Epson RD-1

[stnami]

Any interest here with this elder statesman....... especially in regards lenses that compliment the sensor. I tried
the Voigtlanders......too contrasty
the old canons nice rendition but a bit soft......... but great with bnw
about to buy a Zeiss 21 and 50

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Imants,

As you may know, I still use the R-D1. The Zeiss lenses will have even higher contrast than most of the Voigtlanders. For high res with moderate contrast, I'd suggest the CV 35/1.7 and CV 28/1.9.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

Thanks, I'll take your word on the contrast bit, surprises me a bit though.
How about the Nokton F1.4 / 40mm as I don't mind the Canon 35mm 2.8 even with film
I guess I will have to stick to the Color-Skopar F4.0 / 21mm PII M-Mount as far as a 21 will go, realistically a Leica 21 mm lens is a bit of a waste on me I had a pentax for a while (lost interest in DSLRs) and used a 21mm, nice lens but too much barrel distortion especially with building lines at the back of people photos, the 32mm (21mm) became my preferred length
I saw that the Heliar Classic 50mm/f2 is back again maybe that is worth considering instead of the 35/40mm lenses. Can't seem to find a lot about it or I may chase another Leica here my old one has trees growing in it.

About the RD-1, probably the best digital I have owned, I don't miss the GRD or Pentax as small was never my drama. I can get pretty much the same results, plus more with the bonus of a lot more flexability in PP. Shooting at 800 iso is sweet thus f8-11 is not a drama.

 

[Mitch Alland]

Interesting, Imants. As you know I have been making very large prints with the GRD. Do you think that would no problem with the 6MP RD-1?

—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/

 

[stnami]

Sorry Mitch, yet to print, maybe Sean can answer that but I do like what I see. Here's a PPd image yes the differences are miniscule but they are there

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Looks to me there is a little bit more range in the bottom image. I would assume that is the RD-1.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Thanks, I'll take your word on the contrast bit, surprises me a bit though.
How about the Nokton F1.4 / 40mm as I don't mind the Canon 35mm 2.8 even with film
I guess I will have to stick to the Color-Skopar F4.0 / 21mm PII M-Mount as far as a 21 will go, realistically a Leica 21 mm lens is a bit of a waste on me I had a pentax for a while (lost interest in DSLRs) and used a 21mm, nice lens but too much barrel distortion especially with building lines at the back of people photos, the 32mm (21mm) became my preferred length
I saw that the Heliar Classic 50mm/f2 is back again maybe that is worth considering instead of the 35/40mm lenses. Can't seem to find a lot about it or I may chase another Leica here my old one has trees growing in it.

About the RD-1, probably the best digital I have owned, I don't miss the GRD or Pentax as small was never my drama. I can get pretty much the same results, plus more with the bonus of a lot more flexability in PP. Shooting at 800 iso is sweet thus f8-11 is not a drama.

As a rule, the Zeiss ZM lenses (which are wonderful) tend to have the highest contrast of the current RF lenses. The CVs can be lower, moderate or higher contrast depending on the model. The Leicas are high-moderate to high contrast depending on the model.

The low contrast 21 is the Kobalux 21/2.8. Next highest would be the Leica.

Until the M8, the R-D1 was my favorite digital camera. I still like it quite a bit.

It might be useful for you to start up with RR again because of all the lens reviews. Otherwise, see also:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/epson-rd1.shtml

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/rd-1-lens.shtml

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/fastlensreview.shtml

The trick with the CV Skopars (28 mm and wider) is that they tend to vignette quite a bit on the R-D1. That's not true for the 28 Ultron.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

It seems that the Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 4.5/21 ZM may be the best proposition, little distortion, the rendering/ colour looks great, contrast easy to tweak and I can vignette in PP on my own terms

THe Pentax D10 is probably the bet buy around, when recommending for schools and institutions it tops my list. Unfortunately there is a bit of negative reaction to the camera until they use it,,,,,,,,, the lenses old and new are a bonus

 

[Sean_Reid]

It seems that the Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 4.5/21 ZM may be the best proposition, little distortion, the rendering/ colour looks great, contrast easy to tweak and I can vignette in PP on my own terms

THe Pentax D10 is probably the bet buy around, when recommending for schools and institutions it tops my list. Unfortunately there is a bit of negative reaction to the camera until they use it,,,,,,,,, the lenses old and new are a bonus

Hi Imants,

The 21/4.5 is a great lens with the main potential drawback being, as you mentioned, vignetting on the R-D1. I've tested it on the M8 but not on the R-D1. The contrast will also be high, as with the CV.

For a photographer who will actively control what a camera is doing, the K10D has got to be one of the greatest values in digital photography.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

For one who still uses a film camera ..... wides are not a problem.
With all this vignetting, it seems that it may be best to use the 28mm (42mm) and above. Probably not a bad thing as shoving a camera in someone's face at about a metre is not a healthy proposition in many a situation despite the potentially good results.............

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Imants,

I tend to use 28 -50 lenses on the Epson but wider lenses can work so long as they're of a certain design (for example the Leica and Zeiss 2.8s work well from 21 - 25 mm).

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

The Zeiss is getting to the too large scale. why would there be such a difference between the 4.5 and the 2.8? I will chase a 50mm first, put the wide on hold... change of strategy
I have a borrowed Pentax K10D sitting at home, using it for as short animation got it hooked up to the computer a breeze to work with

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Is the RD-1 a 1.5 crop factor. Also i been hearing a lot of talk on this Pentax, sounds interesting. Sean is your review done on this by chance.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Is the RD-1 a 1.5 crop factor. Also i been hearing a lot of talk on this Pentax, sounds interesting. Sean is your review done on this by chance.

Hi Guy,

Yes, the R-D1 is a 1.5 crop camera.

The K10D review is up along with a review of the Pentax 43/1.9 and the Zeiss ZK 35 and ZK 50. The camera has a fairly weak AA filter which makes it a particularly good match with high res lenses.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Sean_Reid]

The Zeiss is getting to the too large scale. why would there be such a difference between the 4.5 and the 2.8? I will chase a 50mm first, put the wide on hold... change of strategy
I have a borrowed Pentax K10D sitting at home, using it for as short animation got it hooked up to the computer a breeze to work with

The 4.5 is more of a traditional RF design. The 2.8 is more "telecentric" like SLR lenses tend to be (light rays tend to hit the film/sensor straight on rather than at more oblique angles).

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

Ended up with .........
Ultron F1.9 / 28mm and a Nokton F1.5 / 50mm ............... the wide can wait or I just use film
Thanks Sean

 

[Sean_Reid]

Ended up with .........
Ultron F1.9 / 28mm and a Nokton F1.5 / 50mm ............... the wide can wait or I just use film
Thanks Sean

The Ultron should give you that high res/lower contrast combination you like. The Nokton is fairly high contrast but its an outstanding lens. I've owned both of those lenses for several years now.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[stnami]

A nice lens the Ultron 28mm (42mm)......

1st shot (riteereinmebackyard) ,,,,,,,

 

[Sean_Reid]

It is, glad you like it.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Riley]

A nice lens the Ultron 28mm (42mm)......

1st shot (riteereinmebackyard) ,,,,,,,

looks like you are going to have a fabulous time with the RD1 Imants