Touted as the first digital rangefinder camera, the 6.1-megapixel Epson R-D1 is a solid, compact, wonderfully designed camera with an EM mount for more than 200 L- (via an included adapter) and M-mount Leica-type lenses, as well as the Voigtlander 35-mm f/1.7 lens we used for this review.

As a rangefinder camera, the R-D1 lacks an autofocus system. Instead you look through the view finder, which presents a double image. Rotating a collar around the lens back and forth moves the two images farther apart and closer together. The image is in focus when the two images become one.

Compared with other enthusiast-class digital cameras, the R-D1 lacks features like a built-in flash (though it does have a hot shoe for external flash units), autofocus, burst mode, image stabilization, and scene modes. It is essentially a true rangefinder, which will be loved by a small number of photographers out there wishing to return to the 1950s or 1960s. Others looking for a high-tech digital camera may find the experience frustrating.

The old-style controls are wonderful, with all the information you usually see on an LCD screen presented on analog gauges and dials: white balance settings, capture mode, number of remaining photos, and battery power. The shutter speed dial includes an aperture priority auto-exposure mode as well as exposure compensation settings that range from -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV. Lift the shutter speed dial and rotate it to choose your ISO setting (200, 400, 800, or 1,600). Aside from the aperture priority setting, the R-D1 is a manual camera: You'll need to set both the shutter speed and the aperture, based on either the in-camera meter or a handheld meter.

Another feature that harks back to the predigital era is the "shutter charge lever," which you have to crank after you take your shot. We feel this is simply a vestige; there's no real reason to have to crank anything on a digital camera. Similarly, on the other side of the camera, you'll find what looks like a film rewind knob—it's actually a jog dial that lets you scroll through images in playback mode. Though we do see a connection between rewinding film and reviewing digital files, the feature is a bit corny.

Of course, the R-D1 is a digital camera, which means it has nonanalog elements. The clear and bright 2-inch LCD swivels out 90 degrees—just far enough that you can spin it around and set it back into the camera body. With the LCD in closed position, you might not even know you were holding a digital camera. Still, we wish the screen were fully articulated.

The panel that holds the LCD also accommodates five buttons for navigating the menus, including one customizable button. While the menu system is uncluttered and uncomplicated, it doesn't provide access to the variety of settings and controls that you would find in a camera with a deeper menu structure. For a simple point-and-shoot digital camera this is okay, but in a sophisticated camera, it's limiting. The menus also look completely different from those of any other digital camera we've seen, so you'll want to study the manual carefully.

Another drawback is that, since the R-D1's CCD is smaller than a frame of 35-mm film, the effective field of view of a lens is magnified by 1.5X. This essentially turns a 35-mm lens into a 52.5-mm lens or a 28-mm into a 42-mm, severely limiting wide-angle shooting. It's a problem that most digital SLRs have, but in this camera, given the lack of other features and functions, it's more noticeable. At least Epson thoughtfully put a conversion scale on the back of the LCD, so you can easily see the effective field of view for lenses from 12 mm to 90 mm.

On our lab tests, the R-D1 had a quiet (although not silent) shutter, a quick boot time of 1.3 seconds, and no noticeable shutter lag. (Note: The focal length of the lens we received with this camera made it incompatible with our resolution test. We did not test recycle time because the camera lacks a built-in flash.)

We were disappointed with the daylight still-life test image, which was underexposed and had an orange cast. The image did have strong saturation and good contrast, but experimenting at different f-stops produced some negative results. For example, when we opened the camera up to f/1.7, the image displayed some dreadful halos around parts of the still life. We also tested the camera at different ISO equivalencies and found images to be quite noisy at ISO 1600. Additionally, we wish the camera had lower ISO settings of 100 or 50.

Overall, for the price, this camera is not a great buy, unless you simply love the analog rangefinders of the past (and have lots of money to spend). If you're a film shooter looking to go digital, we recommend a standard D-SLR model, like the Canon EOS 20D or the Nikon D70.

Benchmark Test Results
Click here to view the Epson R-D1 benchmark test results