

For me it would be the 50/1.2, but YMMV.

 

[photo4ls]

What would you buy

What would you buy

Get the Hexar now since they don't make it anymore and you can always go digital later.😎

 

[MCTuomey]

I think the only way to know is to try the Epson. Buy used and, if it doesn't work out, you can sell it at only a slight loss.

 

[mfunnell]

Neither option attracts me, personally, but I can see that both might be attractive to others. I don't need another Hexar RF (I have two already) which makes the Hex 50/1.2 way more expensive than I'd be willing to pay. The last kit with the 50/1.2 I saw go on the bay was about the price of a Summilux 50 ASPH - which is a lens I lust after but refuse to afford.

While your RD-1 option is less expensive, the compromises I'd have to make to achieve even a 35mm equiv. field of view are unattractive to me. And to get one particular FOV/DOF combination I really like (Summilux 75 on film) I'd have to spend a bucket of additional money on a really fast 50mm lens (and still not really match up). In the abstract, I can see some appeal to the RD-1 but in concrete terms its too much money for something I'd use too infrequently.

But that's just me. Given the very different natures of the two options you're considering, what about each appeals to you?

...Mike

 

[Hacker]

I would sell both film bodies and get a secondhand M8 coupled with the Hexanon 50mm f1.2

Onwards to the digital age.

 

[mfunnell]

I would sell both film bodies and get a secondhand M8 coupled with the Hexanon 50mm f1.2

As attractive as that may seem, I suspect my bank manager might think it "financially imprudent".

...Mike

 

[Krosya]

THere is no way I'd want to buy a used M8 - too much risk of something going wrong and from what I hear, even the ones with the warranty sometimes have difficulties. Imagine trying to fix one without a warranty. - No thats not an option.
Plus, based on the internet posts - since I don't have any other way to compare the two, M8 is not that much better, if at all when compared to R-d1. Yes it's more pixels, but looking at photos I often like ones taken with Epson better. Also, M8, besides being much more expensive, it needs lens coding, filters , etc. I really don't feel like getting into all that. Might as well use film. While Epson seems like a good compromise.

 

[Krosya]

Neither option attracts me, personally, but I can see that both might be attractive to others. I don't need another Hexar RF (I have two already) which makes the Hex 50/1.2 way more expensive than I'd be willing to pay. The last kit with the 50/1.2 I saw go on the bay was about the price of a Summilux 50 ASPH - which is a lens I lust after but refuse to afford.

While your RD-1 option is less expensive, the compromises I'd have to make to achieve even a 35mm equiv. field of view are unattractive to me. And to get one particular FOV/DOF combination I really like (Summilux 75 on film) I'd have to spend a bucket of additional money on a really fast 50mm lens (and still not really match up). In the abstract, I can see some appeal to the RD-1 but in concrete terms its too much money for something I'd use too infrequently.

But that's just me. Given the very different natures of the two options you're considering, what about each appeals to you?

...Mike

Mike,
As far as prices would go - maybe you missed it in my original post, I siad that if these two options were at the same cost. i.e. lets say about 2000 USD each.- which would you get than?
As far as what I like about each -
a) Hexar set - I would pretty much get for the lens as I'd love to have a good quality fast 50mm lens and their 50/1.2 seems to fit the bill. Limited RF body would be good back-up to my regular Hexar RF - not a bad idea, as these are no longer made or serviced.

b) Epson - While I don't like some things about it - like a short RF base, large crop factor for the sensor and possible lack or very hard to find service, I like the idea of a digital RF, so I can get my results faster and at lower cost. Epson seems to produce pretty good quality images. I hate that my 50mm would be a 75mm, but many seem to learn to live with it. I think maybe I can too.
And since M8 is the only other option for DRF now, Epson seems to be a fairly reasonable answer. Yet, I'm thinking to hold out a while and see what might come out from Zeiss or some other company in the next few years.

So, those are my thoughts on this. More comments will be helpful, so keep them coming pls.

 

[horibilis]

Konica Rangefinder lenses are at their apex & digital cameras are in their infancy with a long road ahead.

Dave

 

[cameraman]

I would never pay $2000 for a 6MP camera.

 

[tooffy]

Get the Hex50f1.2 when you can find it even if you have to get it with the RF body. Digital RF body will always be there but not the Hex50f1.2. Maybe should get the Hex60f1.2 now-it's available.🙄

 

[northpole]

Well, if you are attracted to the lens, why not buy it and immediately sell the body?

I am stuck with film for the meantime - I just do not wish to become embroiled in adjusting for focal lengths due to blooming sensor cropping issues. Not to mention with the M8 having to fit and replace IR filters to lenses when switching between film (M6/M/MP) and digital (M8).

What I have done to partially fend off the digital world in the short term is to buy a second hand Nikon Coolscan 5000 with slide feeder attachment. I also have my now ancient (in technology terms) Canon G5 when I need to grab some quick shots.

When full frame comes along, then I will become very interested in digital rangefinders - not until.

Peter