Any more info on the Epson RD1

I've heard estimates from $1800 to $3000 for the body. It's released in Japan, evidently,

but I haven't seen a price yet. Prices vary by market anyway.

Godfrey

That's funny Sanford, I just logged in to ask the very same question. In fact, I just tried to call my Epson USA contact to ask. But nobody was answering her phone. Maybe one of our Japanese members knows something.....

I have to pick up a back up digital camera. And while it would be SMART for me to pick up a second Canon SLR, I'd like to at least be able to think about the RD1 and a few Voigt lenses as an option.

But it doesn't look like that will happen any time soon.

I haven't been paying as much attention to the forum as usual (busy time of the year for me), so I don't know if this is old hat or not:

<p>

<A HREF="http://www2.i-love-epson.co.jp/catalogue/rd1/EPRD1.pdf">Supposed PDF of RD1 catalog</a><P><a HREF="http://www.i-love-epson.co.jp/products/rd1/rd11.htm">Japanese fan page or maybe store page</a> (?) talking about RD1. This is where the PDF came from. I wouldn't put too weight on either of those links, because I don't read Japanese and I found them just searching aboud.

<P>Blind leading the blind.

Not much more to add, but I have a bit of info in the FAQ I maintain at:<p>

<a href="http://nemeng.com/leica/004f.shtml">

http://nemeng.com/leica/004f.shtml</a>

VERY FUNNY, direct knockoff of Leica's "hands" advertising....

The flyer is informative, though a lot I couldn't read (some, though). Definitely the

real deal.

The obvious questions: durability / noise / quick shot-to-shot turnaround....

The RD-1 is not slated to be released until July here in Tokyo. Just went to a camera show a couple days ago and Epson had one on display there. I only picked it up for a couple of minutes because the GF wanted to leave. Shutter is like a typical Voigtlander (not exactly quiet - if that's important to you). The body itself was not exactly light either (my FM2 is lighter). The display on top that looks like some kind of barometer or other displays two things: (1) file type (raw, jpeg) and (2) white balance. Starts at ISO 200 and goes up to 1600 if I remember correctly. The display on the back is quite nice in that it flips to see the image or you can hide it. The viewfinder was so-so compared to a Leica m6.

IMO, if you're satisfied with a bessa r2, then you would probably like this camera. For 300,000 yen (3,100 dollars?), I don't know if you would find it worth it - your call.

I can't say anything about image quality here because I could only check the display on back and that tells you nothing really until you import into a PC to look in detail.

That's all I have to say after a 3 minute check. The rep said that the number of cameras to be sold is limited but he wouldn't give an exact number. Sorry, but that's all folks...

i-love-epson.co.jp (to which there are links above) is indeed an official

Epson website.

<h3>Epson R-D1 Specifications</h3>

<ul><LI>Magnesium Alloy Body</LI>

<LI>Size 142 x 89 x40 mm</LI>

<LI>weight 590g</LI>

<LI>CCD Sensor 23.7 x 15.6 mm 6.1Mio effective Pixels</LI>

<LI>picture sizes 3008x2000 and 2240x1488</LI>

<LI>12 CCD-RAW or JPEG with EXIF 2.21</LI>

<LI>double reversed Galileo viewfinder, 1.0 enlargment, 28/35/50 selectable framelines, paralax correction</LI>

<LI>M Bayonet, 1.53 <i>Crop</i>factor</LI>

<LI>1 - 1/2000 + bulb</LI>

<LI>Aperture priority and manual exposure</LI>

<LI>exposure correction +/- 2EV in 1/3 stops</LI>

<LI>ISO sensitivity 200,400,800,1600</LI>

<LI>whitebalance auto, shadow, cloudy, flash, tungsten, sunny, userdefined</LI>

<LI>B/W modes standard, green, yellow, orange, red</LI>

<LI>2" TFT display with 250,000 pixel</LI>

<LI>Analoge scales for RAW/JPEG-compression, whitebalance, <i>film</i>counter, charge</LI>

<LI>Reviewmodes single picture or 2x2 thumbnails, upt 9.4x enlargement, histogram, overexposure</LI>

<LI>DPOF, Epson Print Image Matching 2.6, EXIF Print</LI>

<LI>Hotshoe</LI>

<LI>Storage SD Card</LI>

<LI>LiIon batterie</LI>

<LI>ca. 3000 Euro</LI></ul>

<br>

probably horribly translated from the german <a href="http://www.profifoto.de/titel/profifoto.html">Profifoto</a> Nr. 3 March 2004, Page 84.

<br>

Have fun

<br>

Volker

I wonder if it's compatible with CV's Bessa Trigger Winder?

That will make life easier.

...And will Cosina make new viewfinders for change in focal length?

Stu :)