[Leica] Epson RD-1 (initial user experience).

[ekowaleski at twmi.rr.com (Ed Kowaleski)]

I was fortunate in being able to use a RD1 at the Williamsburg LHSA meeting 
two weeks ago. I essentially agree with Ian Watts observations.  I shot 
about fifty images using a 21 mm Asph , 35mm Summicron Asph, and a 50mm 
Summilux Asph.  I shot them all as jpg because I did not have the 
proprietary software to convert RAW images.  Further, I used automatic 
setting and only varied the f stop to shoot at least 1/250th.  Given that, I 
produced JPG images of about 3.6MB.  I made some mistakes and had to discard 
about 10% of the shots because of technical errors of focusing (essentially 
my fault), failure to set the correct aperture, etc.  I then threw out a 
whole bunch because I didn't like the composition or busyness of the image. 
But I did print about twenty 8/10 glossies through Photoshop on an Epson 
R800 printer and I am more than happy with them.  In Photoshop I did tweak 
some magenta out of the image and used a slight amount of unsharp mask.  I 
could not be more pleased with the results,  The images were Leica sharp 
with a broad dynamic range.  Technically the histograms showed no clipping 
at either end and I seem to have used the full gamut.  But, subjectively, 
one immediately noticed how good the shadow detail appeared.

The camera had a comfortable "Leica" feel.  I like the notion of being able 
to use my Leica lenses and carry two bodies (an "M"  for transparencies and 
an RD1 for prints).  This is a practical "carry-around" program.

I have been unable to find a store that has the camera in stock in the US. 
B&H emailed me yesterday and said they had the camera but when I called them 
this morning, they were sold out.  When I asked how many they had received, 
the answer was "I dunno, maybe 30 or 40."  I suspect they got considerably 
less but the fact remains someone has seen the iron in the US.

Ed Kowaleski

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ian Watts" <i.watts@virgin.net>
To: <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 8:01 AM
Subject: [Leica] Epson RD-1 (initial user experience).


> [I have already posted this to a couple of online forums but thought it
> might be of interest to some on the LUG.]
>
>
> Temptation proved too strong. Although I have had (and still have to an
> extent) my doubts concerning the short rangefinder baselength of this
> camera, I decided that the opportunity to use my beloved M lenses in
> conjunction with a pure digital (rather than film>scan) workflow was too
> good to ignore.
>
> I will have to reserve judgement on actual image quality until I can get 
> an
> image onto my Mac. I rather foolishly assumed that the camera would come
> with a cable to connect it to a USB port but the it seems the only way to
> import images is via an SD card reader (which, Sod's law states, I haven't
> got). I have used this class of digital camera for some time (D60, 10D,
> etc.) so I don't expect any major surprises as far as image quality goes.
> 6MP images from APS sized sensors are a well known quantity by now. For 
> what
> it's worth, I was able to review test images on the rear LCD (jpeg images
> can be magnified a useful 9x) to check focus accuracy. As I expected (and
> others have reported), there do appear to be some issues here, though not
> anything like as bad as I feared. My initial impressions in this regard is
> that the rangefinder demands that the eye is properly centred to ensure 
> best
> focussing accuracy when using lenses wide open. Casual tests showed that,
> with care, I was even able to focus my Noctilux (at F1.0) to a very
> acceptable degree in the 1m-3m focussing range (at least based on what I
> could see on the LCD). I have no real idea yet about focussing on stuff 
> much
> further out but some very quick tests suggest that this may prove more
> difficult with fast lenses used wide open (presumably triangulation errors
> with the short rangefinder baselength are more likely to start coming into
> play the further out you are focussing - even taking into account the
> increased DOF in the middle to longer focussing ranges?).
>
> Generally speaking I am very pleased with the RD-1 handling and feel. 2000
> quid (the UK price) is a lot of money for what is really a Bessa but the
> build quality is of a high standard. I might prefer a bit more heft with
> heavy lenses like the Noctilux (I am used to an M7 with Motor M 
> permanently
> attached) but the RD-1 feels right with my 35/F2 (which now becomes my
> standard lens).
>
> It's worth noting that the packaging of this product is of an exceptional
> standard - much like the beautifully designed packaging you get with most
> Apple products. Obviously this is of no consequence to the RD-1 as a
> shooting tool but it does at least give the buyer some confidence that 
> this
> a product that Epson has taken seriously and has some pride in.
>
> As far as the handling goes, everything should seem very natural to any
> seasoned rangefinder and DSLR user. The analogue dials are possibly a bit
> gimmicky. Frankly, I would prefer to have a top-plate LCD with all the
> shooting info in it. However, the dials are clear and concise (and there 
> is
> something rather sweet about the way the hands swoosh into position when 
> the
> camera is switched on). The other buttons/dials are absolutely fine -
> shutter speed dial seems nice and solid, jog dial is a joy to use. The 
> wind
> lever has a surprisngly short throw. This, I guess, is because there is no
> film to wind on (just a shutter to cock) but it is initially a bit
> disconcerting. Rear LCD seems to be as good as anything I've used before 
> and
> the menu system is very easy and quick to navigate. It is also great to 
> have
> the opportunity to turn the LCD around and use the camera just like you
> would a film camera.
>
> As far as the finder goes, I am generally very positive about this. The
> finder is bright (as bright as my Leicas) and the 1.0x magnification is a
> real revelation. Being able to shoot properly with both eyes open so that
> all you have between you and the subject is a superimposed frame is, for 
> me,
> the way all rangefinders should work. It's like holding up a small 
> cropping
> frame in front of you and using that to compose. What's not so good about
> the finder is the rangefinder patch. It is significantly less contrasty 
> than
> a Leica M patch and it isn't parallax corrected like the framelines - i.e.
> it doesn't move with the framelines when you focus the lens. I presume all
> Bessas are like this?. This, I suspect, is contributing to the focussing
> errors that some are experiencing. When I look through the finder my 
> initial
> temptation is to position my eye so that the frameline is centred in my
> view. However, doing this, the rangefinder patch may no longer be central.
> The trick, therefore, seems to be to position the eye so that the patch is
> always central, not the framelines. Doing this, I was consistently able to
> focus my lenses wide open in the medium to close range (as far as I could
> tell from the magnified rear LCD view).
>
> Points to note which may be of interest to others. The RAW buffer is not
> anything like as large as a Canon or Nikon DSLR. In RAW mode it is only
> possible to shoot 2 shots in quick succession before needing to wait a
> second or two for the buffer to move data off to the card (you do not have
> to wait for it to completely empty). Not an issue for me because it's not
> the way I shoot but it could present a problem for some. Also worth noting
> is that you cannot set the LCD to automatically show an image after each
> shot. You have to click a button for the LCD to enter playback mode. It 
> then
> shows the last shot taken. Perhaps more annoying is that if you do use the
> rear LCD to review an image you cannot then immediately take a shot - you
> have to first press the shutter release (or the 'LCD' button) first. You
> cannot do it with just one touch of the release. This bemused me at first 
> (I
> kept thinking that I hadn't wound on the shutter). With a Canon you can 
> look
> at an image and then put the camera straight to the eye without turning 
> off
> the LCD, and take a shot. With the RD-1 you essentially have to turn off 
> the
> LCD first - even if you use the shutter release to do that. This is not a
> significant problem for me as I will largely use the camera with the LCD
> reversed and out of the way, but I can see how the RD-1 will be an 
> annoyance
> to others more used to taking a quick peek at the LCD after each shot.
>
> I should also point out that it is not easy to see the 28mm framelines. It
> is about the same as viewing them on a 0.72x M. Again, for me it isn't a
> major issue as I shoot mainly with a 50mm lens and my lesser used 35mm is 
> an
> ideal substitute to get the equivalent field of view. However, I would
> suggest that those who shoot mainly with wide lenses will find the RD-1 
> less
> useful. To get an equivalent view wider than around 40mm will require the
> use of accessory viewfinders. I have a 24mm which will substitute as my 
> 35mm
> but even here I am at the limits of the usefulness of the inbuilt finder -
> at least for framing purposes.
>
> All in all, I am very pleased with the RD-1 and recommend it to anyone
> wanting to use M lenses within a digital workflow. However, I would 
> suggest
> that anyone who works at the wider end of the M lens range should be
> cautious about the RD-1.
>
> Ian Watts
>
> -- 
>
> mailto:i.watts@virgin.net
>
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