giellaleafapmu
Well-known
Dear all,
recently I have been, like many of the forum members, attracted by both the Sigma
DP1/2/3 and the Fuji X-E1 and X-Pro 1, except that what calls me is not much the great image in small package but simply the apparent ability to outperform most cameras IQ at a bargain price. I have some experience with the vintage S5 Pro from Fuji and its incredible sensor and I trust Fuji almost blindly so I am intrigued by the fact that the two Fujis I mentioned have no AA filter (or a very weak one) using a different array pattern to avoid Moire and I am also very much interested by the Merrill sensor inside the Sigma. I have been reading review, asking people and looking at prices but there are a few precise questions I could not have a complete answer to, especially about the Sigmas. I try to shortly formulate these questions.
(1.) They are both supposed to produce great images but I always hear comment about the IQ in natural light and at high iso, can anyone explain me how do the perform in the studio, shooting at low iso and with the possibility of filling shadow to have small a latitude as needed. Are under these condition any better than a "usual" modern sensor such as the Sony which can be found in Nikon, Pentax and, well, Sonys which are much more versatile? Are they closed to a FF camera (besides the bokeh which I don't care too much for).
(2.) They are slow cameras, that we know, but how is exactly the shutter lag (this is more that anything a Sigma question, I have an idea of Fujis). If one have the camera in manual everything and press the shutter button some 5 times in a second does one get the pictures at a predictable moment? (I don't too much care the kind of comparisons such as 0.01" vs 0.005" measured in a lab, just the feeling of them.)
(3.) Are they workable with flashes, I am asking this because I had a rather bad surprise with both a Pentax which I have and a Samsung which I tried which seemed to have problems with several common triggers even tough they are supposed to have standard hot-shoe mount.
(4.) Can anyone comment on the Sigma 50mm found on the DP3? This seems to be the least popular of the models and I could find very little about the lens.
I hope I was not too long and/or boring, thank in advance.
GLF
recently I have been, like many of the forum members, attracted by both the Sigma
DP1/2/3 and the Fuji X-E1 and X-Pro 1, except that what calls me is not much the great image in small package but simply the apparent ability to outperform most cameras IQ at a bargain price. I have some experience with the vintage S5 Pro from Fuji and its incredible sensor and I trust Fuji almost blindly so I am intrigued by the fact that the two Fujis I mentioned have no AA filter (or a very weak one) using a different array pattern to avoid Moire and I am also very much interested by the Merrill sensor inside the Sigma. I have been reading review, asking people and looking at prices but there are a few precise questions I could not have a complete answer to, especially about the Sigmas. I try to shortly formulate these questions.
(1.) They are both supposed to produce great images but I always hear comment about the IQ in natural light and at high iso, can anyone explain me how do the perform in the studio, shooting at low iso and with the possibility of filling shadow to have small a latitude as needed. Are under these condition any better than a "usual" modern sensor such as the Sony which can be found in Nikon, Pentax and, well, Sonys which are much more versatile? Are they closed to a FF camera (besides the bokeh which I don't care too much for).
(2.) They are slow cameras, that we know, but how is exactly the shutter lag (this is more that anything a Sigma question, I have an idea of Fujis). If one have the camera in manual everything and press the shutter button some 5 times in a second does one get the pictures at a predictable moment? (I don't too much care the kind of comparisons such as 0.01" vs 0.005" measured in a lab, just the feeling of them.)
(3.) Are they workable with flashes, I am asking this because I had a rather bad surprise with both a Pentax which I have and a Samsung which I tried which seemed to have problems with several common triggers even tough they are supposed to have standard hot-shoe mount.
(4.) Can anyone comment on the Sigma 50mm found on the DP3? This seems to be the least popular of the models and I could find very little about the lens.
I hope I was not too long and/or boring, thank in advance.
GLF
GaryLH
Veteran
I don't use the sigma in situations such as studio work so I hope someone else can jump,in. I am answering your questions in reverse order.
- dp3m. - it was only recently released, so hard to say how popular it will eventually end up. I would think that for the average user, myself included, the dp2m is the normal user and a dp1 or dp3 Merrill ends up the secondary camera. The images from the sigma website dedicated to it look pretty good to me.
- shutter release is predictable. U can tell by going into manual focus mode. In mf mode, u get mag of image to help focus. Af predictable is based on two factors - focus acquire and shutter release. the shutter rlease is fairly constant. Like any contrast detection af, the contrast of the subject has more of an affect in focus lock and thus predictability in terms shutter release.
- the biggest issue I c as a studio camera is no remote shutter release. Shutter release button does not support cable. One needs to setup delayed shutter release instead.
- has a standard hot shoe
- leaf shutter so can sync at all shutter speeds
Hope that helps
Gary
- dp3m. - it was only recently released, so hard to say how popular it will eventually end up. I would think that for the average user, myself included, the dp2m is the normal user and a dp1 or dp3 Merrill ends up the secondary camera. The images from the sigma website dedicated to it look pretty good to me.
- shutter release is predictable. U can tell by going into manual focus mode. In mf mode, u get mag of image to help focus. Af predictable is based on two factors - focus acquire and shutter release. the shutter rlease is fairly constant. Like any contrast detection af, the contrast of the subject has more of an affect in focus lock and thus predictability in terms shutter release.
- the biggest issue I c as a studio camera is no remote shutter release. Shutter release button does not support cable. One needs to setup delayed shutter release instead.
- has a standard hot shoe
- leaf shutter so can sync at all shutter speeds
Hope that helps
Gary
giellaleafapmu
Well-known
Woops, I didn't see this and yep this is a problem indeed, thank you for the answer.
GLF
noimmunity
scratch my niche
I guess that you should have a look at the way Bowman, a proponent of the DP Merrills, has been using the DP3M in the studio for portrait work; there is a relevant thread with discussion and photos on getdpi.com in particular. Also of interest would be Vieri's review and use for landscape.
GaryLH
Veteran
Richard Franeic did make an adapter for the order non Merrill dp cameras to accept a standard shutter release cable by using the hot shoe. He never updated the design for the Merrill series. I suspect it would need an update considering the top plate is now different.
Using this type of adapter would defect the use of studio flash though. But perhaps where u live, u can have a machine shop do something similar but provide contact feed thru to the flash unit or come off the a u bracket from the tripod mount...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Richard...CI3y8_nzlLum1wE#slideshow/5358342265844262450
Gary
Using this type of adapter would defect the use of studio flash though. But perhaps where u live, u can have a machine shop do something similar but provide contact feed thru to the flash unit or come off the a u bracket from the tripod mount...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Richard...CI3y8_nzlLum1wE#slideshow/5358342265844262450
Gary
giellaleafapmu
Well-known
That's why I like this forum even if I am not such a RF guy, just when you think that what you have asked made no sense and that the DP Merril is NOT a studio camera after all a lot of nice answers convince you just of the opposite... Thank you to all I'll let you know if/when I decide something.
GLF
GLF
GaryLH
Veteran
I stumbled on this still life shot using the dp3m today. It is a composite stitch of 3 frames.
http://diglloyd.com/blog/2013/20130307_4-SigmaDP3-Merrill-initial.html
Gary
http://diglloyd.com/blog/2013/20130307_4-SigmaDP3-Merrill-initial.html
Gary
GaryLH
Veteran
Are U talking about this dp3m thread? Nice.
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/other-cameras/42997-sigma-dp3m.html
Gary
noimmunity
scratch my niche
That's the one! (Note to others: proceed at your own risk!)
geertvn
Established
You have to be carefull with Canon flashes in the Fuji hotshoe, especially the ones with the locking wheel (I don't know about the newer type with the locking switch). The locking pin which extends if you turn the locking wheel, can get stuck in the hotshoe - the little hole in the hotshoe is either too tight or not perfectly lined up with the locking pin. I had this happen with a Canon 550ex and I had to literally break the flash off the camera. The hotshoe came off as well.
Repair of the camera cost €296 - they've exchanged the top with viewfinder and everything. The flash still has to be repaired - it's probably not worth it (and I use Nikons mostly when I need flash).
For what it's worth: Nikon flashes worked better on the Fuji.
Repair of the camera cost €296 - they've exchanged the top with viewfinder and everything. The flash still has to be repaired - it's probably not worth it (and I use Nikons mostly when I need flash).
For what it's worth: Nikon flashes worked better on the Fuji.
GaryLH
Veteran
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/other-c...l-bracket-cable-release-adapter-proposal.html
Looks like Richard Franeic is working on a cable release adapter for the Merrill. Also in this thread is a pointer to a generic cable releaee kluge being sold by b&h.
Gary
Looks like Richard Franeic is working on a cable release adapter for the Merrill. Also in this thread is a pointer to a generic cable releaee kluge being sold by b&h.
Gary