Epson R-D1

Despite the fact that as a digital camera it obviously has no film, it nonetheless has a film wind-on lever which has to be cranked before every shot to cock the shutter. On a film rangefinder camera the mechanical shutter means that you can still take...

EM lens mount ; Retro charm

Inconsistent results ; Awkward operation

It's great to live in a world where cameras like this exist - even if it's not your cup of tea

Great ergonomics. Solid construction. Cool retro look.

Too expensive. No full automatic mode. Confusing menus.

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Good magnesium alloy build and good sensor (similar to that housed in the Nikon D70 D-SLR); accepts Leica M and L mount lenses (the latter via an adapter) RAW capture.

Menus are little on the slow side, totally manual control may not be to everyone’s liking.

In terms of image quality, the R-D1 has plenty of poise, the colours are natural and images with the Biogon lens I used are extremely crisp indeed. The camera’s TTL screen surface direct actual-aperture metering is slightly biased to the underexposure...

Excellent magnesium alloy build, good 6MP sensor, accepts Leica M and L-mount lenses (L-mount lenses via an adapter), RAW capture

Slow menu system, fully manual control may not be to everyone’s liking

Rangefinder digital camera body that uses Leica M and Voigtlander 35 mm rangefinder interchangeable lenses, RAW mode, superb histogram, and excellent RAW file processing software, Images are very low noise and highly detailed, especially for 6...

Very high price for 6 Megapixel camera, No continuous or burst mode, 1.53 x crop due to sensor size limits use of Leica wide-angle lenses, R-D1's rangefinder is harder to focus in low light than with Leica M7, Epson phone support polite but less than...

In summary, I loved the picture-taking performance of the Epson R-D1 digital rangefinder camera body, but was perturbed by its misaligned rangefinder and frustrated by Epson's support staff. However, the Epson R-D1 is the only compact digital...

The obvious perspective regarding the Epson R-D1 is that its primary appeal should be to those photographers who are dedicated to classic rangefinder cameras. To provide these photographers with a body that gives them digital-capture capability surely...

Although even Epson's official announcement of the R-D1 camera contained the word "throwback," referring to a vintage look and feel, the digital specifications combined with physical performance attributes of the Cosina rangefinder body fully supports...