Epson’s R-D1 digital M-fi t rangefi nder ver since Nikon launched the A camera design from the past outer ring of the dial and dropping D1 fi ve years ago, Leicaphiles it on the prefered choice. A manual Ehave been wringing their gets a digital afterlife. Leica focal length frame switch is placed hands in anguish over Leica’s between the eyepiece ocular and procrastination in launching a digital expert Jonathan Eastland looks accessory shoe. This switch is rangefi nder camera. The company a carry over from 1950s Canon has issued proclamations; fi rst about at the fi rst M-mount CCD body. rangefi nder designs, but it should be how making such an artifact was on the front face of the body where not possible, then possibly, that it it can be fi nger controlled without might be, and fi nally, that they will. removing the camera from the eye. We will have to wait at least another Finally, we come to what looks like two years before the fi rst Leica an analog watch face dial nestling M-Digital hits the market in any between the shutter speed dial and sort of numbers, though a prototype the raised portion of the top plate. has been promised for March 2006. This device, the components of In the meantime, Epson have which are made by Epson for Seiko, done it and it’s here now. permits the camera user to see It’s not a Leica. But you can at a glance the settings for white fi t Leica lenses to it. And, it balance, image quality, battery state makes a pretty good picture. and the number of frame spaces The key question for people remaining on the SD storage card, like me who use Leicas a lot was counting down from 500. The back simply, how good is the image out of the camera features a 235,000 of an R-D1? And, if the answer pixel two inch screen with a single was favourable, can it maintain array of press-button switches all the quality using any old Leica mounted on a hinged panel that objective dating back as far, almost, can be turned over to protect the as Leica history will permit? monitor screen. A nice touch. The R-D1 is a joint project The R-D1 is based on Oddly, the R-D1 has no USB or between Seiko Epson and Cosina a Cosina Voigtlander Firewire connection and there are in Japan. Cosina are responsible for body and accepts Below: the top plate of the R-D1 no plans to feature either on the designing and manufacturing the Leica M lenses. shows the unusual needle dial next model. Users must plug the SD now fi rmly established Voigtlander settings control interface. card into a reader to upload images lenses and Bessa L and R 35 fi lm to a computer or printer. The card cameras. Epson are best known for itself is housed in the usual slot ink-jet printers and scanners as arrangement behind a slim door well as a range of indifferent image fl icked open with a thumbnail on quality consumer digital cameras. the right end of the body. The door is Cosina is now also manufacturing hung on a sprung hinge and I have the new Zeiss 35mm rangefi nder visions of this being snagged open announced at photokina 2004 and snapped off in the rough and together with a selection of new tumble of a photojournalist’s life. Z M bayonet mount lenses. It needs a discreet but solid lock. A short throw of the power Better built switch located under the hub of the lever wind advance soon has the My fi rst observation about the R-D1 camera up and running and from is that its build quality is two or then on in it’s all fairly intuitive, three steps above the level I have though a thorough reading of the associated previously with the Bessa manual is advised in order to cameras. The R-D1 is solid and vertical run multi blade shutter and overcome the inevitable frustra- heavy with well fi nished details. the second, a sort of primary control tion at not being able to instantly The second observation was that to device for a range of functions. fi gure out what this or that does. all intents and purpose, it looks and The top-plate layout is standard My R-D1 review sample arrived feels like a fi lm camera, complete fi lm camera fare with the exception with the recommended but scarce with wind-on lever and re-wind of one item. A shutter speed control Voigtlander ƒ1.2 35mm Aspherical knob. Both these components dial does what it says on the tin lens, itself a substantial lump of serve different purposes on the The LCD viewing screen can fl ip and is easily fi nger controlled with glass and metal styled in the manner digital camera; the fi rst to charge round and seats home like a Leica the camera to the eye. Effective ISO of Nikon’s old scallop milled F the electro-magnetically controlled fi lm camera back panel. speeds are changed by raising the lenses from the 1950s and 60s. f/1 Above: no colour fringe defects – 15mm ƒ4.5 Voigtlander Heliar with 21mm Leitz Finder. Metering in-camera from centre of field. Note vignetting in corners, not especially intrusive for some composi- tions. Reproduced maximum size for 300 dpi original file. Top left: 5.30pm miserable January evening. Leica Summilux-M (non Left: what you see aspheric) 50mm ƒ1.4. ISO 1600, 1/30th sec at ƒ5.6. Colour out of the box. No is not what you adjustments. This is typical of the sort get… of shot the Leica-M is often used for; the R-D1 does it just as well. Focus point is R-D1, Leica Summilux the blond boy’s head. 50mm ƒ1.4. JPEG/Fine/ Auto WB. ISO 400, ‘Low Centre left: ISO 400, Auto WB, Nikkor everything’. The greyed out SC 55mm ƒ1.2, exposure 1/60th sec at area shows the extra area ƒ4, levels adjusted 10% for black, Image obtained in the file but not cropped 15% from file to obtain 85% viewed within the bright line observed viewfinder field. I can’t fault frame of the viewfinder. It’s a this image for its quality of detail or the little disconcerting when you way Auto WB handles the mixed lighting are used to the accuracy of a on the shop; all this from a lens 35 years Leica M6. old! f/2 Indeed, the milling is such a close clear but not desperately accurate. RAW, JPEG Fine and JPEG Normal excitement that perhaps at long match to that on several old Nikkor Only about 85% of the image formats. Epson supplies its own last, here was something that might lenses, it reminded me of a rumour obtained is framed in the viewfinder. RAW manipulation software, but be usable straight out of the box. currently circulating that Cosina is Once you get used to it, it’s possible to be frank, I have not had time to I asked Eiichiro Kawai of Seiko manufacturing some of the Nikon to make hit or miss adjustments, fully investigate this or the quality of Epson Corporation to elaborate. film camera products. Further but it desperately needs modifying. RAW files. Fine JPEGs from the cam- “The color space in the R-D1 is examination of the multi blade Two exposure measurement era are more than adequate for the sRGB (sYCC). When we developed shutter unit revealed similarities to modes, AE and Manual, are vast majority of needs, including 12 our color space, we did not target any the one used in the Nikonos IV and set-up using the shutter speed dial, sheet bill board publication, so I have particular ICC profile. We tried to V which has only a grey metering providing more convincing evidence no doubts that whatever improve- make the best ICC profile that can strip on one of its blades, whereas the of the similarity of function layout ments can be seen with the eye reproduce the color space naturally R-D1 has two grey and one off white. and electro mechanical arrangement when selecting the RAW option, they and as a result our color space I shot the first card full of images between the R-D1 and the last two are not going to be of a significant became very close to Kodak’s profile.” using the supplied lens and my own Nikonos camera, exposure measure- improvement on the more conven- Signal processing draws on ƒ4.5 15mm Cosina/Voigtlander ment, mode function and shutter ient, and quicker, operating option. Epson’s printer business technology Heliar on a cold but bright windy unit of which was developed from The camera LCD monitor held and is manifest in a very filmy look, day in Portsmouth Dockyard while the Nikon FG. Even the viewfinder high hopes for the quality and colour closer to modern chromes than researching a project on Nelson’s data of the R-D1 is identical in of the images made and this was negatives and more especially when flagship HMS Victory (due to be in layout and function and I found you soon confirmed on the Mac. Of all shooting at the higher ISO speeds. the news a big way this year). The need to have your eye right in the the colour spaces in all the many At its highest setting of 1600 ISO, I first thing I found was that using the ocular to properly see the display.