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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

The AP-C sized RAW imager DP-1 for your attention! Warning: large file, but worth it!

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
SigmaDP1-004.jpg


Just look at this picture. There are many more on Sigma website here. Download them. Yes, they are not the original RAW images, but they are of remarkable quality.

The long awaited pocketable Sigma DP-1 (bearing the latest Foveon sensor) is more like a DSLR squeezed into a little compact digicam. It appears to boast the best ~8MP "equivalent" imaging system with a fixed 28mm "equivalent" lens. No question from the images on the Sigma website (and the Reviews of Michael Rechiman and Sean Reid), this is the serious little camera to consider.

So what are the drawbacks: Michael's review indicates poor menus, poor LCD, manual focus wheel not locked down so can be nudged! However, for picture quality, please look at Michael Reichman's excellent Review here (he's Mr. "Opinionated-camera-practical" in that he, perhaps unfairly, expects everything to work!!) and also, if you can, subscribe to Reid Reviews here* to read his two part review here. I subscribe to Sean's website and it's very much worthwhile to anyone wanting to get the best in small high performance lens camera systems. He deals with the signature of lens and sensor types and camera from his artistic viewpoint as a wedding, news, travel and street photographer.

Asher

* Reid Reviews is a subscription only website. The one-year subscription rate for the site is $32.95. This allows Sean to devote himself to in depth testing of a few fine systems at a time. This is for the photographer who is will to pay a few $ a month to get some information that is unique, opinionated and very worthwhile for those working with small high quality camera systems.


See examples of his reviews for free in Luminous Landscapehere and imaging-resource.com [url=http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E5D/E5DA13.HTM] here subscribe [url=http://www.reidreviews.com/reidreviews/subscribe.asp] here
 

Kim Fullbrook

New member
The LL review of this camera has been very positive about its image quality and the included picture is impressive. Other aspects of the camera are less impressive, according to the review and would put me off buying one. Plus I don't want a permanent wide-angle lens on the front. My main hope is that the DP-1 will act as a wakeup call to the big manufacturers like Canon who consistently refuse to produce cameras like this.

Serious photographers want a camera with a sufficiently large sensor to produce SLR-quality images without having to carry an SLR around. Manufacturers already have the sensors and chips in production for their SLRs and in the days of film cameras produced plenty of decent 35mm compacts so the expertise was there once. They just have to put a decent range of manual controls on it, plus raw format of course and make sure that the shutter lag is comparable with SLRs. A vari-angle display screen would be very useful too. Plenty of photographers would buy one of these, even with a premium price.
 

John_Nevill

New member
Asher,

I had a decent play with the DP-1 at Focus on Imaging back in February.

Image quality seemed good if a little interpolated on the sample A3 prints displayed, but great on the 10x8 prints.

My only concerns were, its clunky to use, slow, the LCD is yesteryear technology and its not exactly pocketable, the lens protrudes quite a bit and it shows quite a bit of distortion.

Other than that, if Sigma get their act together, the nextgen (DP-2) should be a force to be reckoned with. Although I do wonder what the competition will produce over the next year or so.

I wish LL would have compared it with the GR II rather than the GX100, chalk and cheese.

I must also commend Sean Reid's reviews, superb VFM. I eagerly awaiting DP-1 part 2.
 
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