Are there any affordable digital rangefinder cameras?

Question

I was looking at the Leica M9-P and was wondering if there are any affordable cameras of this format. Are the Sony NEX or Olympus PEN of this format? Are there any other interchangeable lens digital non-SLR formats one can look into?

EDIT:
Nikon D7000 is the upper-limit of affordable for me ;-)

Answer

If you're looking specifically for a rangefinder camera – in that you do not look through the lens and use a split-image mechanism to match subject distance to the plane of focus of the lens – with a digital sensor, the only ones available are the Leicas (M8 and M9 with some minor variants). Although they are likely to go down in value over time (like almost all digital cameras), those are probably outside your budget.

If you're looking for something that looks like a Leica but isn't necessarily a rangefinder camera, probably the closest current camera is the Fuji X100. It is similar to a Leica M9 in the following ways:

• It lacks a flipping mirror mechanism
• You do not look directly through the lens to compose; instead, you look through a viewfinder with overlaid frame lines
• The X100 looks an awful lot like a film rangefinder camera

However, the X100 has the following differences from the M9:

• The X100 has a single fixed lens, while the M9 accepts multiple lenses from many manufacturers.
• The X100 has a "hybrid viewfinder" that overlays an electronic preview in the viewfinder.
• The M9 has no sort of "live view" that allows you to compose with the digital screen instead of the viewfinder.
• The X100 has autofocus, while all Leica rangefinders are manual focus only.
• The X100 has an APS-C size sensor (like most digital SLRs), while the M9 has a larger 'full frame' (roughly equivalent to 35mm film) size sensor. The M8's sensor is in between those two sizes.

If interchangeable lenses are important to you, you might also look at the Olympus Pen series, the Panasonic GF series, or the upcoming Sony NEX-7. Like the Leica, these cameras do not have a reflex mirror and are part of interchangeable lens systems. Unlike a Leica, they use some sort of electronic viewfinder or you compose using the digital screen on the back. Also, all of these cameras have autofocus.

If you specifically want the experience of using a rangefinder but can live without an actual digital camera, you could use a film rangefinder and then have the film scanned. Leica and Cosina (using the Voigtlander and Zeiss brand names) still make new film rangefinders, and there are many available for on the used market.

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