Thread: Okay, there have to be some DP shooters out there...

I just got my DP1 and am seriously excited. I've only done some lame test pics, but I can tell I'll be keeping this one for a while.

What happened? Have these fallen out of fashion? I love the site, and the only other place to talk about them is DP Review..... so there is basically nowhere else to talk about them! :)

I had a few quick questions:

1) ISO 50 or 100? Is there a real-world difference in DR or anything else?

2) Are the default import settings in Lightroom worthwhile? I think SPP is just terrible UI.

3) Any other tips?


thanks!

I have the DP1 and DP2, and I love them. They practically stopped me from shooting film, as their images are very film-like to me.

ISO 50 is good, but it will blow highlights much more easily than ISO 100. I prefer ISO 100, or to use the Auto ISO function in the DP1. It never goes over ISO200 anyway.

SPP will produce images which are what Sigma intended. As much as I use Lightroom for other raw formats, I always go to SPP for straight raw conversion. The images from SPP are sharper, clearer, have more 'unique Foveon colour', and that 3D look that people talk about. Lightroom, while having a much better interface, just doesn't do the best with sigma raw files, IMO.

For the DP1, get used to slowness. Take a deliberate, meditative approach to your photography. Drink in daylight scenes as much as you can, and shoot in the low light either with long exposures or in black and white at higher ISO's. Get a JJC Auto Lens cap, as it will make life so much easier. Invest in a Voigtlander 28/35 compact external viewfinder and turn off the LCD. This will both save power and give you a cool rangefinderish feel to shooting. Glory in the shooting of magic hour, as the Foveon sensor will capture this time like no other sensor. Use the neck strap, and if you are shooting at slower speeds, pull it taut from your neck to create a form of stabilization. It works.

Latti,

Mate you have a partner in crime here. I got excited by the concept of the DP1 when it was first announced many years ago. But, to be entirely honest, I was put off by the reviews. Well time passed and on a whim I bought myself the DP2s. And Jeez I love this little camera. Everything that the reviews have said is wrong or misleading. It is a camera that you MUST get to know. Its charm is wasted on folks who experience it for only a few minutes, hours, or days. Yes the UI of the little DPs is not the same as most other cameras....but that's what's so cool about it. After a few weeks I noticed that I not only adapted to the controls, but evolved to them. I am now in a position that my dSLR is gathering dust. It just doesn't offer the same outputs and is simply clunky in handling by comparison. The DP gives great results - I've not heard many rubbish the IQ! - but it also demands a little something of the photographer - that they slow down and focus, be in the moment and then.....well marvel at the results. My next step is a DP1.

But I digress

1) ISO 50 or 100? Is there a real-world difference in DR or anything else?
In my experience there's no real IQ advantage at ISO50. It can - sometimes - have the tendency to over-expose and blow highlights. Some say that ISO100 is the max, but that the lower 50 setting has been added as a marketing ploy...though others claim it does help with fill flash. I'm not an unnatural light sort of guy, so I couldn't say. There are other sites that go into the great detail on the use of ISO50- but I best not sully this site with competitor links . My cardinal rule is stick to 100-800 for colours and feel free to push it beyond 1600 for B+W. To me the Foveon sensor is stellar for black and white images....and the high ISO noise is the most pleasant I've encountered.

2) Are the default import settings in Lightroom worthwhile? I think SPP is just terrible UI.
Nothing delivers the picyure punch like SPP. I agree the UI is a little primitive....and you can't even crop! However, I have processed RAW directly from LR3 and found the results flat. I suppose this is to be expected, as LR is used to Bayer interpolation while SPP is native to the Foveon subtly. X3F images are always lauded for their 3D feel and I've only really found SPP can draw this out.
My workflow is: Open in SPP, tweak through the auto settings and then refine, export to double sized TIFF and then massage in LR3.

3) Any other tips?
Relax with the DP. Don't get frustrated at it for not being an SLR. It isn't. It wants you to relax in the moment. Just kick back and enjoy.

Recommendations:
1. get an optical viewfinder. They are pricey but worth every penny. I have the native Sigma VF21 - though have heard good reviews of the bigger Voigtlander too. I love the OVF. Once you get used to the frames you won't go back to hands-outstretched shooting.

2. If you intend shooting macro the AML-1 is a worthwhile purcahse. You can get cheaper via filter stacking - as the AML-1 is about 7x - but they'll all vignette. This will give you pin sharp reults acrosss the frame.

3. Once your feeling more comfortable with the UI, I'd suggest devoting some time getting familiar with manual focus. The dial is accurate and top notch. I found, with the use of aids such as this, any concerns about shutter lag or focus hunting are a thing of the past. OK it's not a Leica, but with practice, the response time will get you close.

4. check out Carl's blog for more on things specific to the Foveon experience (Mods I hope this is OK, because it is a blog and not a participative competitor)

Yep, I have become one of them fan-boys!

Enjoy every second with your new friend. But again, be an active participant of every one of those seconds. If a camera could be called "Zen", then the DP would be a contender. Actually it sometimes reminds me of a Zen Master who liberally using his cane on students to remind them to be focussed and present

You guys made me curious about image quality! I like to see the difference, can you post images take with a DP camera as well as taken with a non DP camera.

I don't have any direct comparisons, but here are a few DP1 images that I have worked over with SPP only. The colour palette is unique, IMO, and the transitions between colours and ability to show fine shades/tones is amazing. Notice how the shadow areas are subtle and contain detail, and how the images themselves have a luminous look.

Thanks for the beautiful images posted by you. Whats SPP? Mm, I already took a look myself at an used DP camera this morning after reading the thread and postings....

Hmmmm, The DP's. Let's see......
It's boxy, very sloooow, weird power management...
Great lens that's tack sharp with Leica contrast.....
Hmmmmm.

If your into photography for Cameras, these are not for you.
If images are your goal, then the DP's are the ticket.
The IQ is unsurpassed. There's a very organic thing going on.
It's the cameras for the Zen Shooter.
I had no issues doing Raw & LR. The dynamic range is very manageable.
Even when the highs look blown, their usually not.
A simple increase in Clarity brings detail back in.
Sooooo, great camera that will deliver on the images but not for the shooter liking for the bells and whistles of other cameras.

I sold my pair sometime ago but.... I still have a new in the box DP1s in the cabinet.
It's a cult camera if ever there was one and the followers just smile at all the negative crapola written about them because they know..... The Zen is in the images and the shooter, not the camera.

Both post processed one in SPP the other in CS2

DP1


GRD2

You know this is a dangerous thread. I think I would like these cameras. I know I love the images... One of my favorite pals on Flickr, vaquey, uses a DP2.

Both of these look super, Will - love that line of light on what I think is a taxi's rooftop in your second one. Wow!

As for color, to me, the first one has a sort of polaroid like color tone. I vote for both!

Will, thanks for posting your comparo shots from the DP and the GRD. I only wish you didn't choose the GRD in this case, as I still have such a fondness for the little Ricoh....so downplaying it in light of the Sigma is heart wrenching. Having said that, and back to the Herman's question on Dynamic Range (DR), I think these two images do tell the tale. Both have exposed the subject "Centrepoint" building correct but just look at the detail and colour that is captured on the building in the shadow in the foreground right. This is something that I struggle even with my dSLR to achieve. Also the sharpness across the field of view. I can easily read the signs in the bottom right on the DP image while the little GRD struggles to retain that level of detail.

Again, I don't feel right lumping this on a GRD image - as their lenses are sharp and the build quality unsurpassed - could teach Sigma a thing or two on that count!. But Sigma's got the larger sensor and that is a little unfair for the little Ricoh. But that DR!!! The DP image looks like it's been exposure blended!....and that, I believe, is down to the Foveon sensor. Funny thing is on paper the DR range is much the same as any other compact. But in reality.....well look to Will's image for testimony.

When the sun comes up today, I'll shoot some DP vs dSLR shots to add to this thread.