Quirky camera gets quirky review ... DP Merrill series by 'English Photographer.'

Keith

Keith

The best camera is one that still works!
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It's a bit of a struggle to watch this all the way through ... but I did and I have to say I enjoyed it.

"So delightfully English" ... as they say! :D LINK
 
Quirky review, but enjoyable and informative.

Thanks Keith.

On a side note, can anyone else spot the faint image of the ghost of a young Francisco Franco in the woods behind the presenter on the left side of the screen starting at point 9:13 ?
 
xayraa33 said:
Quirky review, but enjoyable and informative.

Thanks Keith.

On a side note, can anyone else spot the faint image of the ghost of a young Francisco Franco in the woods behind the presenter on the left side of the screen starting at point 9:13 ?
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I was kind of mesmerized by the combination of camouflage shirt with matching red jeans and t-shirt! :D
 
DP Merrill is a strange name for a camera, isn't it? Is there a story behind that?
Sorry if this is common knowledge, I just don't follow this sector.
 
FrankS said:
DP Merrill is a strange name for a camera, isn't it? Is there a story behind that?
Sorry if this is common knowledge, I just don't follow this sector.
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Hi Frank,

Dick Merrill (deceased) pioneered foveon sensor technology. Sigma call the camera the Merrill in his honor ... nice gesture IMO. :)
 
I'm actually finding that the limitations of the DP series is what attracts me to them ... and the fact that image quality is not one of the limitations.

I like bush walking where I live ... there are some beautiful rainforest creeks to explore and I think the DP3M would be ideally suited to this style of photography. This little camera and a lightweight tripod could be a very potent combination.
 
The Merrill series definitely has got me thinking. I would use it like a medium format camera. Sort of slowly! But not too slow...

I should edit: "if" I got one!
 
Accurate review, though I've had preferred to see more photos from the camera and less of Ben, lol.

Keith said:
I like bush walking where I live ... there are some beautiful rainforest creeks to explore and I think the DP3M would be ideally suited to this style of photography. This little camera and a lightweight tripod could be a very potent combination.
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I think it would be perfect for this. I've had it for a week and the weather's been crap so I haven't been able to use it outside as much as I would have liked. I've not so successfully tried using it with flash and high ISO b/w, but it's real reason for existing is low ISO shots, where its output is beautiful.


benlees said:
The Merrill series definitely has got me thinking. I would use it like a medium format camera. Sort of slowly! But not too slow...
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This is what I'm hoping to use it for too, my developing and scanning skills are uneven and it stinks wasting film. Used in low ISO the output is MF-like, moreso than any other small format cam I know of, except maybe the Nikon D800. And even the slowness of the camera write times makes you use it in more of a film/MF rhythm. AF is quite good btw, so that's not an issue.
 
DP2 Merrill could make me - a dyed in the wool film photographer - a digital camera user. The image quality is fascinating.
 
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Keith said:
I'm actually finding that the limitations of the DP series is what attracts me to them ... and the fact that image quality is not one of the limitations.
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I'd have to say that I share this viewpoint and it was enough to push me over the edge ultimately - and I don't regret the purchase at all. The DP2M slows me down (in a good way), not unlike the more methodical way many of us approach shooting film. No machine gun trigger image captures at crazy high ISO's with a Merrill..... dare I say the most "film camera-like" digital camera yet?

I guess I'm not helping you resist a purchase Keith.
 
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The DP2m doesn't slow me down at all. It focuses about as fast as my Fuji X-Pro1, you don't have to chimp (which makes the 7 second write time a non issue), and it's small enough to run around with. The high ISO does suck and the included software isn't too robust (extra step of converting to TIFF for use in LR), but this about all one can really complain about.

For $800-$1000, it cannot be beat for pure sharpness and resolution.
 
I have the dp2m - the image rendition, resolution and colour are superlative - they completely outweigh any shortcomings (which are well documented).
 
Sigma is fast becoming a premium camera and lens company. Some of their new lens designs are mind blowingly good - like the 50mm f1.4 and the 35mm f1.4 which is supposedly optically better than the canon and nikon equivalents.

I really like the design of the DP cameras too.
 
Good for Sigma.
I used to laugh at their pricing and marketing strategies, but after seeing the results from these cameras, I admit I was wrong.

One question remains, why are they sticking with APS sized sensors?
Is their sensor design very expensive to implement in larger size?

Maybe a new SD flagship DSLR with a full-frame sensor would let them stand toe-to-toe against Nikon and Canon.
 
benlees said:
The Merrill series definitely has got me thinking. I would use it like a medium format camera. quote]

That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the review in Black & White Photography this month - where they gave it a 95% score, despite its limitations.

It seems to be digital competition for my Fuji GA645i or a Mamiya 7 with a standard lens, but in a much more compact package.

I think they've missed a trick by designing it to look like every other small digital camera when it seems to be in a different category altogether.

If it had a tilting screen like the Nex so you could use it as though it had a waist-level viewfinder like a true MF, plus shaped to be held in the hand for composition then its abilities may shine through more strongly.
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