Epson R-D1: Servicing and repair

Although the R-D1s ceased production in May 2007 (see Epitaph), Epson will continue to repair the camera and honour all warranties and repair contracts for the following 6 years (i.e. until 2013). This deadline will presumably be extended, owing to the announcement of the Epson R-D1x in February 2009, which shares many components with the R-D1. In addition, a few camera technicians have gained familiarity with the R-D1, and are happy to work on it (many are not, owing to its complex electronics). Below, I provide information on:

1. getting your camera repaired by Epson
2. getting your camera repaired by independent technicians
3. obtaining spare parts.

Epson

Epson can service and repair the R-D1, including out-of-warranty cameras, to a high standard, and the turnaround is a week or two.

Unfortunately, getting your camera serviced or repaired by Epson can be a Sisyphean task, since most staff at Epson support centres know nothing about the R-D1, and often insist that normal procedures are followed: that you send the camera to an independent service center to be evaluated – do not agree to this as none have the expertise to deal with the R-D1. For example, one owner who’d lost his shutter button was told by a support manager that the camera was irreparable and refused to examine it – although replacing the button is very straightforward and can be done in a couple of minutes!

The support centre should instead ask you to send the camera to one of Epson’s dedicated R-D1 repair centres for evaluation: in Europe, all R-D1 cameras requiring attention are dealt with by an Epson facility in Créteil, France; in the US, the repair centre is in Plainfield, Indiana (presumably there are also similar repair centres in Asia and Oceania).

Europeans and Americans should thus insist on sending the camera directly to Créteil or Indiana: if necessary, hang up and call back to talk to someone else.

Once past that hurdle, make sure that you write a detailed letter explaining your problem clearly, and wrap it around the camera with a rubber band.

Epson used to charge a flat fee for repairing out-of-warranty cameras (2007 prices: £317.25 (incl. VAT) in the UK, $548 in the USA) – which included a complete service and repair of all faults. However, there have been reports in 2009 that Epson Europe is charging a per repair fee: for example, a srevice that included repair of the analogue guages cost 90 euros (excl. VAT). Note that Epson may decide that the best solution is to replace your camera with a refurbished one, in which case your ‘new’ camera will have your old hotshoe affixed (because of the serial number).

If you think you have a fault, Epson has a fixed fee (£70 in the UK, 45 euros in Europe) for collecting, inspecting and returning a camera. This fee is waived if the camera requires repair/servicing and you give Epson permission to go ahead with the work.

Rather than going through national Epson support centres and being given the runaround by staff who haven't a clue, it may be better to deal with the Epson repair facility directly. For Europeans, contact Epson France and insist on a ‘numéro de retour en intervention/SAV’ (after-sales service number), and then send your camera, accompanied by that number and the serial number of the camera body (and a copy of your invoice, if the camera is still under warranty), to the Epson Engineering Europe SA address below.

European and US Epson R-D1 service centres

Epson Engineering Europe SA Service Reception Magasin 60 rue Auguste Perret Europarc 94043 Créteil Cedex France   Tel: +33 (0)8 21 017 017   or        +33 (0)1 56 715 700 Fax: +33 (0)1 56 715 726

Epson America, Inc. Service Center 2350 E. Stafford Road Plainfield IN 46168   Tel: 562 276 4315

Independents

Any competent camera technician will be able to check and calibrate the rangefinder (if you’re technically minded, you can do this yourself). They should also be able to repair mechanical faults. Unfortunately, many technicians specialising in rangefinder servicing and repair will not tackle the R-D1 owing to its electronic components, even though it has many mechanical parts that they would be familiar with; for example, I have heard that DAG Camera Parts, an expert technician, will not work on the R-D1.

All is not gloom and doom, as there are a few camera repairers who will work on the R-D1. In the UK, Camera City, based in London, undertakes basic repairs and servicing.

One business stands out, though: Steve’s Camera Service Center in California, run by Steve Choi.

4355 S. Sepulveda Boulevard
Culver City
CA 90230
USA

Tel: +1 310 397 0072

Steve’s Cameras have serviced and repaired several R-D1 cameras, and seem to be becoming the place to have your R-D1 seen to. Some of the problems have been serious and been pronounced unrepairable by other independent technicians, and have involved complete disassembly of the camera, for example repair of faulty shutters and of non-working LCD screens. (They have kindly allowed me to show the step-by-step dissasembly of an R-D1 with a faulty shutter that they repaired.) A typical major repair costs about US $300, and a 6-month warranty is provided on the work. Steve’s Cameras will accept cameras from outside the US (example repair from a Swiss customer).

However, Epson supplies only a limited range of spare parts for the R-D1 (see below), so, despite their best efforts, independent camera technicians may be unable to repair your camera if an unobtainable component needs replacement. Also, bear in mind that the R-D1 contains a lot of electronic components, any of which could fail: it is unreasonable to expect a camera technician to also be an expert electronics engineer. So, sending your camera to Epson may be your only option for certain repairs.

Spare parts

Replacing the rubber covering (e.g. with leather)

Camera Leather supply numerous real leather alternative coverings that are self-adhesive and easy to apply (this US-based company will re-cover your camera for you, if you do not want to do it yourself). Morgan Sparks, the owner of Camera Leather states:

You can order any of the materials we have in stock for your Epson. The factory covering is a molded piece, and our aftermarket kit will give the camera a slightly thinner circumference. But it is not an issue, really. The new covering fits nicely inside the edges of the top and bottom plates. There is an issue with the molded back grip piece, and here is what I have been letting other RD-1 owners know about the issue:

"We strongly suggest you leave the original molded part on the back. Removing it creates a condition where, if you are holding the camera with your right hand without a strap, your thumb will push up to the card slot door, and if it opens you may drop the camera. This has been observed by one of the two photographers that have been beta testing the RD-1 kit. It's enough of a concern that probably we will not offer anything for the back once the RD-1 has a real dedicated section on our site."

I'll be happy to include the 2 -piece section for the grip area on the back, as long as you understand and accept the limitation and risk in applying them. Otherwise you can just apply the front sections and not worry about it!

General components

Two German companies that distribute parts for Epson can supply R-D1 spares: MK Computer and Gedat Datentechnik. The websites list many small parts, but not major components such as the body frame, the rear LCD, the shutter assembly, the analogue gauge assembly and electronic components. The listed items can be ordered online. The following PDF shows an exploded view of the R-D1, and provides a parts list of the camera components that can be ordered online from these two companies:

Partial exploded view of the Epson R-D1 (PDF file, 190 kB)

Some components are identical to Voigtländer Bessa parts (e.g. the screw-in eyepiece), but how much the R-D1 and Bessa cameras have in common is unclear; for example, is the R-D1 shutter (made by Copal) the same as that in the Bessa R2/R3/R4?

The LCD is a standard Sony item (as used in the Canon Pro1 and several other cameras). The analogue dial motors may be standard Seiko items.

The sensor

The sensor in the Epson R-D1 is an interline-transfer CCD (Sony ICX413AQ), as used in the Pentax *ist D, Nikon D100, Starlight Express SXV-M25 and other cameras, first manufactured in 2002 (Figure 1). The sensor in the Nikon D70 and D50 is not the same as the D100 CCD, as sometimes suggested on the web: although the D70 CCD is a newer design, its advantages lie in faster image acquisition rather than improved image quality.

Sony’s documentation on the ICX413AQ sensor:

	Product brochure (PDF file, 300 kB)
	Technical specifications (PDF file, 185 kB)

Figure 1. Left: the 1.8"-type Sony ICX413AQ CCD. Right: a 1/2.7" CCD, as used in most compact digital cameras. The ruler is marked in centimetres. As can be seen, the size difference between the sensor formats used in digital compact cameras and SLRs/rangefinders is significant.