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Epson RD1
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Mar 24, 2019 22:08:07   #
ffweir
 
Hi....I'm brand new here...retired, have a part-time job shooting for a legal newspaper in my area. I have an Epson RD1 and I never really used it much and very much want to sell it but have NO idea of its current value. Some months they sell for $600 or so online but right now they seem ridiculously high...due to increasing scarcity maybe? Mine is a user grade with marks and bright spots, marked up rear LCD. Working fine. People seem very savvy here so I thought I'd post to see what you all think. I suppose I will do Ebay and hope for the best. Have had bad experiences with the big houses. Roberts offered $300. Craigslist worries me. Anyway, thanks for your time if anyone cares to reply.

frank weir

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Mar 24, 2019 23:09:32   #
rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin
 
Check out the very high ratings on DPReview. Lenses need a Leica M-mount, so they may be expensive, but CameraQuest.com has used lenses and adaptors which would allow you to use other brands. Based on what I read just now, I would not get rid of this camera. Instead, I would look for other used lenses to go with it. Might be well suited for the sort of journalistic work you are doing now. Reliable sources of used lenses include: B&H Photo, Adorama, KEH, MPB as well as other good local chains. Welcome to UHH and good luck.

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Mar 24, 2019 23:17:21   #
ffweir
 
Hi Mr. Wallace! Many thanks for your reply. I have several Voigtlander and Canon lenses, and some sketchy old Zeiss and Leica glass. I do a lot of low light and flash work and it just doesn't lend itself to that so much. Grip and grin shots require very fast focusing, several quick flash shots. My eyes aren't the greatest anymore so there's that too. Big thing is that parts and service are virtually non-existent at this point...

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Mar 25, 2019 11:56:28   #
Advark
 
To lessen your valid worries over Craig's List, offer to
meet a prospective buyer at your local police station.

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Mar 25, 2019 12:38:12   #
ffweir
 
Thanks Aardvark...thought of meeting in public but not at police station. Good idea.

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Mar 25, 2019 13:37:37   #
rpavich Loc: West Virginia
 
I'd just put it on ebay. I'd check the latest "sold" listings and go from there. I'd be careful about checking which model is priced at what price, there is an RD-1x also...some are more desirable than others.

By the way, that's my favorite digital camera! That's one awesome piece of work for sure.

I wish some company would make an updated model right down to the rewind lever that recharges the shutter.

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Mar 25, 2019 14:05:37   #
Kuzano
 
Since is is a "Real Rangefinder Digital" and Epson did not continue, much to many people chagrin. The did however, offer a refurbish and those sell high. Your best bet for good info is RangeFinder Forum. Here is the link. Many users there.

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/

This is THE GO TO SIGHT FOR ANYTHING RANGEFINDER, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE MANY CATEGORIES IN DIGITAL AND OTHER FILM!!!

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Mar 25, 2019 14:25:42   #
ffweir
 
Hi Robert! Your sale post from 2015 came up in Google and that's how I found uglyhedgehog! I ALMOST emailed you for your opinion so glad you found this! I just never got on with it I admit. I take photos for a small newspaper and it did not work that well with that. I got some great shots in Colorado though with it...Ebay prices right now are terribly high and I'm not sure why...a photo dealer in Ann Arbor also was perplexed. Most asking prices are over $1,000. Last four sales were at $1,450, one in December was $775. Two were S's, one was XG, one was RD1. But even the straight RD1 sold for $1,490. All in great shape, mine is marked up a lot. This is fun for me, NOT an investment. I'd be delighted to get $500-$600. I think you got around that in 2015. Probably a thought for owners to buy a second body as a parts source since I understand parts are no longer available for it. You can always find a good repair guy but if there aren't any parts, you're done. THANKS for responding! I had fun checking out your Flickr account! Loved it!

frank

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Mar 25, 2019 14:34:57   #
ffweir
 
Thanks Kuzano...forgot about rangefinder forum....haven't looked there in years...I'll see what people are selling there but as I told Robert, I'm overthinking this. I'm not an investor or dealer...$500 or $600 and I'd be happy...not wanting to "skin" anyone...!! Nice thing about the forum is people are knowledgeable there. They know what they are buying. My fear is an Ebay buyer who doesn't understand the camera and then is mad.

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Mar 25, 2019 16:53:31   #
Kuzano
 
ffweir wrote:
Thanks Kuzano...forgot about rangefinder forum....haven't looked there in years...I'll see what people are selling there but as I told Robert, I'm overthinking this. I'm not an investor or dealer...$500 or $600 and I'd be happy...not wanting to "skin" anyone...!! Nice thing about the forum is people are knowledgeable there. They know what they are buying. My fear is an Ebay buyer who doesn't understand the camera and then is mad.


There is little doubt that persons on Rangefinder Forum would mistake the value and/or uniqueness of the Epson RD1. I have, over time, developed a real respect for this camera even never having owned one. There has been serious dissappointment that Epson never came up with a follow on to the RD1

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Mar 25, 2019 17:05:19   #
ffweir
 
Thanks Kuzano...I visited the forum and they are so enthusiastic about the Epson, it ALMOST makes me want to keep the camera! BUT if anything goes wrong, like the LCD display is known to fail due to a small wire breaking, then I have a paperweight with nostalgia value only. Even repair facilities in Japan no longer have parts or service it.

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Mar 26, 2019 16:14:48   #
Bill P
 
Use it until it breaks then replace. By the time that happens, there will be something out there better and cheaper.

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Mar 26, 2019 16:19:03   #
BebuLamar
 
Bill P wrote:
Use it until it breaks then replace. By the time that happens, there will be something out there better and cheaper.


The RD-1 is an APS-C camera with 3MP, no AF so to many it's not a good camera. Its value is in its uniqueness and unlikely there will be one that surpass it in that respect. The Leica M10-D is close but Leica use a motor to cock the shutter (although they include the dummy advance level as a thumb rest) instead of by the advance level as in the Epson RD-1.

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Mar 26, 2019 17:15:41   #
Bipod
 
ffweir wrote:
Hi....I'm brand new here...retired, have a part-time job shooting for a legal newspaper in my area. I have an Epson RD1 and I never really used it much and very much want to sell it but have NO idea of its current value. Some months they sell for $600 or so online but right now they seem ridiculously high...due to increasing scarcity maybe? Mine is a user grade with marks and bright spots, marked up rear LCD. Working fine. People seem very savvy here so I thought I'd post to see what you all think. I suppose I will do Ebay and hope for the best. Have had bad experiences with the big houses. Roberts offered $300. Craigslist worries me. Anyway, thanks for your time if anyone cares to reply.

frank weir
Hi....I'm brand new here...retired, have a part-ti... (show quote)

Take a look at the the "Buy It Now" prices and winning bids on eBay for used RD-1 cameras.
Then take the condition of your camera into account. Obviously, if it has the case, strap box
and all the accessories, it's worth a bit more. But the main thing is the condition of the
camera and lens.

A friend of mine is a street photographer--he loves his RD-1. He doesn't make huge prints,
so APS-C and 6.1 MP is perfect. Very contrasty lens--which matters a lot to urban
photographers. It's also light-weight (magnesium alloy body), quiet and unobtrusive looking.

If you're trying to take a photo of one person in crowd without zooming in tight,
autofocus can be very, very frustrating. With a true rangefinder, if the subject wasn't in
focus, you know why. Besides, in this kind of work, slightly unsharp is way better than
sharp focus on the wrong person.

If you think the RD-1 is expensive, check out the prices for a used Leica M9 with lens.
As another poster mentioned, there just aren't many options for a digital true rangefinder.
The M9 Monochrome would be even better for B&W--but prices are astronomical.

Many digital cameras being sold today as "rangefinders" simply copy the body shape,
they don't have a true triangulation rangefinder built into the viewfinder and coupled
to the focus (called "messucher" in German -- the 'M' in Lieca M).

That is another example of how adveritsing simply changes the meaning of words.
Leica (and Epson in the RD-1) are above that kind of thing: the camera is exactly what
the company says it is.

Finally, the RD-1 was something of a milestone: the world's first digital true rangefinder
(according to Epson). Since it is M-mount, you will be able to get lenses for it for the
foreseeable future. It's not for everybody, and like all digital cameras, it will not age well.
But it is not going to be forgotten by rangefinder enthusiasts.

Something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. The RD-1 is a unique camera,
so you may take a while to find the right buyer. The worst mistake is to be in a hurry
to sell. You could put it up for auction with a long period and a high reserve.

Or you pretend your selling a house: advertise it at the high end of the market range and wait.
If it doesn't sell, take it off the market for a while, then re-list it at a lower price.

Good luck!

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Mar 26, 2019 19:03:01   #
ffweir
 
Bipod...many thanks for the time and thought you put into your response. I'm really vacillating. Maybe I'll hang on to it and use it to be certain I want to sell. As I've said, my fear is that it'll fail and they are now non-repairable. It really isn't useable for the little paid photo job I have so it would be for hobby usage. And I shoot musician friends in dim bars a lot and it isn't suited for that either since I need very high ISO and I don't have expensive fast lenses for the most part. I like tight close-ups and I have no glass for the Epson that can do that in dim light without using a high ISO. I have a Fuji XE2 that can handle high ISO's as well as a Nikon D610 that is good in low light.

I'm going to Yellowstone in May so I could take that and hope I don't trash it. I do like the Fuji's I have shot. I admit the Epson, maybe since its old and just 6 megs, seems to look more like film to my eye but that's very subjective.

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