I was poking around in The Guess Where Seattle Pool on Flickr — submitted an image I’ve posted here that people will recognize quickly — and some of the shots were taken with one of these.
Apparently, this is a very close approximation of the legendary (and heart-stoppingly expensive) Leica M rangefinder. Costs less than a 10th as much, however. The benefits of the rangefinder (you don’t compose through the lens but through the small window at top right) are mechanical simplicity and bulk since you lose the flip-up mirror and accompanying pentaprism.
This makes it smaller than an SLR and quieter, allowing the camera to be insinuated closer to its subjects. It’s long been a staple of the masters of the small camera (cf Magnum).
I can almost feel one of these in my hand, it seems so well-designed (even if it’s not an original design). A camera with immediacy of digital and simplicity of a well-designed rangefinder would be a fine thing. Apparently Epson agrees, but at a Leica-style price. Made with some help from the company that makes the Bessa . . . interesting.