Epson R-D1 Long Term Review

a photo.net review by Josh Root

Author's Note:

Almost exactly one year after my first R-D1 review, I ended up getting an R-D1 of my own. So why finally shell out the cash? For a reason that isn't usually given for digital camera purchases, but I suspect is fairly common for R-D1 owners: I was bored out of my mind with using my dSLR.

Now don't get me wrong, my Canon cameras have served me VERY well over the past 5 years. D30, 1D, Digital Rebel, 20D, 5D, they have all created great images. But I have come to think of them in the same way that I think of my Saturn sedan: reliable, economical, gets me where I want to go, but not the kind of thing that gets me excited to get up and drive to work in the morning. The Canons have treated my photography well, both personally & professionally, but recently something has been wrong., I just wasn't excited about using my cameras any more. I needed a change. Can you buy skill? No, of course not, but you can buy a new experience.

Epson R-D1 follow up review:

Before you begin, you should probably read this R-D1 review if you haven't already. Though it is only based on 2 hours of using the camera, it was surprisingly close to the conclusions in this article.

Storage:

Josh Root

Professional level cameras using SD cards used to be a larger annoyance simply because so many serious photographers had a huge pile of CF cards around from their dSLR. As more and more cameras have arrived using SD cards, and SD card prices have continued to drop, this becomes less of an issue. While CF cards still have a larger maximum capacity, SD cards are close enough that it does not bother most photographers.

However, one of the larger issues with the R-D1 is the size of the in-camera buffer. For those who don't know, the buffer is where images are stored while they are waiting to be written to the memory card. This internal memory allows cameras like the Canon 1D to take 20-30 shots in a row at full motor drive speed. When your camera's buffer is full, you cannot take another image until there is space in the buffer (which is another way of saying "until the camera has written an image to the memory card").

The R-D1's buffer is just fine if you are using the JPEG mode. In normal use, you never miss a shot while waiting for the buffer to clear. However, when using the RAW image mode, the buffer is far too small. Yes, RAW files are much larger and that a camera isn't going to have as large of a buffer with them as with JPEGs. But the R-D1's buffer is two shots in RAW mode and that is too small. Even with the funky lever shutter wind, it is easy to knock off three quick images. The buffer needs to be at least 5 shots, 7 would be even better. (NOTE: This issue is addressed with the newer R-D1s firmware).

Power:

The R-D1 has quite good battery life. This shouldn't be surprising, since the camera has no autofocus, internal flash, or motor drive to drain its battery. But in practice, it's still nice to know that you can use the camera all day with just two batteries (and still be likely to have some juice left over in the second one). The included charger works just fine, nothing out of the ordinary.

Lenses, metering, and exposure:

Josh Root

Like many digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, the R-D1 has a 1.5x field of view multiplier for lenses due to it's ASP-C sized sensor. What this means is that a 50mm lens on the R-D1 will give you the same view as a 75mm lens on a regular 35mm film camera. For classic rangefinder users, this causes the greatest problem with the R-D1: the lack of a fast 35mm (equiv) lens.

50mm lenses might still technically be considered a "normal" lens, however, a large majority of rangefinder photographers use 35mm lenses at least as often as a 50mm. In fact, it could be argued that the 35mm is much more of a "normal" lens for the average RF photographer. The R-D1 options for a fast 35mm FOV lens are very limited (and or expensive). Essentially there are 4 choices:

• The slow but cheap, small, and sharp Voigtlander 25/4
• The slightly faster, much larger, very hard to find and slightly more expensive Kobalux 21/2.8
• The slightly faster, much larger, and somewhat more expensive Zeiss 21/2.8
• The slightly faster, much larger, and very expensive Leica 21/2.8

However, none of these gets past f/2.8. Most RF users are accustomed to f/1.4 being their "fast" lens speed, so a drop of 2-3 stops is unacceptable. That doesn't even begin to get into the issues with finding a reasonably fast and affordable 21-24mm (equiv) lens. I don't know about you, but for me "wide" doesn't even begin to START until you reach 24mm.

In any case, if you don't care about fast wide-angle lenses, then these aren't issues that will bother you. If you do care, the best solution may be that Cosina/Voigtlander will come out with a 21/2 that only covers the RD-1's APS-C size sensor. While the R-D1 might not have sold as fast as Epson/Cosina were hoping, there appears to be enough RD-1 users to make it a worthwhile product. Another option would be to make the same lens but design it to cover the 1.3x size chip of the Leica M8. Voigtlander would then have one lens that offered a 35/2 for the R-D1 and a 28/2 for the Leica Md.

Having no fast-wide lens means that photographers are often using higher ISO levels than they would normally choose. So how does the camera handle sensor noise at high ISO levels? Noise is a very subjective thing. There may not be "less" noise from the R-D1's sensor than from recent Canon or Nikon sensors. But many believe that the noise from the R-D1 is much more pleasant to look at. To me, it is more film-like and less blotchy, especially in the shadow areas. Due to the slow speed of the wider lenses, images are frequently shot at 800 ISO. While it is probably better as far as noise is concerned, to use 400 or 200, the images at 800 are just fine and look beautiful printed. One-third stop adjustments on the ISO selection dial would have allowed for taking photos at 640 instead of having to choose 400 or 800.

Josh Root

One of the theoretical hurdles of creating a digital rangefinder has been that RF lenses are designed much differently than SLR lenses. SLR lenses have to be built so that the back element is completely out of the way of the swinging mirror. This design causes the lens elements to direct the light towards the cameras film/sensor in a much more direct way. RF lenses don't have the mirror issue to deal with, which creates advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that RF lenses can be designed to be much smaller and lighter for a given focal length than similar SLR lenses. However, often these lenses have rear elements that protrude into the camera body. The closer the rear element is to the film/sensor plane, the greater the angle of the light hitting that plane, particularly in the corners of an image. With film, this isn't a big deal, but digital sensors are designed to record light striking them directly. When light comes in at an angle, to a digital sensor, you get "vingetting" or light fall off again, particularly in the corners of an image. Vingetting can be a pleasant effect to many people, especially on wide angle shots. For those who do not share that opinion, Epson's included RAW conversion software offers automatic vingetting adjustments for various wide-angle lenses. It is simple, and works well.

The R-D1 has a fairly short rangefinder base of 37mm; a shorter rangerfinder base usually equals lower focusing accuracy. However, the R-D1's focusing accuracy is helped somewhat by is fairly high-magnification 1.0x viewfinder. Some have complained that focusing accuracy is still difficult with longer or extremely fast lenses used wide open. This review did not find any focusing issues regarding the RF base. But also, no lens longer than 50mm lens was used. The rational being that if you want to be using telephoto lenses, you should be using an SLR, not a RF camera. While it may help with focusing accuracy, one annoyance about the high-mag viewfinder is that it essentially forces the photographer to use external viewfinders for wide angle lenses. The R-D1 has three sets of framelines which are user selected via a lever on the top of the camera (as with other Cosina RF cameras). They are marked "28mm, 35mm, & 50mm", which is fairly misleading as they are referring to the actual focal length of the lens you are putting on. The actual field of view of the lens (and corresponding framelines) are 42mm, 53mm & 75mm, none of which are considered "wide angle".

The rangefinder patch is bright and easy to see. It does require a little more dedication to make sure that your eye is centered in the viewfinder than the Leica RF patches do. Without proper centering, the patch becomes washed out, though not totally invisible. This "washing out" actually sounds like a larger issue than it is. In practice though, there are very few issues with the rangefinder patch, framelines, or viewfinder of the R-D1.

As mentioned in the previous review, the R-D1 has a very simple centerweighted meter. It works very well within its limitations. There are no "scene" modes here and no "500 point evaluative metering". Don't expect the camera to understand that you are taking a photo of a black horse standing in a field of snow; backlighting easily fools centerweighted meters.

That having been said, the camera's AE works very well most of the time. It does tend to underexpose about a half of a stop. This underexposure appears to be done on purpose with the goal being to never blow out the highlights in an image. In any case, it is easy to either add in 1/2 a stop or so of exposure compensation or to just increase the exposure in Photoshop or in the Epson Raw converter. The camera's metering and AE system works quite well for what it is. It is simple, but effective if you know how to use it.

Appearance and Handling:

Josh Root

While physically being slightly larger than a Leica M6 or a Voigtlander Bessa R2, the R-D1 handles much the same. It may not have quite the solid "precision" feeling as the M6 but is quite a bit better than the R2. The body does not feel cheap or plastic at all, and the camera has a nice weight in the hand. Not too heavy, but not light like a toy either.

Much has been made of two offbeat choices that Cosina/Epson came up with when designing this camera The use of analog dials (instead of an LCD) for camera info and the use of a traditional film advance lever to cock the shutter (instead of a motor drive).

The analog needle gauges work just fine. With the exception of the white balance gauge, they are quick and easy to read. The white balance gauge, as mentioned in the first review, is badly designed. Instead of using the standard sun/lightbulb/sun+cloud/etc icons to indicate the various settings, the R-D1 has a whole different set of icons to remember. While this isn't really a big deal and you learn them fast enough, it is still frustrating.

The film advance lever also works just fine. I'm not really sure what reason Epson/Cosina had for leaving it on there, perhaps cost or power saving. It is not bothersome at all. It is quiet, fast, and uses no batteries. Any photographers who have been using automatic cameras for a while might forget to advance the shutter once or twice. But it all comes back quickly. And it's funny to confuse people who aren't sure what in the world you have in your hands. Is it film...digital...alien camera from the planet Xqefezzztr?

The lack of a "half-press" AE lock on the shutter button is an annoyance. Most every AE camera locks the exposure with a half press of the shutter button. The R-D1 uses a thumb button on the back of the top-plate to achieve the same thing. Putting the AE lock on the shutter button and using the thumb button for some other user assigned function would have been a smarter plan.

Josh Root

The button layout for the LCD is a bit odd when compared to other digital cameras. It works well enough, but the camera would be better served with the standard 4-way toggle button that many cameras have. Instead, the R-D1 has a knob on the left of the top plate (where a film RF would have it's rewind knob) that you spin to advance through the menus. This works well for flipping through photos. But not well when you have to scroll around in a photo to check focus. You need to press a button and then pull up on the little knob to change scroll direction. It works, but is less than convenient. There is a "user" button that can be assigned as a short cut through the clumsy menu system. Setting this to activate the "magnify" function is very handy.

Unlike practically every digital camera in the world, you cannot set the R-D1 to display the image that was just taken for a few seconds. On the one hand, this is nice, because it keeps users from "chimping" (looking at the LCD right after taking a photo). Which makes the R-D1 a little more like a traditional film camera, concentrate on making images now, then see the results later. But most will find themselves hitting the "playback" button anyway to check exposure, composition, etc. Chimping might be a bad habit in the eyes of some photographers, but it should be up to the user to decide if they want to do it. (NOTE: This is addressed by the R-D1s firmware update)

There is a choice of the standard types of image display, histogram/exposure info/no info/etc. It would be handy if the camera would remember the user's viewing choice after it is turned off. This is an annoying and should have been corrected before release. It is particularly annoying to people who frequently use the histogram as an exposure guide. (NOTE: This is addressed by the R-D1s firmware update)

Software:

Despite camera makers including software with their cameras, most serious photographers use a program like Photoshop to sort, to edit and even to convert their RAW files. The Epson PhotoRaw software should be an exception for processing RAW files from the R-D1. Yes, the Photoshop RAW converter will process the Epson's RAW format. However, it automatically turns the images to color even if they were shot in the B/W format described above. More importantly, the Epson program appears to do a better job with the files. How specifically? It's hard to point to anything in particular. All the standard RAW options are there, exposure, white balance, noise reduction, etc. The only thing that is out of the ordinary, is a preset option to compensate for the vingetting of specific lenses. This last feature is pretty handy, considering the vingetting problems that the R-D1 has. Overall though, I found the results of the Epson RAW processing to be better looking than the built in Photoshop RAW processing.

Reported Quality Issues:

Josh Root

This particular R-D1 showed no quality control issues. However, some number of R-D1 buyers have reported issues such as: vertical rangefinder patch misalignment, RF/focusing misalignment, and "hot" sensor pixels (a single pixel that always is white in images). How prevalent are these problems? Judging by online discussions with other R-D1 users, vertical RF alignment is the most common problem. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to fix and can be done at home if you are careful and handy with small screwdrivers. If not, any camera repairman who works on RF cameras can do it for you. The "hot pixels" issue is a bit more annoying. There is little you can do to fix the problem. Though the Epson software does include the ability to map-out the hot pixels, so that they do not show up in your images. (NOTE: The hot-pixels issue is also addressed by the R-D1s firmware update). The focusing accuracy issue is a harder to pinpoint. It may be that some R-D1 bodies weren't adjusted correctly from the factory. Given the short RF base and the amount of practice that it takes to get good at fast accurate RF focusing, it seems likely that a large percentage of fault falls to something other than bad quality control on Epson's part.

The larger issue is the general disappointment that users have reported with Epson and their customer service regarding the R-D1. The general opinion (probably skewed towards unhappy users) is that Epson USA customer service people don't know anything about the R-D1, aren't helpful with problems and the service department is slower than a frozen tortoise when you send something in to get fixed. For what it's worth, I haven't found Epson's customer service to be any better or worse than other companies when dealing with non R-D1 issues (scanners, printers, etc). It is safe to say that Epson has done an absolutely horrible job in terms of marketing the R-D1 in the USA. They didn't appear to put much effort into reaching out to the RF photography community here. Photo.net couldn't get a unit last year when we contacted them, and their PR/press people didn't even have any information on when the camera would be in the USA. Given how easy the internet makes it to reach very specific consumer groups these days, there is no excuse for the lack of support/marketing that Epson gave the R-D1. Maybe they expected to sell all of the 10,000 production run in Japan/Asia and when they didn't sell, the camera got rushed into the US market.

Things to like:

• FINALLY a digital RF
• quiet-ish shutter
• dials are cool
• b/w raw option
• in-camera b/w's are nicely done
• few blown highlights
• small & light
• the sheer enjoyment of using it

Things not to like:

• buffer is too small when using RAW format (somewhat improved by R-D1s update)
• menu setup/design is badly done
• scroll wheel isn't the best idea
• lack of a fast 35mm (equiv) lens
• short RF base requires high magnification VF, which means no framelines for lenses wider than 28mm (42mm equiv)
• expensive
• no AE lock on the shutter button, extra button is useless for it
• horribly cryptic white balance symbols

Conclusion:

Josh Root

The Epson R-D1 is strangely designed, somewhat overpriced, under supported, badly marketed, and struggles with some of the most central aspects of rangefinder photography. That having been said, I love this camera, and would own it again in a heartbeat. The enjoyment of using a digital rangefinder is outstanding. In many ways, it is that kind of camera that has been missing since photography started its move to digital. The camera is small, quiet, the lenses are fast, focusing in low light is easier, and it isn't "scary" looking to people like an SLR with a 17-35/2.8.

Admittedly, it would be nice to see the problems addressed in a future camera. However, many of the problems are minor annoyances (for the average user) and most can be worked around. The largest issue could be addressed with the release of a 21/2 "digital specific" lens from Cosina/Voigtlander. Even some of the annoying menu/internal problems could be addressed with a firmware update. However, don't hold your breath waiting for either of those to happen. (NOTE: this was happily proven wrong by the R-D1s firmware update)

Is Epson going to make an R-D2? I don't know, there are many opinions, but probably not. It doesn't appear that they have sold the R-D1 at the rate they had wanted. Epson is not a huge player in the digital camera world anyway and Cosina's Mr. Kobiyashi is reportedly not a huge digital fan. Leica has come out with the $5000 10MP 1.3x chip M8 that surely would take away some of the market for an RD-2. Also, every so often there are rumors of Zeiss, or Sony, or some other company making a digital RF as well. Will the price ever drop on the R-D1? It hasn't dropped much yet, but eventually 6MP is going to start looking bad to many people and the assumption is that Epson will have to do something to move the rest of the inventory. Again though, don't hold your breath. (NOTE: proven wrong by the lower price of the R-D1s)

Overall, I am very happy with the R-D1. Will you be happy with one? There are lots of reasons to buy an R-D1 and at least as many why you might not want to. Photographers need to seriously look at what their needs are in terms of both digital imaging (6MP, odd menu system) and rangefinder photography (short RF base, 1.5x FOV crop, no fast 35mm or wider lens) to decide how they feel about this camera. But I predict that people will either love it like I do, or wonder why it even exists.

UPDATE:

As with many projects, this review took a little longer to get finished than I had anticipated. Part of the reason for was that Epson announced the R-D1s while I was in the process of finishing the article. So everything was delayed while I tried to get some accurate information from Epson and my other photographic sources, about the camera. (Questions asked/answered in May 2006)

The following are the improvements that Epson has made to the R-D1s (according to the Epson press release):

Josh Root

• 'Quick View' record review function
• RAW + JPEG support
• Adobe RGB color space option
• Scene type color reproduction ('Film setting')
• Image parameter control (sharpness, color, shadow, contrast, noise reduction)
• Long exposure noise reduction
• Playback magnification up to 16x
• Improved direct printing (with up to 13.5 mp interpolation)

After the announcement of the R-D1s, there was a lot of confusion over the camera. Was the camera hardware actually different? Was this just a firmware update with a new decal? Would the camera be available in the USA? Would the "s" features be available as a firmware update for existing R-D1 owners? Was the reported list price of 2000 Euros accurate?

With Epson USA acting as a go-between I asked these questions of Epson's digital camera people in Japan:

1. Will the R-D1s be available to buyers in the USA?

   Epson America does not have plans to sell the R-D1s in the U.S.

2. If it is not, will overseas purchased R-D1s camera be able to be serviced under warranty by Epson USA?

   As of now, we don't believe so.

3. Will any of the R-D1s upgrades be available to, via firmware update or other methods, to owners of the previous R-D1?

   Technical and service related issues limit the ability to provide a firmware upgrade to the R-D1. However, Epson America will continue to provide customer support and service for the R-D1.

4. Does the R-D1s include any hardware upgrades or changes, (larger image buffer to help with the RAW+JPEG option) or are the differences based around the camera firmware/software?

   There are no hardware modifications in the R-D1s. The new camera features upgraded firmware that controls camera functionality, and as such, contains additional features that photographers will find very useful. There have been significant changes to the image control software (including the CCD image sensor control method, the camera operation control method, and the image processing control method) resulting in improved image quality. In addition, we have been able to increase the continuous shots in raw mode from two to three by changing the memory mapping for the built-in memory.

5. What will the list price be for the R-D1s in the USA (if available here), or in Europe/Japan?

   In Japan there is an open price. The European price has not been decided yet.

6. What is meant by "Scene type color reproduction ('Film setting')"? How is this different from the film functions already available? Is this a metering option similar to the "snow/night/etc" options found on some cameras?

   The film setting function in the R-D1s is the same as the R-D1. The default Film1, Film2 and Film3 settings are the same as with the R-D1. However, the R-D1s features Epson's recommended default settings, Film1 is for Portrait, Film2 is for Landscape, Film3 is for Night scene.

7. Does "Quick View record review function" mean that the R-D1s will give users to have the standard 2-5 second image review immediately after making an image that other digital cameras offer?

   As with other digital SLR cameras, the Quick View record review function lets you check the images you have shot immediately afterwards. The Quick View record enables users to select between three and ten seconds or select not to have Quick View.

8. Will the R-D1s remember the photographer's preference for image review "information" after being turned off? Or, to say it another way, will the R-D1s remember that I like to review images with the histogram information after the camera is turned off? Or will the user have to reset this choice every time as with the R-D1?

   The R-D1s remembers the user's preference for image review "information" after being turned off. The camera remembers if the user sets the histogram display, even if it is turned off.

9. Does the R-D1s correct the "double shutter press" image review issue, where users have to press the shutter button once to turn off the LCD when reviewing and again to take an image?

   Yes, the R-D1s corrects the "double shutter press" image review issue. With the R-D1s, you can take a picture by pressing the shutter once when you are reviewing an image on the LCD. However, when the R-D1s is in sleep mode, you have to press once to wake up, and once more to take an image (no change from the R-D1).

10. Does the R-D1s have the ability to map out hot image sensor pixels internally? Or will this still rely on an external image editing program?

    The R-D1s includes an internal function to detect hot image sensor pixels internally and make adjustments. However, the judgment standard for hot image sensor pixels is the same as the one used in Epson shipping standards. It is not easy to increase hot image sensor pixels so there is no need to continually use this function.

11. Does Epson have any intention of making an R-D2?

    Unfortunately, we cannot discuss any future plans.

These responses gave good, bad, and inaccurate information. The good was that the R-D1s addresses almost all of the software related issues discussed in this review. The bad news is that Epson is once again ignoring the USA market for this camera and is not even sure if they can service the camera in the USA. Finally, what would have been bad news in the inability to update the original R-D1 to take advantage of these features, turns out to be flat out inaccurate. As Epson UK has posted the new firmware and installation instructions on their webpage (http://esupport.epson-europe.com/RD1s/Registration.aspx?lng=en-GB). Early reports are that virtually no users have had problems installing the firmware and that it appears to work perfectly in the standard R-D1 cameras.

The R-D1 with the R-D1s firmware is much improved. The best features are the improved RAW buffer capacity (2 frames vs. 3 frames may not seem like much, but it really makes a difference), the ability to have instant 'after-shot' review, and the ability of the camera to remember settings after being turned off. The other features are handy, but those three will really take the cake for many people.

Current list prices for the R-D1s seem to be 2000 euros in Europe. This price is closer to what most feel the R-D1 should have cost originally. Sadly, the whole R-D1s release indicates that Epson was having a hard time moving the whole production run of the R-D1. This is too bad, because it does not bode well for the production of an R-D2.

Now if Cosina would just come out with a digital specific 21/2 lens...