Epson America Inc. on Thursday introduced the R-D1, a rangefinder digital camera. The American introduction of the R-D1 trails its Japanese unveiling earlier this year. Epson plans to ship the new R-D1 in November. The company also introduced the L-500V, a new 5.0-megapixel point and shoot model.
The R-D1 features an EM mount that’s compatible with L and M-mount lenses, making the camera able to work with more than 200 lenses currently on the market. It retains the classic look and feel of traditional film-based rangefinder cameras, with a magnesium alloy exterior and die-cast aluminum body. The film advance lever actually re-cocks the mechanical shutter, for example, and the camera is outfitted with chronographic dials and needle indicators.
The R-D1 sports a 6.1-megapixel APS C-size CCD sensor with 1.53 magnification factor. It supports RAW and two JPEG image modes, and supports PRINT Image Matching II for direct output from compatible printers. The camera stores images on Secure Digital flash media cards up to 1GB, and the camera runs on a single Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery. The R-D1 costs US$2,999 and will ship in early November. A lens is not included.
The L-500V is a 5.0-megapixel point-and-shoot model that sports a 3x optical zoom and a lens that retracts into the body when not in use. It also features PRINT Image Matching II support and sports a 2.5-inch LCD display. A special feature found on this camera is called PRINT Image Framer, which will add unique frames to any photo. A high-speed continuous shooting mode can capture up to three frames per second until the high-speed memory card is full — it writes to Secure Digital flash media, and comes with a 16MB card. It also support MultiMediaCard (MMC) format. It connects to a PC, Mac or printer using USB 2.0. The L-500V will hit stores in November for US$399.