diff --git a/httpie/core.py b/httpie/core.py
index 95e21d0a..9c487b27 100644
--- a/httpie/core.py
+++ b/httpie/core.py
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def get_response(args, env):
     except Exception as e:
         if args.debug:
             raise
-        env.stderr.write(str(e.message) + '\n')
+        env.stderr.write(str(repr(e) + '\n'))
         sys.exit(1)
 
 
diff --git a/httpie/input.py b/httpie/input.py
index ba71ab10..b73d70db 100644
--- a/httpie/input.py
+++ b/httpie/input.py
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class Parser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
         self._parse_items(args)
 
         if not env.stdin_isatty:
-            self._body_from_file(args, env.stdin.read())
+            self._body_from_file(args, env.stdin)
 
         if args.auth and not args.auth.has_password():
             # Stdin already read (if not a tty) so it's save to prompt.
@@ -129,12 +129,16 @@ class Parser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
 
         super(Parser, self)._print_message(message, file)
 
-    def _body_from_file(self, args, data):
-        """There can only be one source of request data."""
+    def _body_from_file(self, args, fd):
+        """There can only be one source of request data.
+
+        Bytes are always read.
+
+        """
         if args.data:
             self.error('Request body (from stdin or a file) and request '
                        'data (key=value) cannot be mixed.')
-        args.data = data
+        args.data = getattr(fd, 'buffer', fd).read()
 
     def _guess_method(self, args, env):
         """Set `args.method` if not specified to either POST or GET
@@ -201,9 +205,9 @@ class Parser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
                     'Invalid file fields (perhaps you meant --form?): %s'
                     % ','.join(file_fields))
 
-            fn, data = args.files['']
+            fn, fd = args.files['']
             args.files = {}
-            self._body_from_file(args, data)
+            self._body_from_file(args, fd)
             if 'Content-Type' not in args.headers:
                 mime, encoding = mimetypes.guess_type(fn, strict=False)
                 if mime:
@@ -420,8 +424,8 @@ def parse_items(items, data=None, headers=None, files=None, params=None):
             target = params
         elif item.sep == SEP_FILES:
             try:
-                with open(os.path.expanduser(value)) as f:
-                    value = (os.path.basename(f.name), f.read())
+                value = (os.path.basename(value),
+                         open(os.path.expanduser(value), 'rb'))
             except IOError as e:
                 raise ParseError(
                     'Invalid argument "%s": %s' % (item.orig, e))
diff --git a/httpie/models.py b/httpie/models.py
index 4b12d8c4..5f78fc41 100644
--- a/httpie/models.py
+++ b/httpie/models.py
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ class HTTPMessage(object):
 
         # Body
         if request.files:
+            # TODO: would be nice if we didn't need to encode the files again
+            for fn, fd in request.files.values():
+                # Rewind the files as they have already been read before.
+                fd.seek(0)
             body, _ = request._encode_files(request.files)
         else:
             try:
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/file.bin b/tests/fixtures/file.bin
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ee7c943a
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/fixtures/file.bin differ
diff --git a/tests/file.txt b/tests/fixtures/file.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/file.txt
rename to tests/fixtures/file.txt
diff --git a/tests/file2.txt b/tests/fixtures/file2.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/file2.txt
rename to tests/fixtures/file2.txt
diff --git a/tests/tests.py b/tests/tests.py
index d3d0cfe8..6006f2ad 100755
--- a/tests/tests.py
+++ b/tests/tests.py
@@ -51,10 +51,16 @@ from httpie.input import ParseError
 HTTPBIN_URL = os.environ.get('HTTPBIN_URL',
                              'http://httpbin.org')
 
-TEST_FILE_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'file.txt')
-TEST_FILE2_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'file2.txt')
+TEST_FILE_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'fixtures', 'file.txt')
+TEST_FILE2_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'fixtures', 'file2.txt')
+
 with open(TEST_FILE_PATH) as f:
     TEST_FILE_CONTENT = f.read().strip()
+
+TEST_BIN_FILE_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'fixtures', 'file.bin')
+with open(TEST_BIN_FILE_PATH, 'rb') as f:
+    TEST_BIN_FILE_CONTENT = f.read()
+
 TERMINAL_COLOR_PRESENCE_CHECK = '\x1b['
 
 
@@ -82,7 +88,6 @@ def http(*args, **kwargs):
     and return a unicode response.
 
     """
-
     if 'env' not in kwargs:
         # Ensure that we have terminal by default (needed for Travis).
         kwargs['env'] = Environment(
@@ -94,7 +99,11 @@ def http(*args, **kwargs):
     stdout = kwargs['env'].stdout = tempfile.TemporaryFile('w+b')
     stderr = kwargs['env'].stderr = tempfile.TemporaryFile('w+t')
 
-    exit_status = main(args=['--debug'] + list(args), **kwargs)
+    try:
+        exit_status = main(args=['--debug'] + list(args), **kwargs)
+    except (Exception, SystemExit) as e:
+        sys.stderr.write(stderr.read())
+        raise
 
     stdout.seek(0)
     stderr.seek(0)
@@ -564,7 +573,54 @@ class MultipartFormDataFileUploadTest(BaseTestCase):
         self.assertIn('"foo": "bar"', r)
 
 
-class TestBinaryResponses(BaseTestCase):
+class BinaryRequestDataTest(BaseTestCase):
+
+    def test_binary_stdin(self):
+        env = Environment(
+            stdin=open(TEST_BIN_FILE_PATH, 'rb'),
+            stdin_isatty=False,
+            stdout_isatty=False
+        )
+        r = http(
+            '--print=B',
+            'POST',
+            httpbin('/post'),
+            env=env,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(r, TEST_BIN_FILE_CONTENT)
+
+    def test_binary_file_path(self):
+        env = Environment(
+            stdin_isatty=True,
+            stdout_isatty=False
+        )
+        r = http(
+            '--print=B',
+            'POST',
+            httpbin('/post'),
+            '@' + TEST_BIN_FILE_PATH,
+            env=env,
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(r, TEST_BIN_FILE_CONTENT)
+
+    def test_binary_file_form(self):
+        env = Environment(
+            stdin_isatty=True,
+            stdout_isatty=False
+        )
+        r = http(
+            '--print=B',
+            '--form',
+            'POST',
+            httpbin('/post'),
+            'test@' + TEST_BIN_FILE_PATH,
+            env=env,
+        )
+        self.assertIn(bytes(TEST_BIN_FILE_CONTENT), bytes(r))
+
+
+class BinaryResponseDataTest(BaseTestCase):
 
     url = 'http://www.google.com/favicon.ico'