Sigma DP1

S

squirrel$$$bandit

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Not a film camera, and not a rangefinder--but this new compact digicam looks like the kind of thing RF fans like. Small, great lens (though not interchangeable), large sensor. (With Foveon technology, whatever the hell that is, but the digi crowd seems to like it.) For those of us who would like the image quality we associate with film cameras in a convenient digital package, this might be a nice thing to have. USD800, but it's a lot cheaper than an M8.

Is anyone thinking of giving it a try?
 
Fair enough...I'm new here, didn't realize there had been a lot of discussion. I'm certainly not up for one yet, esp. not before some decent reviews come out.
 
Should someone be interested in knowing a bit more about the Foveon sensor in the DP1, here is an interesting article:

http://www.ddisoftware.com/sd14-5d/

The comparison is for the Sigma SD14, however the sensor inside the DP1 is identical (but with an improved engine)

Unfortunately the Foveon sensor is known for a less than stellar performace in very low light.

Still I am considering getting one, since it is the only way of getting an image quality comparable to a mid-range DSLR (or an M8), but in a shirt pocket size package.
 
I've been watching this for some time, and I'll be very curious to see what the early adopters think of it. I'm looking for something to replace my Panasonic Lumix LX2.
 
Same here as many others, I'll let the reviews go up first. I was kind of shocked to see an ad in the new shutterbug mag for the DP1. That must mean they have a fairly serious release date in mind.
 
Revolucion Artistico said:
Same here as many others, I'll let the reviews go up first. I was kind of shocked to see an ad in the new shutterbug mag for the DP1. That must mean they have a fairly serious release date in mind.
Click to expand...

It is released - at least in some places. In the USA, Amazon is taking pre-orders, and on eBay, some camera stores seem to have them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIGMA-DP1-FULL-...yZ107904QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Some enterprising soul outside the USA is selling them gray market at a huge mark up.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIGMA-DP1-28mm-...yZ146258QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So yeah, they're 'here' so to speak.
 
It's true that the pictures do seem to look excellent, at least in the camera's reported "sweet spots." And I admire the chutzpah of an $800 camera with a fixed lens.
 
yeah, i think in good light the dp1 does very very good. the sensor as well as the lens. in low light the colours can be problematic (more than the noise). but i often like the feeling of these files just as much or more than what i used to get from the D200.
shooting wise it's not a compact dslr. the screen isn't so hot, the manual focus not that fast. but the files in the compact body are worth it to me. the lens is very sharp but with very nice bokeh.

so it's a bit like shooting with an autofocus 'rangefinder' like the contax g2 or the fuji ga645zi in that you do get autofocus but it's not the fastest around.
so you prepare for the shot beforehand. measure light when you walk into a scene, quickly set the aperture, shutterspeed and use manual focus or focuslock and walk around and do some shooting. it's very similar in that sense. and i'm looking forward to shooting with medium format film and the dp1 for some grab shots or things that you just want to remember but not waste film on.
 
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Technologically, I think its a great step forward.

As far as in use and practice I think its a bit silly. It has way too much DOF and is simply just a glorified point and shoot with basic manual controls. Great for taking a snapshot of something but IMO sucks for anything such as portraiture.

Give me a compact that has a faster prime lens (ability for smaller dof for say portraits) then I'll be impressed... otherwise I dont care. hah.
 
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