Technology Newsline

Retro-Look Digital Rangefinder Merges Tradition with Innovation

By John Boyd

nique is a much overused word camera is also seen as a product these days, but it aptly describes that will showcase the company’s U ’s R-D1, the first and (at the inventive spirit, expertise in digital time of writing) only digital rangefinder imaging, and skills in mechanical camera in the world. The R-D1 is also the precision engineering. first to accept Leica L- and Isao Edatsune, general manager M-mount lenses and it incorporates the of inkjet printer and photo prod- world’s first coincidence-type viewfinder uct planning at Epson, first con- with 1× magnification. ceived of the R-D1 near the end of In designing the R-D1, Epson went 2001. “The governing design phi- back to the future to come up with a losophy was to create a digital product that marries the best of tradi- camera that felt, looked and oper- tional rangefinder design with the advan- ated just like a traditional film The Epson Rangefinder Digital Camera R-D1 tages of high-performance digital photog- camera,” says Edatsune. “The kinds raphy. The camera’s appealing retro-look of user we have in mind are professional the SLR, the distance between the lens is much more than cosmetic: It dictates photographers and those involved in dig- mount and the surface of the film is the choice and omission of features and ital-image-based art work, as well as high- shorter, making for a significantly slim- functions, while underscoring the prior- end camera enthusiasts.” Among these mer, less bulky camera body, as well as ity put on manual operations. What ap- groups are aficionados who prefer the more compact lenses. All these advantages pears to be a redundant film advance look, feel and unencumbered features of a combine to create strong appeal for many lever, for instance, is actually used to re- film camera, yet also want to take advan- fans of traditional around the cock the after taking a picture. tage of the advances made in world. Such novel thinking and attention to en- processing. “The R-D1 enables these Yet the vaunted slimness of the gineering detail is apparent throughout devotees to do just this, without having rangefinder design turned out to be a ma- every aspect of the camera’s design. the electronics get in the way of picture jor obstacle when Epson came to incor- Given Epson’s leadership role in digital creating and taking,” Edatsune adds. porate a six-megapixel CCD (charge cou- image processing and photo printing After he convinced top executives pled device) APS-C , which technologies, the company views the R- of the camera’s merits, Epson enlisted has an area six times that of the 2/3-inch D1 as an apt vehicle to extend Epson’s in- optical specialist Corporation in CCD used in most compact digital cam- fluence to the frontend of the photo busi- 2002 to help with the camera’s optics, eras. The lack of depth meant that there ness: the actual picture taking. The novel while Epson took responsibility for every- was little space with which to channel the thing else, including manu- light rays entering the camera via the lens. Merit of the rangefinder facturing. Therefore the rays of light had to be system=thin body The rangefinder design is acutely angled in order to have them focus preferred because it has a correctly onto the CCD so as to render a number of advantages over faithful image. “This was our biggest chal- single-lens reflex (SLR) cam- lenge,” says Edatsune. “And we needed to eras. These include a brighter call on all our experience in precision en-

Difference in flange back viewfinder, silent action, less gineering to meet it.” (distance from vibration and no blackout at The effort has been worthwhile. Now to film or CCD) the instant of picture taking. owners of Leica L (with adapter) and M SLR camera Rangefinder camera In addition, because there is mount lenses around the world have the no moving mirror as with opportunity to use over 200 of these lens

TNL No. 9 May 2004 Image Processing in the R-D1

Technologies provided Technologies provided by Cosina by Epson types in an advanced twenty-first century Photometry digital rangefinder camera. To get the best out of this optical trea- Imaging Analog-to-digital Subject Lens Shutter elements conversion sure chest of lenses, the six-megapixel CCD APS-C imaging element has been Digital signal Image file designed to create an image size of 23.7 processing × mm 15.6 mm. This ensures that only the PC application software central, highest performing area of a lens RAW data is used. To convert the to 35- developing mm film size, a conversion factor of 1.53 is used. For example, the focal length of a Printing 50-mm lens would be 75 mm. A handy guide on the back of the camera provides common focal length equivalents. And in Another example of the length Epson digital images in JPEG 3M (2,240 × another of the R-D1’s clever design twists, has gone to in stressing the camera’s me- 1,488 ), JPEG 6M (3,008 × 2,000 this hinged guide section can be reversed chanical look and feel is the set of analog pixels) and RAW (9 MB) formats. All to reveal a 2-inch 235,000- color LCD needle indicators on top of the camera. these options are aimed at producing The chronograph-like indicators reflect true-to-life color and tonal reproductions the watch movement technology that in the final printed images. For post-pro- Epson has developed over many years and cessing, Epson also provides software show remaining battery life, white bal- plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and ance, shooting quality and the remaining above, which are used to optimize RAW number of pictures that can be taken. data for color fidelity in printing. The Similarly, the film rewinder has been plug-ins are compatible with both Apple transformed into a jog dial for making ad- Macintosh and Windows personal com- justments in the settings. The shutter puters. Batch printing is also an option The needle indicators on the R-D1 speed control is similar to those found on when using Windows PCs. monitor. Photographers can use this big, film cameras, providing settings from 1 to Epson estimates that some 30,000 bright display to immediately check the 1/2000 second. modes available rangefinder cameras are sold yearly around image just taken, as well as review previ- are priority, auto-exposure, and the globe, and it is aggressively targeting ously stored images. Folding it away inside manual. Images are stored in an SD flash annual sales of 10,000 units for the R-D1. the body when not in use protects the dis- memory card, which currently are avail- The company believes that the new prod- play and conceals the camera’s only able in various capacities up to 1 GB. uct will both bolster Epson’s image as the prominent digital design element. The advanced company that better understands the “We think the 1× rangefinder view- skills that Epson has developed in design- needs of high-end photographers, as well finder is another innovation that serious ing and manufacturing its printers and as strengthening its promotion of the photographers will appreciate,” says Eda- scanners are also present in the R-D1, “Epson equals photo” concept. tsune. “It allows the user to check the field such as its refined algorithms for analog- of view with both eyes at the same time: to-digital conversion of the CCD data and composing a scene through the viewfinder for color processing. Moreover, the com- John Boyd is a freelance writer based in with one eye, while simultaneously view- pany’s original image processing software, Yokohama. He writes for a number of pub- ing the subject’s surroundings with the including 3D-LUT (look-up table) is used lications and has covered the IT industry for the past 17 years. free eye.” to process the analog CCD data into full-

© 2004 by Seiko Epson Corp.