| DrT’s RBT S1 Page |
"Positively the best 35mm stereo camera ever made!"
I know that not everyone will agree with this statement so let me say "the best for me". You want to read more about it? Here it is:
You might also want to check the following:
Please note: I do not buy/sell or repair RBT S1 cameras. I do not receive commission from the sales of RBT cameras. The information here has not been approved by RBT, or RBT-product distributors. It has only been approved by DrT! I am a happy RBT S1 user. Maybe you can be one too... or maybe not. If you already own an RBT S1 stereo camera, please consider joining our mailing list and share your experiences with us!
I started this list in February of 1999. Most members are RBT S1 owners. Sometimes the list is busy, other times it is quiet. A good amount of information has been exchanged so far, viewable in the list archives. To subscribe, please go here:
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I reviewed the S1 for Stereo World. The review was published in the 23.6 (Jan/Feb 1997) issue. That was before I owned the camera. My conclusions were as follows: "The RBT S1 is a very portable, fully automatic (with manual overrides in everything), full-frame 3D camera with very sharp lenses, capable of excellent results. Its biggest advantages, in my opinion, are the convenient and reliable autofocus and autoexposure operation, compact size and ease in handling, full-frame image size and smaller interocular distance favoring close-ups and slide projection. It you enjoy grab shots at close range, this camera is for you! If, on the other hand, you like to set your camera on a tripod, take your time composing and selecting the exposure and focus, and your main subject is far away, then the S1 looses appeal. "
A fair summary. But... as mentioned in my photo-3d postings, I had not fully realized the potential of this camera and I had certainly not been sold! That's why I did not buy it at that time. What a mistake!!! (Live and learn as they say...)
| Model | RBT S1A |
| Format | Full frame, 24x36mm pairs, separated by a half-frame unexposed portion. 15 pairs for 36 exp. roll or 10 pairs for 24 exp. roll |
| Lenses | Konica 35mm F2.0 (6 groups, 7 elements) Hexar |
| Minimum Aperture | F22; 46mm filter diameter; built in lens hood |
| Focus | Infrared nonscan active autofocus and manual setting with focus indicator, 0.6m ~ infinity |
| Shutter | Step-motor driven electromagnetic shutter (T, 30 ~ 1/250 sec.) |
| Film Sensitivity | Automatic setting for DX coded film (ISO
25 - 5000) Manual setting (ISO 6 - 6400) |
| Light Measurement | SPD light receptor-fitted central focal measurement of approx. 15 degrees (EV 0 - 16/ISO 100), and spot-metering at approx. 4 degrees (EV 3 - 18/ISO 100) |
| Exposure Adjustment | P (program AE), A (Aperture Priority AE), and M (Manual). Time exposures and exposure compensation possible (±2EV, 1/3 step) |
| Viewfinder | Reverse Galilean, with parallax automatic adjustment |
| Self Timer | Electronic, approx. 10 seconds |
| Power Supply | One 6V lithium battery (2CR5), lasts about 35-40 36exp rolls |
| Dimensions | approx. 200x83x67mm, 810g (2 lbs.) |
| Flash | External flash, via hot shoe. Read how the flash communicates with camera |
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The camera can be used in any of these three modes:
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Why do I use manual focus? For a number of reasons: First, to avoid blurred backgrounds I set the focusing at 5.0 (roughly 15 feet). I switch back to AF when I take close-ups. Second, when there is nothing close (like from the top of the Eiffel tower taking an overview shot of Paris (with very little depth, obviously!) I use infinity focusing (999). Third, the AF system is fooled by glass or thick fog so when shooting through glass (like from an airplane window) I focus at infinity. When I use flash in P mode and I want to control the flash light output. Finally, to make the camera more quiet.
A few infrequent adjustments/controls:
| Action | Is done as follows |
| Change camera shake critical speed (default 1/30s) | In P mode press SELECT button for more than 1 sec |
| Set film ISO | In A mode press SELECT button for more than 1 sec |
| Switch to multiple exposure mode | In P mode press and hold SELF button while switching the camera on. To cancel, turn OFF and ON the camera. |
For more information on other functions, check: http://www.vdwiel.demon.nl/hexar/
(photo-3d posting, 11/98)
I have been asked "Why RBT S1?" I reply: 1. Autoexposure, 2. Autofocus, 3. 59 mm interocular, 4. Compact. (no external mechanical links!) In my SW review I wrote "If you enjoy grab shots at close range, this camera is for you!" And that's me!!! Can you imagine shooting handheld at low light with f2.0 aperture???
In any case, the camera arrived today. With shaking hands I ripped off the box. I slowly opened the handsome black velvet case. My heart was pounding fast. There she was, as beautiful as I remembered her. I took her in my hands and held her tenderly. I spent considerable time admiring her body. There is a good reason they call her the sexiest stereo camera around... I let my hands run over her curves... Slowly, I took off the lens caps, exposing her two large lenses. I stared at these crystal clear lenses for a long time, thinking of the wonderful stereo pairs that these lenses will give me. My hands reached at the side and snapped the back open...
With the family around the dinner table, I had to take a break and explain what this was all about. My wife gave me a dirty look but I explained that it is basically all the stereo sales since the NSA convention that are paying for this. "What about these loans over the years from the family account? When are you going to pay these back?" After a minor family dispute, I let my daughter and son hold the RBT S1 (under close supervision, of course!), explaining that they are holding a $x,yyy camera and if they drop it I am going to break their hands! (:-) See? I am a good dad!)
I noticed in the instructions that a couple of new features have been added in these two years. One is a bubble level in the viewfinder (cute!). Also, multiple exposure capability (that's great!) Jon warned me to have batteries ready. I did not listen so I cannot take any pictures tonight. I have to wait until tomorrow. Oh, well... It's only one night. I think I can make it... :-)
Reporting from Cleveland OH, home of a Realist 7p, a RBT S1, and an empty stereo account -- George Themelis
(photo-3d postings, 11/98)
OK, you asked for it! Just mounted my first roll from the RBT S1. To say that I am extremely pleased would be an understatement!
Let me explain a few things... Many things have changed since I reviewed this camera two years ago. At that time I was basically still using a 5p Realist. In the next two years I tried a couple of Belplascas, I had my Realist enlarged to 7p, I searched and tried all the best Realist models (like the Ektar). My aim was to find a stereo camera that will take sharp pictures at wide apertures. Why? Because I like to take handheld pictures with available light.
When I tried the RBT S1 two years ago I did not have the experience (or maturity) to see what I was getting. I mounted all my slides in 7p mounts. I did not have a good viewer that will show the entire width of the 8p RBT mount (never had used one at the time). My overall impression what that this camera was a nice toy for rich people. I could not see myself paying that kind of money for any stereo camera and especially for a fixed focal length camera made by joining two "point and shoot" cameras. I honestly did not think it was worth it. I was convinced that I could get the same or better (!) results with a Realist or a Belplasca.
From the dozen rolls I shot with the RBT S1, I got some nice pictures but not every picture was great. A few good ones stayed in my memory and tried to duplicate with other cameras. One was a candy store front I shot inside a shopping mall. I loved the color saturation and sharpness of this picture. I had no idea what settings the RBT used because I was using it in program mode, but the light was low. I tried to shoot similar pictures with my Realist 7p. No way. I could never get the exposure right even though I was using a light meter. And the picture were never sharp at the edges of the 7p frame at wide apertures. I changed the lens board of the Realist 7p two times. From David White 2.8 to Ektar to "German". Still, could not make my dream come true.
Last year, I was breaking down. I asked Jon Golden about getting an S1 but finally backed out. I was not ready. This year, I had some money left from the sales in NSA (heck, I have sold over 30 Realists by now :-)) I asked Jon if it was worth considering a different RBT model, given that I liked the autoexposure/autofocus, compactness and shorter spacing of the S1. Jon, that wise man, said "No". "OK, fine", I replied, "just get me an S1!"
Since the camera arrived last Friday, I have been doing a little research (I always do the research after the purchase :-)... talking about impulse buying!) I read everything, from the instruction manual (trust me, that's harder than it sounds!) to the reviews of the Konica Hexar. Maybe it is the extra two years of experience, maybe it is the fact that I now OWN the camera (while two years ago I was just borrowing it) but now I read everything very carefully and I understood things better. And the more I read, the more convinced I became that I made the right choice.
I was under the impression that the Konica Hexar is a "point and shoot" camera. The reviewer in http://photo.net/photo/hexar.html clearly states as a disadvantage that the camera is not a point and shoot camera. First it is rather heavy and second it gives you so much control (even in the Program and Auto mode) that you must know what you are doing, in order to take the best advantage of it. AND THAT'S A VERY GOOD THING, because stereo photography requires much better control than ordinary photography. Even if the camera is picking the apertures and shutter speeds for you so you can shoot without distractions, you must know and understand and agree with the logic that the camera uses. And that's exactly what the Konica Hexar does. And you have variables that you can set to make sure that the camera will think and react as you would have done, if you had the time to set the controls yourself!
Two years ago I did not realize how unique and clever Hexar's Program mode is. Backed by a very sharp lens and a fine autofocusing system, the program mode is ideal for stereo photography and I plan to use it in 90% of my photography. In program mode, it is possible to hand-hold the camera under low light. The camera will use a wide aperture (if needed) but will never drop the speed below a minimum (set at 1/30s but can be changed) which eliminates a common cause of blurred pictures. Under low light situations the depth of field might not be great but you are sure that your subject will be sharp that's what usually counts. With older stereo cameras you need some decent aperture to get sharp pictures. With the RBT S1 you learn that there is such thing as f2.0!
After doing my research I concluded that Konica put a lot of thought into this camera and RBT made a wise choice to pick this one for a stereo camera system. But, the final proof is in the pictures, so let me tell you what happened in my first roll.
I shot my first roll rather quickly this weekend. Got it back today. First quick look over the roll shows that exposures are perfect!!! Somewhere it has been written that the Hexar tends to underexposure. But that's not what the other reviewer saw and that's not what I see in these pictures. All the pictures were taken in autoexposure mode and exposure is right on, in every picture.
I picked a couple of pictures taken outdoors in good weather and mounted them in an RBT 8p mount. That's the widest mount available with an opening of 33 mm, as close to full-frame as it gets. A quick look with my 8p Realist viewer shows that alignment and matching of focal lengths is perfect! Very impressive.
Now, the final test: Pick up the Hugo deWijs viewer. I looked at the RBT S1 slides via this viewer and I am able to see everything from side to side. What do I see? No drop in sharpness. The pictures are sharp corner to corner! So, my dream has come true!
Bottom line: I am happy!
I suspect that some people might be feeling a bit irritated by the fact that I could afford this camera. To this I reply: First I have paid my dues, 11 years with a Realist :-) Second, even the best camera in the world will not give you good stereo pictures. Maybe better snapshots, but even that is not sure... So, stick with what you have and what you can afford and make the best of it!
-- George Themelis
(photo-3d posting, 11/98)
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For years my philosophy in using flash has been this: Use the smaller aperture you can use. I have a Minolta 360XP flash which I use in automatic mode at f11 and sometimes I use f8. That's about it.
The RBT S1 comes with a very small Konica flash. Two years ago I did not know what to do with it. Never put the time to figure out how this thing works. I was wondering... Can I still use my Minolta flash? This little Konica thing does not look much of a flash... Welcome to the new stereo flash philosophy!
If you set the camera in P and the flash in P(Full), the flash will fire it's entire charge. Now, the camera knows at what distance your subject is because you have focused at it. It also knows the Guide Number ("strength") of the flash you are using. So, it just adjusts the aperture for a good flash exposure at this distance. (For example, if you are focusing at 0.6 m it will pick close to f22 with ASA 100 film, but chances are that you are focusing around 10 ft, in which case it will pick f4). This is nice because you usually need more depth of field (smaller apertures) in close ups.
That's not the entire story. So the camera selected the aperture. How about the shutter speed? The Konica Hexar (like the Realist :-)) is synchronized for flash at any speed. With the Realist I usually set the shutter speed fixed at 1/100 because it makes no difference since all the light comes from the flash. BUT, the Hexar will try and balance the ambient light. It will use as slow of a speed as it is needed to balance ambient light, without going under the minimum handheld speed.
The combination of wider apertures (like f4 at 10 feet) and slow speeds will allow more ambient light. Bye-bye dark flash photography (all my Realist shots indoors are dark like night even though there might be a good amount of ambient light). The RBT S1 pictures with the Konica flash are much more pleasing with more ambient light (but watch these colors, you might pick up greens from FL lights!) In my first roll I took a flash picture at the camera show on Sunday. The camera used f4.6 I think. My subjects were fine, super sharp. (Background is slightly out of focus, but who cares?) The picture has a good overall illumination (looks like day, not night!)
I like this so I plan to use the Konica flash. I could use the Minolta if I wanted because the camera can be programmed for a different GN but I think I will stick with the more compact Konica flash. Less weight, more light.
NOTE: This discussion and different strategies apply for any camera or flash. Only, with the Realist I never dreamed of using a weak flash and f4!!!! (is there f4 in a Realist? :-)) I was font of the heaviest and most powerful flash units. Now with the RBT S1, weak is good!
-- George Themelis
As it turns out, this was not the full story either!!! Read this (from an RBTS1 list posting):
Thanks to Bill Costa, I now understand how the flash really works with the S1:
The camera essentially takes two exposures: One for ambient light and one for flash. If the ambient light is very low then the camera will default to the maximum aperture and slowest allowable shutter speed (1/30 is the default but it is user-defined) AND THEN quickly close the aperture and fire to flash to give correct exposure according to the (known to the camera) distance to the closest object.
This explains why my flash pictures have this very nice ambient illumination, instead of the harsh flash light when the subject is sufficiently close to trigger small f-stops.
For example, I took two pictures with my son and wife at about 3 feet. The display in the camera indicated f16 for the proper flash exposure. Picture #1 was taken with the camera in P. Picture #2 was taken with the camera at f16 and 1/30.
According to my earlier (false) understanding of the flash operation there should be no difference between #1 and #2 because in #1 the camera will use f16 at 1/30. HOWEVER, the camera does two exposures, one at f2.0 at 1/30 and one at f16 and flash. The result of these superimposed exposures is that the shadows are filled with ambient light resulting in a very pleasing (not harsh) image that I like a lot!
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EVEN THE REALIST CANNOT DO!!! :-)
Needless to say, not many people understand this flash operation and the manual is of no help. I don't know how Bill got his facts straight but he must be a very bright guy! He also checked the camera with the back open and CONFIRMED that the aperture changes when the flash fires at the end of the exposure.
Thanks Bill! (and thanks RBT S1 for making low-light single-flash exposures so easy to take and such a pleasure to view!)
George Themelis
(RBTS1@onelist.com posting 8/99)
I chose the S1 because it had certain features that I like. These are:
1. Compact (includes the electronic linking)
2. Automation (autofocus too) make it easy to use quickly
3. Narrow interaxial spacing make it ideal for close ups
4. Good optical quality and autofocus make it easy to use the
camera
handheld under low light.
My photography is spontaneous. I will not use a tripod unless if I really have to. I like to be able to turn on the camera and shoot without much thinking. I also like close ups. So it seems that the S1 was ideal for me.
But what came as a big surprise to me was the quality of the pictures. I was extremely happy with the first rolls. Here is an email that I sent to Jon Golden:
>Golden, you've made me a happy man!!!! I am just
mounting
>5 rolls that I took over the weekend with the RBT S1.
>The results are SPECTACULAR! Never in my wildest dreams
did
>I imagine that such a quality was possible with any stereo
>camera. I am thrilled... ecstatic.... I really
cannot
>express how happy I am with what I see. Already in
these
>first rolls I have several winners... Pictures that I could
>not have taken in years with the Realist. And some
priceless
>family memories. The sharpness of these pictures even
at
>wide open aperture, is beyond imagination. And this
thanks
>to you. I am really thankful that you sent me this
wonderful
>camera in record time.
>
>Thank you!!!
As you can imagine, putting down the money and deciding on which RBT camera to buy, was not an easy thing to do. But after I saw these very first rolls I did not have any regrets. I got the S1 in November. Never touched the Realist since then. My camera bag is empty. I went to Greece for one week around New Year's. In my camera bag I only had the S1, the small Konica flash, few filters and plenty of film. I did not take my light meter, a more powerful flash or any other stereo cameras. And I got some great pictures.
With the Realist I would keep about 10 pairs (out of 29) on the average. It is not that I am a bad photographer :-) I am just very selective about what I keep. With the S1 now I am keeping almost every picture. Rarely anything goes wrong.
One of the biggest advantages of the S1 is that it has encouraged experimentation. With the Realist there were many situations where I would not take a tricky picture because I did not want to bother with light meters, etc. With the S1 picture taking is so easy that I am experimenting constantly. Taking stereo pictures has become TOO EASY with the S1!
In Greece I tried night photography using Tungsten balanced Ektachrome 64T and got some fantastic pictures. The quality was beyond imagination! I used the S1 in A mode. Set an aperture of f11 and the camera was picking exposure times in the order of 20 seconds. I did not bracket exposures and these came right on the money!
In another occasion I took pictures inside this church in Athens. I have been there many times with the Realist but never took any pictures. Now, I decided to use the S1. There was some light coming through the windows but still the recommended exposure was a few seconds in f8. I did not have a tripod. Looked around and found some ways to support the camera in various structures. I took a couple of pictures and was very surprised with how well they came out. These pictures have been now winning awards in the Detroit and Cleveland stereo club competitions.
George Themelis
From: raymoxom@tpg.com.au
(Ray Moxom)
To: photo-3d@calcite.rocky.edu
(Multiple recipients of list PHOTO-3D)
Subject: P3D S1 Sharpness & those Hexar
Lenses
Date: Sat, 28 Aug
Every now and then a lens manufacturer seems
to strike a magic formula that
results in a truly great lenses.
The 35mm f2 Konica Hexar lenses on the RBT S1
are the same lenses that
are/were made in Leica 'M mount' for the well
known Leica M series of
cameras. The 'M mount' 35mm f2 Hexar is one of
the few 3rd party lenses made
for Leica cameras. It is the lens of choice of
many Leica using
professionals.
It seems that when Konica 'got it right' with
this particular lens they
produced a camera and named the camera after
the lens (Konica Hexar camera).
It seems that RBT also 'got it right when'
when they chose the Konica Hexar
camera as the base cameras for the S1.
Ray Moxom
Are you are expecting that all this praise for the RBT S1 is supported by a few pictures?
The computer monitor and the low resolution that I use to present my images cannot do justice to the performance of a camera. Check my other pictures in my web page. All you can see is the stereo effect and the composition. Corner to corner sharpness is something that I cannot show it to you. You need a good slide viewer to see that. So please take my word for it. And check my PSA Exhibition page from time to time. Maybe an S1 picture will make it to the top... but it will take a while, considering that an original slide is usually entered in 1-2 exhibitions a year!
Despite my greatest admiration for the S1 and the company that put it together, I cannot hide the fact that certain cameras (not all) have suffered certain reliability problems. In particular, the following problems are reported:
During the first year of my S1 ownership, I have been struck by both problems. The battery would last only one month. Twice in my first year I had some gears (plastic, of course) replaced because the camera quit advancing altogether.
Not everyone has these problems. Newer cameras are supposed to have these corrected (I do not have any first hand information if this is true or not.) After the last service I am assured that new better gears were installed and that a capacitor was replaced to fix the drain problem. It remains to be seen, but I am considering using 24 exposure rolls to make it easier for the camera to advance and rewind the film.
Now, you would expect that my opinion for the S1 would have changed after these problems. Not a bit! I still believe it is the best stereo camera ever made and I will work around any problems to keep using it. Some people expect that after paying a hefty amount, they should be getting top reliability together with top quality. But let’s be practical. This is a custom-modification. In addition to anything that could go wrong with each individual camera, you have problems resulting from the joining of the two cameras. I feel I am lucky if the camera is working at all, no matter how much money I paid for it!
If reliability is no. 1 priority for you, then get a Realist! :-) (just kidding! I had my share of problems with Realists... nothing is perfect and nothing will last for ever!)
The S1 is a great camera but it is not the perfect tool for every job. The fact that it is a rangefinder camera gives it some of its strengths (compact size) but also some weaknesses, compared to SLR-type cameras:
Because these features are important for certain types of photography, I have acquired an SLR-type RBT camera, but, to be perfectly honest, I have not been as satisfied as with the S1, which remains my primary stereo camera.
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