Comments on the changes from the original DP1 to the DP2 Merrill. Some long. Some short.
Size, weight, appearance
I was initially disappointed on the size increase from the original DP series to the new generation. My DP1 was pocketable, but it was enough to trigger "...or are you just happy to see me?" comments on several occasions. The size of the DP Merrill would not only trigger similar comments, its weight would be enough to pull my pants down for them to find out the answer to their question.
There are benefits to the larger size, however. The Merrill is much more comfortable to hold. Mainly due to the larger size, but also partly to the shift in the lens location - from near center to near the edge - allowing more space for my right hand to grip the camera.
I'm undecided as to whether the size increase is a net positive or not. Part of the allure of the original DP1 was the large image sensor inside a "point-and-shoot" body. The feat of placing an even larger image sensor in the DP Merrill body seems less impressive, but that may be due to how we have grown accustom to NEX, Micro Four-Thirds, and other compact mirrorless manufacturers who have achieved a similar feat.
From PASM dial to 'Mode' button
For my use, this is a welcome change. My DP1, for the most part, remained in aperture priority mode. The PASM dial was merely decoration after one twist to 'A' mode.
The screen
Finally.
No built-in flash
Apple chose not to include Flash citing battery concerns. Sigma chose not to include a flash for probably the same reason.
Battery
Double the processors. More dots on the LCD. Sigma's response: shrink the battery slightly. On a positive note, reports from early adopters claim that it is the same as the Ricoh GRDIII battery, so spares are not hard to find. Sigma also provides two in the box.
From focus wheel to focus ring
The removal of the focus wheel caused some controversy among street shooters who used zone-focusing, but it seems that the ring on the lens barrel is better suited for their new focusing mode. Once the much-improved auto-focus has locked into its target, turning the manual focus ring on the lens barrel magnifies the image to perfect the focus. The screen immediately returns to normal viewing to compose the shot. This would be possible with a focus wheel, but I would likely overshoot my focusing target since I'm half-pressing and focusing with the same hand on a touchy focus wheel.
Filter thread from 46mm to 49mm
I was really excited for my DP Merrill to arrive. I'm almost as excited for my step-down ring to arrive.
Non-retracting lens
Again, finally.
Sample images + RAW file
Here are four full-size images from the DP2 Merrill. Boring subjects, perhaps, but the purpose is to showcase the lens and the sensor. A tripod was used for all three, RAW, set to ISO100, sharpness at -1, and Landscape color mode.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ahc6m8rrva3bsd2/SDIM0009.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/yky7jjf88qc1gwt/SDIM0007.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/chje395uk5utzov/SDIM0012.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tzhhop45ggyafg9/SDIM0006.jpg
Here is a RAW file to play with (download Sigma Photo Pro 5.3.1). Please only download if you have the proper software and hardware to develop the RAW file. It's very large and requires a decent amount of processing power. Also, I don't know what the bandwidth limits are for Dropbox public files.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/f7xdvm4zu5edwlq/SDIM0006.X3F?dl=1
Size, weight, appearance
I was initially disappointed on the size increase from the original DP series to the new generation. My DP1 was pocketable, but it was enough to trigger "...or are you just happy to see me?" comments on several occasions. The size of the DP Merrill would not only trigger similar comments, its weight would be enough to pull my pants down for them to find out the answer to their question.
There are benefits to the larger size, however. The Merrill is much more comfortable to hold. Mainly due to the larger size, but also partly to the shift in the lens location - from near center to near the edge - allowing more space for my right hand to grip the camera.
I'm undecided as to whether the size increase is a net positive or not. Part of the allure of the original DP1 was the large image sensor inside a "point-and-shoot" body. The feat of placing an even larger image sensor in the DP Merrill body seems less impressive, but that may be due to how we have grown accustom to NEX, Micro Four-Thirds, and other compact mirrorless manufacturers who have achieved a similar feat.
From PASM dial to 'Mode' button
For my use, this is a welcome change. My DP1, for the most part, remained in aperture priority mode. The PASM dial was merely decoration after one twist to 'A' mode.
The screen
Finally.
No built-in flash
Apple chose not to include Flash citing battery concerns. Sigma chose not to include a flash for probably the same reason.
Battery
Double the processors. More dots on the LCD. Sigma's response: shrink the battery slightly. On a positive note, reports from early adopters claim that it is the same as the Ricoh GRDIII battery, so spares are not hard to find. Sigma also provides two in the box.
From focus wheel to focus ring
The removal of the focus wheel caused some controversy among street shooters who used zone-focusing, but it seems that the ring on the lens barrel is better suited for their new focusing mode. Once the much-improved auto-focus has locked into its target, turning the manual focus ring on the lens barrel magnifies the image to perfect the focus. The screen immediately returns to normal viewing to compose the shot. This would be possible with a focus wheel, but I would likely overshoot my focusing target since I'm half-pressing and focusing with the same hand on a touchy focus wheel.
Filter thread from 46mm to 49mm
I was really excited for my DP Merrill to arrive. I'm almost as excited for my step-down ring to arrive.
Non-retracting lens
Again, finally.
Sample images + RAW file
Here are four full-size images from the DP2 Merrill. Boring subjects, perhaps, but the purpose is to showcase the lens and the sensor. A tripod was used for all three, RAW, set to ISO100, sharpness at -1, and Landscape color mode.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ahc6m8rrva3bsd2/SDIM0009.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/yky7jjf88qc1gwt/SDIM0007.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/chje395uk5utzov/SDIM0012.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tzhhop45ggyafg9/SDIM0006.jpg
Here is a RAW file to play with (download Sigma Photo Pro 5.3.1). Please only download if you have the proper software and hardware to develop the RAW file. It's very large and requires a decent amount of processing power. Also, I don't know what the bandwidth limits are for Dropbox public files.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/f7xdvm4zu5edwlq/SDIM0006.X3F?dl=1