Possible new owner of a DP1

G'day Carpetman.

Mate welcome to the Forum, a great place with friendly folks and honest helpful advice (with the following an exception ;)).

Actually I happened on this forum while in the VERY same place as yourself. I had serious reservations with my Big Clunker - Pentax K20D with far too many lenses. I wanted something that could still take high quality photos but was more pocketable. Well long story short, after many many months of meandering through threads on differing cameras and comparing shots, I settled on the Sigma DP2s. All I can say is that I made the right choice, it has changed me as a photographer (I'm still bad at it, but content in my amateurishness ;))! I still have a dSLR (Pentax K-r) and a zoom compact (Canon S95), but I find that I take more than 80% of my shots with the Sigma. Why?....Well:

1. nothing can approximate the Foveon sensor outputs. They have a depth, rendering and crispness unique to them. Don't get me wrong when you view your image on the LCD (and yes it is not the best one on the market) it looks pretty average. But once you load that SD card on your computer and process it through Sigma Photo Pro (and I still think the packaged software - though slow - does the best job) then you go WOW!!!! Why haven't other manufacturers taken up the sensor? I think it has more to do with the business and cost modelling of the sensor makers such as Sony.
2. As Don said the DP series has a cult following. This is not only because of the images it produces but what working with it does to you. The very reason that it is rubbished in reviews appears to be the very reason folks, like me, love it SO much. IT IS NOT A POINT AND SHOOT (P&S)! Actually the DP intentionally thwarts those that demonstrate such behaviour. The camera demands that you slow down and consider each and every shot. This is not an excuse of shutter lag or response times, as it's plenty quick enough (less than 0.1 sec for me)....and you can bag a burst of RAWs if you so desire. Many complain about the unfriendly user interface (UI), but again once you begin to move to the place that the Sigma wants you be, then you'll find that everything is where you need it and just a click or two away. Others complain about the lack of zoom, well that's why God gave us feet! Honestly, the DP would cease to be the DP with a zoom. Instead it is about being in the world, finding your spot, reading the light and capturing it to express yourself.
3. If monochrome rocks your world. Then look no further. The tonal range of the Foveon is hard to beat...the noise at high ISO renders a superb grain-like structure.

Caveats:
1. The Sigma demands discipline. You will not warm to it moments after the de-boxing ceremony. You must spend a solid fortnight getting to know it and shifting your style. This is not a honeymoon camera, it is the "well I suppose we're in it for the long haul" marriage deal. Only after that bonding period will you understand the cult status.
2. The LCD is rubbish. But, again, this is not a P&S camera. Sigma - like Leica with its premier offerings (read as "non-Panasonic models") have opted to supply a pure needs-only based screen. My advice is that the DP works best - as a Leica X1 - with an optical viewfinder. Use the viewfinder to frame your world and the screen to adjust settings. If you REALLY need to chimp well then you can use it to indicate whether you nailed exposure - but I look more at the histogram here and not the shot.
3. It is not a low-light, high ISO camera. We've all been sucked in by ISOs in the tens of thousands.....though I never recall an ASA 51200 film, but hey! So if your preference is capturing shots with nightclub lighting or in the dimness of the bingo hall, then the DP is not for you. Don't get me wrong you can create some superb shots, but you are not going to grab saturated crisp colour shoots at ISO3200. Having said that, as mentioned earlier, high ISO are great for black and white shots. Actually, they are - in digital terms - beyond compare....in film terms they approximate Tri-X....or even TMAX P3200 if the file is really pushed.
4. You gotta shoot RAW.

So I suppose this is the long-hand way of saying it is a cult camera. But the contingency with joining a cult is that their identity or values resonate with yours. If you want a happy-snappy camera, then keep looking. If you want a night-life camera to help validate your social existence via Facespace or MyBook (or whatever those social networking sites are called), then please, please, please look elsewhere. If you are keen on a contemplative approach to photography in the production of quality images, then ready yourself for the initiation my friend.
 
Im sorry I havnt been on here for a while , has a few pressing family problems to sort . Well im still thinking about giving in the Nikon dslr for a smaller pocketable camera ... and yes the Sigma is still high on my list . Thankyou for the input on these ... it is very appreciated !!
 
Sigma has been getting a lot of bad press this week. Makes me worry about the future of the Foveon sensor. Wish they would sell or license it so that others, or additional R&D investment, would really increase its adoption and enhance its performance.
 
Just check out the DPR forums. Thom Hogan and The Luminous Landscape among others have also written about it and all have hammered Sigma. They priced their new SD1 camera at nearly $10,000, which is ridiculously high to begin with, and they are pricing it with lenses for much lower (but still crazy high). Then they were sued by Nikon for patent infringement. Tough week.
 
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