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!