[Leica] Epson R-D1 price revealed (digest 408)

[pklein at 2alpha.net (Peter Klein)]

I'm hoping the R-D1 is viable, too.  I keep weighing the cost of
duplicating my current Leica lens kit in Can*n or Nik*n mount.  Add that
to the cost of a body, and a $2500 price tag begins to seem a lot more
worth it, especially when I consider I can use the astounding 35 Summilux
ASPH as a "50."

To some degree this decision depends on what SLR glass one already owns.
If you already have autofocus Can*n or Nik*n glass, those companies'
better DSLRs are a natural, if you don't mind using an SLR.  I have a
modest Olympus OM kit, but these lenses are only usable on a Canon body
with a $175 adapter, or an E-1--and both with stop-down metering only.

The Pentax digital *ist is a viable option--especially since a firmware
update allows much more convenient metering and shooting with old
lenses--push the green button and the lens stops down, meters, and opens
back up.  I like the *ist's viewfinder better than any other DSLR I've
tried.  I suspect I could turn the old OM lenses into Pent*x lenses with a
little careful buying and selling.

But I really would rather shoot RF, so that takes me back to the R-D1.
Or a high-end 2/3" sensor digicam like the A2 or LC1, if I can accept the
limitations.  Or I can stay exclusively film for yet another year, and
hope that reality catches up to my fantasies at a decent price :-)

We live in interesting times. . .

--Peter

B. D. wrote:

> Agreed. $2500 would be doable - BUT - it has have image quality equal to
> what's being produced by the D60, E-1, and better Nikons if it's going
> to be more than something for play. And the images thus far available do
> NOT meet that standard. Hopefully, by release time they will.