Because they're small and reasonably light, I reckon the DP Merrills make ideal mountain cameras.
I like to bivvy or camp above valley level. It's always great to be up there, where you want to be for the shot, when the light - early or late - is at its best.
The problem with travelling light, and despite always carrying a tripod (Gitzo Traveller Carbon & ball head with Novoflex Arca clamp) is deciding which DP Merrill to pack. And then there's the little matter of whether one will be enough or maybe you might need all three. By which time the 'travelling light' idea has pretty much become no more than a wistful memory.
I recently decided to take the DP1 and DP3 with me for a couple of days above Langdale in the Lake District.
One of the shots I had in mind was a 180 degree panorama inspired by an old stuck-together effort (taken in the 50s I think) that hangs on the wall in my climbing club cottage in the next valley. I thought the DP3 would be ideal but when it came to setting up the shot from the summit of Harrison Stickle, I realised that a simple sweep from southeast to northwest (with the camera vertical) was not going to include enough foreground if I also wanted to take in some of the sky above the mountain tops.
What should have been a straightforward 19 shot panorama became a 38 shot mosaic. What's more, even at f16 I couldn't keep the foreground rocks sharp while maintaining the sharpness I needed in the distant mountains. So, to be sure, I reshot the lower sweep a second time with focus biased towards the foreground.
Needless to say, stitching that little lot together was not exactly a stroll in the park! In fact I'm still 'tweaking' it.
Now if I'd carried the DP2 instead, I would have got the lot in with one sweep and its shorter lens would have maintained sharpness throughout.
As for the DP1? The only time it got used was when I was able to include a really strong foreground. I wish that had been possible more often.
The DP3 earned its stripes though when I was heading down to the valley below.
The attached shot, which Andy has already seen, was just what the slightly long DP3 lens was made for.
Memo to self: carry all three DPs next time and yes Louis, I might even be persuaded to include the 14/21mm version if/when it appears