Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have used an R-D1 for about a year, and have recently used a demo M8 for a few hours, so the following comparison is limited by my time with the M8. Anyway, the perceived advantages of the M8 over the R-D1 are: 1. longer rangefinder baseline, making for more secure focus with the 50 1.4 lens. 2. larger sensor, so the multiplier is 1.33 rather than 1.5. In particular, a 28mm lens acts ( e.g. has the same horizontal angle of view as) a 37mm lens, rather than a 42mm. There is an internal frameline for the 90mm lens, whereas the R-D1 requires an external 135mm finder. 3. bigger buffer. You can shoot about 10 RAW shots in a raw before the camera locks up. The R-D1 buffer for RAW files is 2. 4. quicker wake-up time, after the camera goes to sleep. 5. higher percieved resolution. The M8 images look like scanned medium format color negative film to me, whereas the R-D1 files look like scanned 35 mm film. 6. possibility of continuing support. The R-D1 appears to be an orphan product, and has not been well supported by Epson. Units are not repaired but swapped instead. If you send in a unit with a defective shutter, you may get a unit with a defective rangefinder in return. 7. Custom white balance. 8. self-timer and continuous advance modes available. The advantages of the R-D1 over the M8 are: 1. price 2. The most important photographic controls can be set without using the menu. (The M8 allows you to set aperture, shutter speed and advance mode without menus. The R-D1 adds ISO sensitivity, white balance, and picture quality (RAW, jpeg Fine, jpeg Normal). I did not have enough time to determine if the M8 battery capacity is better than the R-D1. The M8 appears to use substantially the same optical-mechanical rangefinder unit as the M7. If this is true, I would expect that the rangefinder will be more robust than the one in the R-D1 which has caused a number of users problems due to poor quality control (including myself and numerous others as reported on www.rangefinderforum.com.) I hope these observations help. Mark Davison >From: Rob McClure <rmcclure2@woh.rr.com> >Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org> >To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org> >Subject: Re: [Leica] Epson R-D1 vs. M8? >Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:37:51 -0500 > >For those who have used both an R-D1 and M8 -- how much actual difference >is there in the feel and image quality? I really like the idea of a >digital rangefinder capable of using Leica M glass. However, $6000 is >cost prohibitive for me and I'll bet for many other "advanced amateurs". >Used R-D1 are priced within my grasp. What am I giving up for the $4000 >difference? I figure that the digital technology in either camera will be >obsolete long before the hardware wears out. > >Rob McClure > > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information