The Sigma DP1 and DP2 Merrill cameras are something quite unique. You hate them for the 90% of the things you can’t do and you love them for the stunning 10% they can do. And the video on top shows you exactly what I mean with it!
*Please also check your spam folder if you don't get the confirmation mail. And mark the mail as "non-spam" to see the future newsletter.
20 Responses
Excelent video from the Camera Store guys, as always.
well I know he is doing it on purpose, but he sure makes a fool of himself. I mean he seems only to care about camera features and he wants to compare one sort of camera with a completely different kind of camera. of course in the end it gets much better and is quite ok, but I thought in the beginning it was much to exaggerated. he just makes himself look really dumb.
but I guess for someone that has no idea of photography (or cameras) or has never heard of foveon it might be the right approach.
But it is a dumb camera. $1000 camera that only shoots 36 exposure on one charge. foveon shmoveon overrated…
I bet it took you all day to think up that one. Good one Champ.
Quite a good report. Its always good to have foveon in mind, even if just to discard it.
But it had the added benefit of remind us that the best camera for one isnt the best for all.
>You hate them for the 90% of the things you can’t do and you love them for the stunning 10% they can do.
Once you know that you concentrate on the 10% of excellence.
Uwe, does thismean that if I make a dish thats 90% full of shit, I mean dog and human shit, does this make the dish good if 10 % of it was made by Gordon Ramsay? Would you eat the dish? LOL
That 10% part alone would make it unedible. LOL. Gordon Foul mouth? All he has to do is open his mouth.
I’m not sure who they’ve made this video for, found it lacklustre and both come off badly as far as knowledge too.
First of all, if you’re only getting ~40 shots, you’re doing something wrong! However I do think that Sigma would do well to put an OVF on the DP cameras; the sensors are not designed for video (i.e, live view) so it does drain the battery but… APS-C in a small body hence small battery, bit of common sense please.
Speed, well that’s Sigma’s biggest issue! If they crack that I’ll buy an SD2 almost immediately. Write times are frustrating, end of, especially when the camera is unusable whilst doing it (might have been improved in firmware since I used one).
Can be used at 100-400 ISO in good light, for its intended purpose that’s fine. Also the flash accessory is surprisingly good also when used properly (read: not automatic).
DR is impressive in natural light, coupled with unmatched pixel-to-pixel detail/clarity it’s a brilliant landscape camera. The tech is still in its infancy and lacking in R&D funding I’d guess.
N.B, SPP is only really required to set white balance. Then just export and bring into your chosen editor as a DNG, saves space vs. a TIFF and gives you RAW controls in Lightroom/ACR. Also never shoot RAW+JPEG, a full size JPEG is saved into every RAW file (for preview) so you’re just adding to processing/write times! That’s the type of tip that should’ve been in the video, not “use a tripod.” Rant over…
“Also never shoot RAW+JPEG, a full size JPEG is saved into every RAW file (for preview) so you’re just adding to processing/write times!”
Good point! 🙂 It is possible that they were doing RAW+JPEG.
Tom wrote:
>First of all, if you’re only getting ~40 shots, you’re doing something wrong!
I also get about only 40 shots but inspect the histogram for each single shot. Hope this is not considered wrong.
>DR is impressive in natural light
DR is low. Look into the shadows.
>SPP is only really required to set white balance.
And CA for DP1M
I was somewhat frustrated by the video, having read reviews/opinions from Nick before I was bemused by the… tone?
So, I haven’t shot with any of the Merrill cameras but haven’t read figures as low as 36 from other reviews; testing/reviewing a camera is very different to day-to-day shooting so I’d expect battery life to take a hit but… and if 40 is your standard return, well I’m shocked (that they released it like that) – I don’t review histograms after every shot but I don’t call foul on other people’s shooting methods.
DR range is low for a digital sensor in the shadows but I get good results in the highlights which *I find to be of more use. I stand by impressive DR in natural light – albeit perhaps should read neutral there. The figures don’t back this up, recalling dpreview testing but I have few clipped highlights in my library – that’s without underexposing for them.
I do more than WB correction in SPP but for those that hate it, you can mostly avoid it. I use Automator on OS X to help go from camera to editor.
N.B, I own an SD15 and have used the DP2x quite a bit.
the world has gone dumb and no one can accept or respect something they dont like or understand… wasnt respect one of the basic things we used to be taught when growing up? is it funny to be a d**khead now?
foveon is beautiful and the cameras produce beatiful images that hardly need photoshoping, unlike bayer images which are always flat and boring straight out of camera.
if you dont like the handling then move away but at least respect the efforts of a company trying to do something different…
leica cameras are slow dinossaurs too but people are a lot more understanding in weighting the pros and cons just because of the brand name.
sigma is old school too. their dslrs feel like cameras and not like mini computers in a camera shell. their prime lenses are beautiful, all their products are made in japan, all in house and not via third parties.
in this fast paced world we have today i am very happy that we have a company like sigma, proud to be different, and slowing things down…
i have the original dp1 and yes it is a slow thing, but if used properly can give you stunning images.
and it is not just a landscape camera. some of my favorite family photos came out of that little clunky thing…
photography was once about taking one’s time and appreciating the magic in the process… now people want the thinking to always be done for them and god forbid if it is not fast!
Some really stupid posts in here from people who’ve never used the camera. What else is new on the internet?
I can accept donations from all those people who bought this piece of crap and want to leave it on the trash can.
if you do so, i´ll find myself how useless it is and report afterwards thanks 🙂
Definitely a niche camera. For its “10%” niche the image quality is super. Maybe down the road Sigma will get rid of the bugs. Then again maybe not. Regardless, if it’s your niche, go for it.