With the release of the E-P2, I've been seriously looking into a digital rangerfinder. Currently I have a 1D classic, 5D Mk II and a bunch of L fast zooms and primes.
Other than the E-P2, GF1 and the obvious M9, are there any other players in the field? The ricoh looks nice, but it's a fixed lens and looking for a system rather than a single camera.
The Epson R-D1 was the first digital rangefinder. Then came the M8 and M9. Those are the only 3 digital rangefinders if you don't count revisions like the R-D1s or M8.2.
The E-P1, E-P1, and GF1 are NOT rangefinders. Ricoh doesn't make any digital rangefinders either.
If you don't want a rangefinder but just a small interchangeable-lens camera, then you should just get the GF1 with the 20/1.7 lens.
Ricoh's digital cameras use compact camera sensors like those in the Canon G11. The only small digital interchangeable lens non-SLR cameras out there really are the Micro-Four-Thirds cameras (Panasonic G1, GH1, GF1 and Olympus E-P1 and E-P2). Out of those cameras, the GF1 is currently the best if you are after small size and you don't need to shoot with the camera up to your eye all the time.
Thanks for the quick reply. I've been reading about the R-D1x, and it might be what I'm looking for, just wish there was more competition in the field.
Digital RF options? There's the "very expensive" and the "super expensive", take your pick.
If you buy the Olympus EP-1, I think it has an optical viewfinder but it only works with the 17mm. Looks like it works like a rangefinder VF.
There isn't more competition in the field because it has a very limited application and as such, the demand is very low. You can get a Visoflex but then it basically turns the RF into a reflex camera which kinda beats the purpose of buying a RF in the first place.
