Epson's R-D1 was the world's first digital rangefinder, and after its March 2004 announcement, was sold in markets including North America, Europe and Asia. The follow-up R-D1s from March 2006 was initially available in Japan only, and although it later arrived in Europe as well, it was never officially retailed in North America. Discontinued in Europe from June 2007, the R-D1s continued on sale in Japan for some time thereafter. Today's announcement of the R-D1xG sees the previous version officially replaced - and once again we understand that the new model will not be sold in Europe or North America.

The Epson R-D1xG is very closely related to the previous model, sharing the same 6.1 megapixel APS-C CCD image sensor, Leica M-compatible lens mount, and a largely similar body design. The most obvious change in the R-D1xG is the use of a larger LCD display with a 2.5-inch diagonal, versus the 2.0-inch display of the R-D1 and R-D1s. The Epson R-D1xG also adds support for the newer Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) storage cards, where the previous versions were compatible only with standard SD cards. The feel of the R-D1xG's shutter button is also said to be improved over previous models.

One final difference is in the product bundle, with the Epson R-D1xG now including a removeable hand grip as standard. The grip attaches to the tripod mount and spans just over half the width of the camera's base before projecting upwards to form a slight lip around the right-hand end of the camera's base, and a hand grip at the right front of the camera body. The design means it adds slightly to the overall height of the camera on the right-hand side and leaves it with an uneven base profile when attached. (It presumably also necessitates removal before using the R-D1xG on a tripod).

Epson R-D1xG handgrip Photo provided by Epson Sales Japan Corp.