Thread: DP2 Merrill first images

Hey guys, im new here in the SC forum, but ive been reading it for quite some time now, since im looking for that compact camera for me. Im quite interested in the new DP Merrills one and just found this images on DP Review

Sigma DP2 Merrill: Open Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

they look quite amazing...anyone knows were to get a proper review of the camera or is it not out yet?. there not much information around this Sigmas right?.

Welcome to SC. It looks like the camera is out, so reviews should follow. However Sigmas are niche cameras eg dpreview even doesn't review them, but you can find useful information from the users. I found couple Japanese reviews:

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and a user review:
The DP2M: a tool with a clearly defined purpose...: Sigma SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

If you are interested about the lens quality, it has been available for nex/m43 cameras and reviewed:
Sigma 30 mm f/2.8 EX DN review - Summary - Lenstip.com

Good to see you here on SC!

I love the idea of the Sigma sensor, especially for my daylight landscape stuff.

Whenever I start researching, though, it sounds like image processing is a pain?

thanks for the welcoming guys! appreciate it!. It seems that i started looking for a compact camera to go with my FF gear...long story short ended up buying a whole m43 system which is definitely half size. half weight and carry with me always...BUT i think im still thrilled by the idea of getting a nice compact such as the Ricoh GRD series or this Sigmas DP merrills.

and yes, ive been reading on the links that @Serhan suggested and it seems they are quite slow AF/ painful raw image processing ? but they do produce some outstanding images.

Yes, it sounds like Sigma:) I started with DP1/2 esp for travels so I didn't carry my dslrs and then bought into m43, since they didn't cover everything. DP1 was the only big sensor compact when it was released in 2008. DP2 was released same time as Olympus E-P1 in 2009 summer. Sigmas shine at low ISO, so they make it very good landscape/architectural cameras. The colors are film like and the dynamic range allows to have a good range without too much noise in shadows. I haven't checked the new SD1 sensor and the new cameras as we have more (faster!) options now. I have seen couple discussions that SD1 sensor needs the best lenses to shine... The file sizes grew also so the processing times both in the camera and the computers. I used Sigma software only, it was the best option to get the Sigma colors and dynamic range. Usually key is the WB. So jpegs was not an option...

Originally Posted by Chrisnmn

it seems they are quite slow AF/ painful raw image processing ? but they do produce some outstanding images.

It looks like DP2m has the same red grid problem that DP1 has. That was the reason DP1s was released to fix that. If you shot a sunset/sunrise with the sun, it was over there... They should have checked that with the DP2M before they released it... With DP1, there was no recall to fix it like Fuji fixing their cameras.

I'm very interested in this camera, especially since the lens no longer retracts - I'd hate to go through the lens failure issue again. It's a shame that it's larger than the original DP cameras and the lens on the DP2M didn't gain a stop (the Merrill generation DP1 gained a stop), but this is the most desirable camera for me at the moment.

Oh boy, I don't need another camera, but this one is a "must buy". Nothing compares to the Foveon sensor output in good light.

I've already started saving for it. There are plenty of reports of quirks like lens flare and sensor noise, but I don't care. The image quality is still by far the best you can get for the $999 price tag. And, you can get it in any color you want, as long as you want black :)

Originally Posted by krugorg

I love the idea of the Sigma sensor, especially for my daylight landscape stuff.

Whenever I start researching, though, it sounds like image processing is a pain?

Kyle I imagine a DP with 28mm-equiv lens would do you very nicely.

As for processing, the main issue seems to have been that using anything other than Sigma's own SPP software left something of the Foveon "punch" behind. I've seen this myself with my DP2s and Lightroom 3.x.

The trouble is that some people (I'm one) find SPP not only slow but with a horrid user-interface that makes it difficult to use. Plus the well known inconsistency of the Foveon output depending on light conditions can make post-processing a frustrating experience.

Sigma have updated SPP for the Merrill edition sensors but they haven't changed the user interface except marginally.

The good news (from my point of view anyway) is that LR4.1 is nearly as good now with the DP2s raws as SPP. However there may be a lag before the Merrills are supported in LR (I'm not a press-release or blog reader so it might already be there, of course)

hope this helps. it's all from personal experience.

Originally Posted by pdh

As for processing, the main issue seems to have been that using anything other than Sigma's own SPP software left something of the Foveon "punch" behind. I've seen this myself with my DP2s and Lightroom 3.x.

The trouble is that some people (I'm one) find SPP not only slow but with a horrid user-interface that makes it difficult to use. Plus the well known inconsistency of the Foveon output depending on light conditions can make post-processing a frustrating experience.
...
The good news (from my point of view anyway) is that LR4.1 is nearly as good now with the DP2s raws as SPP.
...
hope this helps. it's all from personal experience.

I've been using Lightroom for my DP1s and DP2 for quite a while now. Am quite happy with it.

For me the slight trade-off in "punch" (that sometimes happens) is worth having all the tools in one software (removing colour casts, straightening, ...). Plus the much greater control of Lightroom makes it easy to bring some punch back. :-)

Some people do their initial raw-conversion in SPP and bring the 16-bit tiff into Lightroom for further editing. Which gets them the best of both worlds.

(For me that was always a step too much work. I need to spend less time in front of a computer. Having trouble with RSI for a while now. I'm not blaming that on the Sigmas :-) But they're not helping... So I'm looking for a camera with less need of post-processing lately. - But it's hard to let go of the Sigmas... They have their own unique look... )

cheers,
Tilman