If you’ve never dreamed of a Leica at least once, then I think that you’ve probably been blindsided by what the idea of good ergonomics can be. Mirrorless cameras, especiallly those with an SLR shape, constantly change in some way or another. But in contast, the rangefinder-style camera body hasn’t really changed at all. That’s because they got it right so long ago. And in a rare feat, the Japanese couldn’t really improve on it. But several years ago, Epson surely tried with the Epson RD1. In 2024, the camera is still a testament to great ergonomics and does things that real photographers beg camera companies to do.
Recently, I’ve started to pick up some of the vintage digicams that I’ve missed and started my journey in photography with. Many modern cameras are made for the creator — a term that includes photographers but that bastardizes what we really do. Older cameras didn’t do that. Where modern companies want to find a way to have everyone pick up a single device, brands used to create a few camera bodies that did certain things really well. And the Epson RD1 is one of those.
In fact, this is the most film-like digital camera you will probably ever get your hands on. It puts the Fujifilm X Pro 3 to shame in a few ways.
The Joy of the Feeling
In my hands, the Epson RD1 is a camera that I pretty much never want to let go of. And I’m very serious about that — I’m currently in the middle of figuring out the right time that my budget will allow me to purchase the Leica M11-D, and this camera has been more or less preparing me to do just that. But where the Leica is lacking is with few really great things that Epson got right. First off, one of the biggest quirks of the camera is the film advance lever. That’s the only way that you can recock the shutter. One of my best friends called this a gimmick — but it really isn’t. He also took my Fujifilm X Pro 3 on a trip to Japan recently and realized how much more it makes him focus on shooting photos than his Sony a7 III. And with the Epson RD1, that’s the whole point. You know that you’re going to have to be careful about shooting because there’s a delay. So with that said, you’re very careful to make the frame be the right one in the first place rather than acknowledging that you can shoot a million more.
In fact, you can’t. This camera is so old that it only takes older SD cards. So I stuffed one that’s 128MB in there. That also means that I’m limited on the number of shots I can take.
With all of that in mind, I’m very careful about making photographs using the Epson RD1. If I’m not feeling compelled or have any particular emotions about a scene, I won’t shoot. In that way, the Epson RD1 brings me closer with my own emotions and I only want to shoot what brings me joy.
And in photography, sometimes that’s all that matters.
It’s Not My Phone
The Epson RD1 is not my phone; and I adore that. Heck, I think my iPhone has more megapixels than this camera. That’s just fine because images don’t need to be huge for social media anyway. And that’s really the only place that I’m putting these photos.
In fact, it’s pretty much useless for me to crop these photos because there are so few pixels. That, in turn, means that I need to get the framing mostly right in-camera. The toning and stuff I can always fix in Capture One if I feel I need to. But that rarely happens.
To Be Sharp? Or Not to Be Sharp?
This camera uses a Leica M mount and has a sensor that’s smaller than full-frame. So the images really depend on the lens. However, everything looks sharp with this camera because the sensor is such a low resolution. But nothing is too sharp that people will hate the images of them that it makes.
Will It Last?
Will the Epson RD1 last? Well, it was announced in 2004 — and that makes it a real vintage camera because it’s 20 years old. And if it has lasted this long, then I’m sure it will continue to work perfectly fine.
Image Samples
