I picked up a refurb through Epson about 3 weeks ago. Serial# 0045xx. With the exception of a small paint chip on the back hinge, it looked and felt brand new. The shutter had been pressed about 800 times.
Since then, I have taken about 700 images, the vast majority with either a 50 asph or 35 cron (IV). The rangefinder patch is slightly tilted, but does not hinder focusing. I have tested focusing quite a bit with the 50mm @ 1.4 at all distances, and have been very pleased with the results. In actual street shooting situations, my hit rate is not as high. I attribute that primarily to the shorter base length of the rangefinder, but also to my normal coffee intake 😀 . The rangefinder patch is not as contrasty as my M2 as well, which makes it harder to focus in flat light.
I had read probably every post about the R-D1, good and bad, before my purchase. At retail prices, I was not willing to risk getting a problematic camera. At the refurb rate plus the 10% discount, it was an easy decision.
The results, particularly with the Summilux, are excellent (for digital capture). The biggest surprise was the performance at 1600 iso. Very usable. The best thing about it, however, is that I can mount my M-Mount and LTM lenses on a digital body with a rangefinder and manual controls. Together with my M2, I have a pretty useful kit now.
