D2.. D3... R-D1 dilemma

[rivi1969]

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Hello friends,

 

I have no one else to tell the story so I hope you don't mind reading these lines...

 

When I realized that several rolls of film were sitting in my drawer for months because I was lazy enough to take them to the lab, I decided to get rid of all my 35 and MF gear and stick to digital. My first one was the Sony DSC-S85, beautiful little camera! then came the Canon original Digital Rebel (which I sold very soon) next was the Nikon D70 and in my quest for the perfect merge between analogue and digital I ended up with the Epson R-D1...

 

Photography is my passion and hobby not my income, but from time to time I do with joy photo jobs for some clients of my ad agency, because of that I sold the R-D1 to buy a Nikon D80 outfit plus a nice set of speedlights. (I am very happy with the D80) for my jobs is great, but for my personal stuff... something was missing, you know what I mean... too bulky, too much plastic... So I went after a Digilux 2 which I found in mint condition. I basically only use it ni RAW @ iso 100 and I love the results, in fact I just bought a Metz flash so I never have to go beyond iso 100 with it.

 

I am still missing the R-D1 because of the camera itself, the mechanical feel and for those wonderful files... the friend who bought it from me (I was the original owner) now wants to sell it and I am very very tempted to get it back. I try to buy photographic stuff with money I make with my photo work or when selling my own gear. Right now I am keeping the D80 and I don't have any job scheduled, so maybe -just maybe- the D2 have to go.

 

In other case my decision would be easy but I am also tempted by the Digilux 3, (I am not interested in the Panasonic version) I wonder if someone has compared it with the R-D1 or with the D2 for that matter, not only their output, but the process of working with them too.

 

What would you do??

 

A. Sell the D2 and buy the R-D1 with 2 lenses. (CV 35mm 1.7/CV 50mm 1.5)

B. Sell the D2 and buy the Digilux 3 for basically the same money than the R-D1

C. Buy whatever, (anyway maybe in a few months I will sell it to get an M8)

D. Do nothing and keep using my actual gear.

E. Something else.

 

 

Thanks for reading, for your advice and please excuse my english!

Ricardo Villagran

[dugby]

You've been there before with the RD1 and you know where you were heading then (M series), so you may as well go.......

 

E)...... M8 and CV 35mm 1.7/CV 50mm 1.5, (though as you know the crop factor is only 1.3x)

[Michel Boda]

Ricardo

 

 

I was and am in the the same dilema.

 

I have same set up as yours Digilux 2 and Metz flash. Make Jpeg because I have no time to convert. Am not professional but graduated as such.

I would keep the D2 and the Metz and save for the next M9, D5, D30 According to yr budget.

 

My photo teacher told me when I ask him about the same as you did. His answer was:

The best is the enemy of good.

 

Michel

[Annie135]

I certainly understand your problem, and indeed up to last week was in the same boat.

 

I have a D70s to which I added a D200 only because of the superior viewfinder and LCD, also the build quality made it feel more like a camera. I said added because I have come to the conclusion that most digi cameras are just not worth the trouble of selling .Between these aquisitions I bought a Sony R1, superb tripod camera and boy, what a lens. During this whole period I also had a Digilx 2 which I bought some three yers ago. Eight weeks ago the Digi blew up...yep senso,r so off to Solms with it.

 

I fact I had got so desperate that I had raided the cupboard under the stairs and started fondling real Leica cameras....I even began trolling around reading reviews for scanners!!

 

Now I said that I understood and shared your problem up until last week, so what has changed?

 

Last Wednesday the Digi came back as good as new ( Thank You Leitz).

 

I took it for a walk around Leeds and realised that for 99% of my snaps the D2 was perfect. So now I can stop lusting and reading reviews. In other words to try to get the best out of what I have and stop lusting after the photographic version of the holy grail.

 

Brian.

[rivi1969]

Sometimes I invest too much of my time in the quest for the perfect camera, the one who will fit all my needs that I am never pleased enough with the gear we have... (Seems like I am not alone here)

 

Thankfully I understand that any improvement in my imagery will be make only via my own effort, the gear I have is good enough and I don't need more megapixels or lower-noise I love the look I get from those Nikon files and I can happily live with them. I am not looking for a camera who will make me a better photographer, but one who gave me a more pleasant photographic experience... Have you seen the size of a D80 combo with the 18-70mm, battery pack and SB800 speedllight on it? for a model's shoot is just fine but for a more personal and intimate work its a joke.

 

My concern with the D3 is to end up with a similar system to the SLR I already have, I mean how smaller is the D3 with the kit lens to my D80? Maybe I think I will keep the D2, and get the R-D1 only if I get a good deal and when the time comes maybe in a year or so, sell both and get a used M8 for let's say... 3000 dlls?

 

Cheers

Ricardo

[d_lague]

OR.....you can buy a L1 for $1199.00 USD and keep them all.

[Annie135]

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L1 $1199!!!!!!! I just don't understand world pricing. I think Europe is seen as a cash cow by manufacturers. In the U.K. if you deduct all taxes import duty VAT etc it still costs almost twice that. The D3 is an even bigger laugh £1750....$3500! and the M8? Don't ask.

 

Adobe PS is perhaps the biggest laugh. Generally their products cost a fraction of their U.K. price in the U.S. And Adobe Amazon price for CS3 ? Over £1000 or $2000 they reckon their cost of translation is the reason! . Maybe we should return the compliment and charge them Royalties.

 

Brian.