I've had my RD-1 for just about a year now. I bought in full knowledge of all its shortcomings, QC problems, lack of support. I bought it because it was and still is unique. It's a niche product so it was always going to cost more than mass produced stuff.
There is nothing wrong with my RD-1 except for the occasional vertical alignment issue which I have fixed myself easily. This camera has allowed me to change the way I approach photography and has even been responsible, in part, for pushing me back into film.
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with the RD-1. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to be part of a small band of users.
Every camera gets some kind of upgrade sooner or later if there's market for it. Sometimes previous model users get the benefit of upgrades for free, but often not. It would be nice to get a firmware upgrade if it makes a huge difference, but there really isn't anything aside from QC that I am concerned about.
As far as a price drop is concerned, that is the way of the world. If you were a digital pioneer paying $20,000 for a low res machine that wasn't any better than the average P&S of today you could be pretty mad, but what is the point? We know the way the market works. I'll be glad if they do reduce the price. It might just encourage more users and that might persuade Epson that its worth setting up a support network or even to introduce a larger higher res chip in an RD-2 🙂
Chill out and be grateful we've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity of a unique experience 😉
Regards
Gid
