What would u want for dp Merrill next gen?

[GaryLH]

:bang:

Better AF for the DP3M macro
Way to set hard infinity stop on manual focus.
Lighter body weight.

The slower af may be nature of the beast (macro lens).. Macro lenses are usually designed to have finer more precise focus which would cause slower af performance. The Fuji 60 macro is also slow.

Ricoh snap focus could solve your infinity stop issue. When u set snap focus active, u can choose between several different points, like say
- 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and inf.
once u preset this value, even if u are in af focus mode on the Ricoh, if u do a full shutter release press w/o any half press, the lens focus to the preset distance.

I actually wanted a heavier body to help dampen shutter release which is one of the reasons I bought the rrs grip since it comes as a bottom plate plus grip.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

r
more realistically, i think sigma has figured out it might be more worthwhile just to be a niche player, know that your camera will attract certain types of people but not appeal to everyone. kind of like what fuji has done.

I think u maybe right. Sigma may well have said this is the niche we are targetting..

On the other hand, Fuji is being used by a lot bigger diverse group then the sigma dp are. Thus, I would not say niche for Fuji more than identifying a target segment that would be smaller than what Sony, Nikon or canon is marketing toward.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Oops! Move my last post to: job two!

You are absolutely correct! Battery life is job one!!!

Gotta agree w/ battery life.

Gary

 

[Keith]

The list of possible improvements makes War and Peace look like a short story ... well, slight exageration! 😀

But ... if I'd wanted something that did what the Merril doesn't I would have bought another camera ... RX100 maybe? I wouldn't though because a slick point and shoot has no appeal to me!

I really like the Merrill pretty much as it is, it forces me to think and work around its obvious shortcomings and makes me a more considered photographer IMO. One improvement I would accept though stands out like a beacon ... better battery life!

All hail the mighty foveon sensor ... that's what makes this camera so very special. 😀

 

[lam]

I'd like a medium format sized sensor foveon with a better screen, faster, and all that was mentioned. Something to really set the camera on fire.

 

[wogg]

1) a detachable base option that can house 2 or 3 batteries
(I don't want to change the battery, it can share with Ricoh right now)
2) make the d2 an f/2
3) smaller die chips for processing, to improve speed w/o power cost
4) yes, a whitemagic screen would be nice, but least important to me, rather have an EVF option?

Speaking of which, the new Ricoh GR + a DP2m or DP3m would be a monster, versatile combo that fits in a tiny bag.

 

[FA Limited]

On the other hand, Fuji is being used by a lot bigger diverse group then the sigma dp are. Thus, I would not say niche for Fuji more than identifying a target segment that would be smaller than what Sony, Nikon or canon is marketing toward.

i think Fuji thinks that they can become Sony / Nikon / Canon / Panasonic but there is a huge marketing challenge as they do not have the marketing know how and market presence to push their products like their competitors.

and to some extent they make cameras that the hardcores will enjoy. hard to explain the benefits of aperture rings, shutter speed dials, viewfinders, prime lenses to people who only care about the auto mode.

enough about the fuji back to sigma. mechanical focus ring would be nice with some shutter speed and shutter speed dials. don't have to do with all the different modes.

 

[pb908]

- front Grip
-fuji-like Hybrid OVF
- +1 for sexier body
- pc-sync port?
- threaded shutter release button
- a panoramic version of feveon sensor with matching lenses (digital xpan)
- AA battery support if possible (in a sexy battery grip)

i think the digital xpan-foveon will attract many people !

 

[noimmunity]

:bang:
The slower af may be nature of the beast (macro lens).. Macro lenses are usually designed to have finer more precise focus which would cause slower af performance. The Fuji 60 macro is also slow.

It's not the speed that gets me, Gary. In fact, with the way I use these cameras, speed is never an issue. It's the inaccuracy of the macro. And switching to manual in bright sunlight for critical focus at razor thin DOF just isn't an option.

Ricoh snap focus could solve your infinity stop issue. When u set snap focus active, u can choose between several different points, like say
- 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and inf.
once u preset this value, even if u are in af focus mode on the Ricoh, if u do a full shutter release press w/o any half press, the lens focus to the preset distance.

That would be nice.

The whole object is to be able focus on distant objects without contrast (such as clear sky) that CDAF can't handle. Of course there are work arounds, but it would be nice to have just a fixed INF setting for landscapes.

I actually wanted a heavier body to help dampen shutter release which is one of the reasons I bought the rrs grip since it comes as a bottom plate plus grip.

Gary

I'm using these most as often as possible mounted on a tripod. Come to think of it, I can't remember seeing any mention of the shutter mechanism itself. If it were leaf shutter like the Fuji X100s that would be best (for least vibration), right?

 

[GaryLH]

Switching to manual in bright sunlight for critical focus at razor thin DOF just isn't an option.

If it were leaf shutter like the Fuji X100s that would be best (for least vibration), right?

Since u use these mainly on a tripod, have ever thought about finding a LCD hood for te sigma. At least one way to use manual focus in bright sunlight.

I believe sigma are leaf shutter cameras. What I wanted weight for is to dampen the vibrations I cause during the time i am of pressing the shutter release., since I mainly use the camera hand held.

Gary

 

[bk1970]

I also don't have much problem with most of what was mentioned, I'm not even much bothered by the battery life though it would be a welcome improvement. But I'd really like stabilization as I also use it hand-held, and a better screen: a lot of time I have to half-guess what I'm doing...

The mentioned innacuracy of macro AF on dp3m makes me nervous as the potential future owner. How bad is it?

 

[pvdhaar]

When the first Sigma DP was still fresh, I was really tempted by it, but the single focal length kept me back. What really missed IMO, was the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. Great camera because of its sensor, weird focal length for me.

With Sigma already licencing and producing lenses for the E-mount from Sony, why not make the camera itself use an E-mount? I'd be very interested to have the option of a nimble Nex-6 for those moments where speed counts, and a Foveon based camera for landscape rendering.. all with the same lenses of course, for maximum flexibility.

 

[YYV_146]

Just cut the lens off and put a mount onto it. As long as m lenses work on it, I don't care what mount they use. Everything else is workable, and it would be downright awesome to be able to pair the sensor with a 50 summilux or 90AA.

The same argument goes for Sony. They have the VG900 and it's obviously popular, I can't understand why they aren't already selling a FF NEX9 like hotcakes.

 

[noimmunity]

Since u use these mainly on a tripod, have ever thought about finding a LCD hood for te sigma. At least one way to use manual focus in bright sunlight.

One of my goals is to keep the camera as slim as possible, hence I've been reluctant to go that route, but I may really have no other choice and should think about giving it a try. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Keith]

I haven't put a grip on my DP2M yet because I'm hoping to see the price drop on the DP3M ... so may ultimately need two grips! Strangely I've got quite used to the shape of the camera and don't actually pine for a grip at the moment. And haven't come close to dropping it! (famous last words?) 😀

 

[bk1970]

I put some black tape where the fingers come so it doesn't slip, and also covered the sigma sign while I was at it. Works perfectly.