Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera
The DP1 is a completely new type of camera offering the full specs and high image quality of a DSLR in the body of a compact camera. It is powered by the 14-megapixel Foveon X3 direct-image-sensor, which can reproduce high-definition images rich in gradation and impressive three-dimensional detail.It is possible to record images in RAW or the widely used JPEG in four resolution modes. It offers five Exposure modes and three Metering modes as well as being equipped with a built-in flash with the Guide Number of 6, hot shoe, neck strap and 2.5-inch TFT color LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 pixels.The DP1 has the high resolution and functionality of an SLR, plus adaptability in terms of accessories, all built into a small body.
Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera Accessories
 Sigma HA-11 Hood for DP1 Digital Cameras
Sigma BP-31 Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery for Sigma DP1 Digital Cameras
Sigma External View Finder for DP1 Digital Cameras
Sigma EF-140 External Flash for Sigma DP1 Digital Cameras
SanDisk SDSDRX3-8192-A21 8GB Extreme III SDHC Card (Black)
SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card (SDSDRX3-4096-A21, Retail Package)
Transcend TS8GSDHC6 8GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
Sigma AML-1 Close Up Lens for the Sigma DP1 Digital Camera
Sigma SAC-3 AC Adapter for Sigma DP1 Digital Cameras
Sigma AFL-940 46mm EX DG UV Multi-Coated Filter
Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera Reviews
I was not so happy with it at first until after 2 weeks of using it. I understand that it is made for Making pictures and not Taking pictures. But I still believe that I don't deserve a slow lens, slow focus, slow write speed and slow start up with a price that high. I wonder if i could continue to support/spend ridiculous amount of $ on Sigma if their improvement is just minimal considering Olympus & Panasonic has announced the MICRO FOURTHIRDS System. I just wish that this category/camera will find competition very soon from the big guys so they wont slack on their product development.
This system will be very very small DSLRs with interchangeable lenses. I just read all reviews here at amazon and I'm glad more buyers were happy about their DP1. I love it on daytime and hate it at nighttime. I actually pre-ordered my DP1 from amazon a few months ago before it was released. And from what I read, it maintains the same quality as the existing fourthird cameras. since I just bought it barely 7 months ago. And my DP1 is still my official camera to date. I check for firmware update from Sigma's website everyday.
(I don't know if I'm actually happy or I just got used to it after 2 weeks). Honestly, I'm just torn. With an f/4, it would have been appreciable for it to have a VR. It is well accessorized with sigma and hoya products, but I don't know for how long will I be able to use it. Recently they have announced the DP2.
You may have read reviews that complain about some of the old fashion aspects of this camera - it's slow, its display is hard to read in the sun, it doesn't have a bunch of bells and whistles. But if like me image quality is what you seek, you'll find it in this funky little camera. But when it comes right down to what matters most, image quality, this camera has all of the other small cameras beat by miles. I shoot raw and use the Sigma software to process my photos.
I took it with me to Italy and got some great photos. I love mine and have taken over 6000 pictures with it. The combination of large size sensor and foveon technology makes this camera a winner for me. It's slow to use but handles dynamic range really well.
If you are a point-and-shooter I wouldn't buy this camera because it lacks many features of the usual point-and-shoot camera.
The picture quality of this camera bests not only any other compact, but indeed many lower end DSLRs as well. It's just a question of what priorities you have and what you want in a camera. Again, I'm really looking for flaws here. (Amazon apparently won't let me give a link here, you can do a Google search for "Chaney" and "sd14" and click the first result). Color saturation is greatly reduced at high ISO. I have been using Lightroom 2.1, and to be honest, it does not render the DP1 raw files as well as Sigma's own software.
Keep in mind, the pictures from this camera are outstanding, and I am doing everything I can to nitpick here. So even the most minor image quality flaws bear mentioning. But it is adequate in most cases, and it is reasonable to expect that this will improve once the support is no longer just "preliminary.". Chromatic abberation, though slight and easily corrected in Lightroom, seems more pronounced in many of my photos than it had been in sample photos that I'd looked at before purchase. If you're looking for the best all-around compact you can get, and are satisfied with perfectly decent image quality, maybe you'd be better off with something like the Canon G10 or Panasonic LX3, excellent cameras by all accounts. As of this writing, Adobe Camera Raw, DNG Converter, and Lightroom 2.1 now offer "preliminary" support for DP1 raw files.
2. Since there is no shortage of information, I am going to limit my comments to two areas. 1. 4. White balance sometimes tends towards magenta in the highlights, and green in shadow areas, making a global white balance correction difficult in some cases. (My camera, ordered a couple weeks ago from Amazon, did not come with the latest firmware, but it is easy to download and install from Sigma's website). spacial interpolation, and photo sensors vs.
Mr. But if you're interested in reading more about this, Mike Chaney gives the best explanation I've encountered. This means that ISO can now be changed directly with a single button push, without going into any menu. Some reviewers have mentioned that the camera is not really 14 megapixels, one reviewer going so far as to suggest that the claim is misleading, "since each pixel records only one color." By that logic, the megapixel claims of all manufacturers are spurious, since the same is true of every camera on the market. First, some specifics regarding image quality, followed by a couple of clarifications regarding things that people have said in other reviews on this page. The latest DP1 firmware (1.04 as of this writing) includes a number of improvements, including the ability to map the ISO controls to the otherwise useless "zoom" buttons on the camera. 3.
Color and noise levels are amazing. Lastly, a few comments regarding some things said in other reviews on this page. On the other hand, if you want a compact camera that has, hands down, the best picture quality of any compact digicam on the market today, and you are willing to put up with a slow, quirky, limited camera to get it, welcome to the Sigma DP1. 1. 3.
Sharpness and dynamic range are incredible. 2. Other than being cool looking (to my eye), and very solidly built, this camera is basically a one trick pony, and its trick is unsurpassed image quality. final image pixels. All in all, I am very happy with this camera, and I hope it is a sign of things to come. It is much less finely grained than color noise usually is, and as such, is not entirely removed by the normally very effective "color noise reduction" slider in Lightroom.
Chaney is talking about the Sigma SD14, but the SD14 and the DP1 use the same image sensor, and all of his comments are applicable to the DP1 as well. Color noise, especially at high ISO in dark areas, takes the form of green and magenta mottling. Although there are a number of widely varying opinions amongst the reviews on this page, hardly anyone says anything that I'd say is wrong. A lot has been written about this camera, both in these Amazon reviews, and elsewhere. It is not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction, and it would be great to see Sigma, and other manufactures, continue down this road of making compact cameras for serious photographers. If you're interested in this camera, you probably already know what the Foveon X3 sensor is, and understand issues of color interpolation vs.
This little camera, however, is a dream. The photos are incredible. Others have written better reviews than this, but if you understand what the Foveon sensor is, you must have this camera. I have a Leica Digilux 2 cameera, which is excellent, but very bulky. They are everything you have read, and more. I have wanted a Foveon camera since they were first announced. After all, I am retired, fixed income.
I photograph in daylight, nothing fancy, and I am not in a hurry. I thought long and hard about this purchase. The camera is small and easy to carry around. However, the first ones to market were very expensive and I could not justify it.
I wish Amazon increased the availability of the macro lens adapters. + Awesome colour fidelity. + Nice optics. Cons:. - Expensive.
- LCD freezes between shots. Pros:. - AutoFocus is too slow. + Manual focus. + Cool manual modes.
This cam is really good for amateur photographers who want to avoid the endless cost loop of collecting DSLR lenses and accessories for each single purpose.
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