[Leica] Epson RD1

[Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie)]

I think criticism of the RD1 is fair enough as it is not perfect but  
from this user the criticism is not perhaps what you may expect.
The thing I like:-
The intuitive fast to use controls, a billion times better than the  
menu driven sh*te software available on all my other digital cameras  
- I suppose it makes the hardware cheaper if everything is menu  
driven. This really is a -massive- RD1 plus for me I consider  
unintuitive software unforgivable in 2006.
The shortcoming:-
poorly designed CV viewfinder/rangefinder which loses adjustment and  
needs a very precise eye position to see the shutter speed, but this  
is an all but identical piece to the CV Bessa, so those who  
appreciate that camera should not be bothered by this - it  
disappoints me though.
The amusing:-
lever wind :-) I am not in the least bothered by this one way or the  
other, I have been cocking my camera's shutter manually for over 40  
years. I never took to motor winders or drives, anything that added a  
gram to the weight or a millimeter to the size of a camera just to  
wind the camera is totally unjustifiable to me, I am not a Sports  
pro. In fact if electrical cocking of the shutter on the RD1 had made  
it bigger or heavier that would be a big black mark to me.


As a matter of interest in Sean Reid's excellent subscription review  
site he has several M8 investigations. In the investigation of the  
much discussed IR sensitivity of the M8 he draws attention to the  
fact that the RD1 is also quite IR sensitive though this was not  
noted in reviews at the time.
Perhaps too much effort sneering at the lever wind to notice anything  
in the pictures? :-)

Frank


On 26 Nov, 2006, at 00:44, grduprey@mchsi.com wrote:

> But then he likes the RD-1, which also has a LCD acreen, which you  
> have to fold out to see, it has manual wind, which just about  
> everyone who has used it hates or feels it is poor for a digital  
> camera, it has limited manually selected frame lines, and from the  
> reports I have seen very poor reliability.