Epson R-D1 - World's First Rangefinder Digital Camera

Epson has achieved another digital photography breakthrough with the EPSON R-D1—the world’s first rangefinder digital camera.

The EPSON R-D1 marks a significant milestone in the industry by combining the classic feel and precision engineering of a traditional rangefinder camera with the latest digital technology. It is the first digital camera allowing photographers to use revered L- and M-mount Leica lenses. This is a “big thing” as many photographers have a stash of these superb lenses, just gathering dust after they made the switch to digital photography. In fact, the RD-1 even shares the classic look and feel of a Leica M-3.

This really links the future with the past – a new digital camera with a classic rangefinder feel. The EPSON R-D1 is comprised of a magnesium alloy exterior and an aluminum die cast body, combining digital technology with the traditional feel of a finely tuned instrument. The camera features a large 6.1 megapixel APS C-size CCD (the larger the better!) sensor offering an image resolution of up to 3008 x 2000 pixels, easily producing up to 16” x 20” prints. The Epson R-D1 supports the ever popular RAW mode as well as two JPEG modes.

The legendary Leica rangefinder camera has been used by many of the world’s greatest photographers. In keeping with this heritage, Epson designed the EPSON R-D1 to offer the creative possibilities and convenience of digital technology, while maintaining the classic rangefinder’s look, feel and functionality. Designed with time-honored features and precision engineering, the camera brings together the qualities of conventional rangefinders with the advanced image processing of contemporary digital cameras.

The RD-1 feature set has been designed to function in a new capacity such as the film rewind knob, which has been transformed into a jog dial that enables photographers to scroll through images on the LCD. Additionally, the film advance lever actually re-cocks the mechanical shutter after a digital image has been taken, and chronographic dials and needle indicators have the look of precision-made watch faces. To indicate the number of frames available, the camera’s outer scale is marked 500-0, while other indicators show the white balance setting, the resolution, image quality setting and battery power level.

The EPSON R-D1 rangefinder digital camera is available for an estimated street price of $2,999 through select camera retail retailers. For more information on the RD-1 visit Epson’s Web site at www.epson.com.