Epson R-D1s Rangefinder is out
Epson has released an update to the Epson R-D1, the R-D1s. Yes, it's very expensive; however they seem to have created a niche market where they can charge a premium price. That is low volume, high price and no competitor. They have taken the best of digital technology and seamlessly integrated it into the rangefinder tradition. The all-metal Epson Rangefinder R-D1s body incorporates a bright 1.0x viewfinder, so you can compose your image free of distortion or dimming, even in low light. ISO settings range from 200 to 1600, with shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/2000 second.
The camera incorporates full manual and aperture priority auto exposure modes, analogue dials and a hot shoe with X-Sync for external flash. Images can be viewed on a bright 2 inch LCD screen. You can switch between colour and monochrome exposures, change ISO settings shot-by-shot, apply tints, and change saturation instantly to match your photographic style and needs. This camera gives a feeling of creative power and control.
Why is the rangefinder so different, well as there is no swinging mirror (unlike a DSLR), rangefinder lenses can approach very close to the film (or sensor). Some almost touch the shutter, coming within 4-5mm of the sensor. This means that wide angle lenses like a 35, 28, 24, or 19mm can be symmetrical, which makes correcting many kinds of aberrations easy, and makes the lenses relatively cheap and low cost.
A DSLR on the other hand has a mirror and the rear element of an SLR lens can't approach any closer than 38mm from the sensor. So those wide angles lenses are asymmetrical, using what are called "retro focus" designs, like telephoto lenses, in reverse so the negative elements are to the front, the positive elements face the sensor.
Retro focus lenses for SLRs have exit pupils at least 50mm from the sensor. The exit pupil is the "image" of the aperture, and is the place where light "comes from" before it hits the sensor. With a 50mm exit pupil, a lens won't have light that's more than arc tan (43.3mm/2/50mm) = 23.4 degrees from perpendicular to the sensor. This is a bit much for many sensor designs to cope with (look at the corner problems with Canon 5D) and is just on the edge of being acceptable.
Rangefinder lenses have exit pupils at the same distance as their focal length from the sensor. So a 35mm rangefinder lens has a 35mm exit pupil, and the angle on full frame is arc tan(43.3mm/2/35mm) = 31.7 degrees from perpendicular. That lens would work worse than the worst of the "problem lenses" on the Canon 5D. It's even worse for wider lenses, a 28mm (very popular for rangefinders) is 37.7 deg from perpendicular; it's pretty much not going to work. A 19mm is 48.7 degrees, forget about it, and forget the 12mm Helier.
The main point is that the rangefinder is a different camera and gives the most film-like output from any professional digital camera on the market.
The camera incorporates full manual and aperture priority auto exposure modes, analogue dials and a hot shoe with X-Sync for external flash. Images can be viewed on a bright 2 inch LCD screen. You can switch between colour and monochrome exposures, change ISO settings shot-by-shot, apply tints, and change saturation instantly to match your photographic style and needs. This camera gives a feeling of creative power and control.
Why is the rangefinder so different, well as there is no swinging mirror (unlike a DSLR), rangefinder lenses can approach very close to the film (or sensor). Some almost touch the shutter, coming within 4-5mm of the sensor. This means that wide angle lenses like a 35, 28, 24, or 19mm can be symmetrical, which makes correcting many kinds of aberrations easy, and makes the lenses relatively cheap and low cost.
A DSLR on the other hand has a mirror and the rear element of an SLR lens can't approach any closer than 38mm from the sensor. So those wide angles lenses are asymmetrical, using what are called "retro focus" designs, like telephoto lenses, in reverse so the negative elements are to the front, the positive elements face the sensor.
Retro focus lenses for SLRs have exit pupils at least 50mm from the sensor. The exit pupil is the "image" of the aperture, and is the place where light "comes from" before it hits the sensor. With a 50mm exit pupil, a lens won't have light that's more than arc tan (43.3mm/2/50mm) = 23.4 degrees from perpendicular to the sensor. This is a bit much for many sensor designs to cope with (look at the corner problems with Canon 5D) and is just on the edge of being acceptable.
Rangefinder lenses have exit pupils at the same distance as their focal length from the sensor. So a 35mm rangefinder lens has a 35mm exit pupil, and the angle on full frame is arc tan(43.3mm/2/35mm) = 31.7 degrees from perpendicular. That lens would work worse than the worst of the "problem lenses" on the Canon 5D. It's even worse for wider lenses, a 28mm (very popular for rangefinders) is 37.7 deg from perpendicular; it's pretty much not going to work. A 19mm is 48.7 degrees, forget about it, and forget the 12mm Helier.
The main point is that the rangefinder is a different camera and gives the most film-like output from any professional digital camera on the market.
posted by vdaswong at 3:33 AM
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