Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera

Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera

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• 14-megapixel resolution; SLR-sized image sensor
• 16.6mm F4 lens designed exclusively for the DP1
• Large, 2.5-inch LCD; 3 metering modes and 5 exposure modes
• JPEG recording format for convenience plus a RAW data (X3F) recording mode
• Capture images to SD/SDHC cards and MMC (not included)

Buy Now : Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera

Brand : Sigma
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,DSLR Cameras
Rating : 3.5
Review Count : 86

Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera

• Mine, purchased slightly used, has a broken battery lever/snap, but the battery door keeps the battery in place, so not a big deal. Otherwise, I\'m very pleased. About two years ago I was looking at getting a really good compact digital camera, and my choice finally came down to the Sigma DP1 vs. the Panasonic DMC LX3. I chose the Panasonic and I still think, or rather know now, that that was the right choice. I can now directly compare the two cameras. My choice was, in the end, based on a comparison of lenses, and the Panasonic has a Leica/Zeiss lens that is a beauty. Plus, the Panasonic has more options and based on what I read at the time performs better in low light. I\'m not so sure about that. That\'s the major drawback to not purchasing a DSLR system. Well, that and not being able to switch out lenses on the compacts. The Panasonic also offers f2.8, while the Sigma offers only f4, though the Sigma lens will close to f11, while the Panasonic only to f8. The Sigma lens is wider angle too. But the Panasonic allows for an optional REALLY wide-angle attachment that works well, though it\'s a pricey little thing. The Panasonic is also slightly smaller (more compact) than the Sigma and it consists of a metal case while the Sigma consist of plastic, albeit a fairly good plastic. (The best plastic-like material can be found in Minox sub-compacts.)Now, while the Panasonic has a Leica lens, the Sigma has Foveon metering, which is why I wanted it so badly. So the Sigma can produce DSLR-level photos. I really love it, including--sometimes--it\'s greater simplicity. The Panasonic has countless menus within menus, not that they aren\'t most all useful at one time or another. But I use both cameras only in Manual mode. That mode, and RAW format, are available on both cameras and tools aren\'t so different from one another. The cameras are about equal, at least in Manual mode, while I don\'t much care about the other modes. I can\'t even understand why one would ever need Shutter Priority. Aperture Priority makes a little more sense, but not much when there\'s a manual mode. Program Mode is just fully auto with a few more options than fully Automatic Mode. And any prospective purchasers should bear in mind that options in both cameras are more limited when shooting RAW format; i.e., digital zoom isn\'t possible, etc., etc. But digital zoom results in photos so degraded there could only be technical or desperate reasons for ever using it. These are wide-format cameras and that\'s just the way it is. Except, I should mention, the Panasonic does have a wonderful macro option that the Sigma lacks entirely. I think the Sigma allows for more megapixels, but past a certain point that becomes irrelevant. Both cameras produce adequate images in that regard.Both cameras offer similar metering modes and auto-focusing modes, whether set to more or less auto or to manual. I get a kick out of the Sigma\'s old-style manual focus, which uses an actual dial-in focusing tool complete with a guide that pops up on the screen. The Panasonic manual focus is more awkward, though it does nicely display depth of field.The choice of cameras was tough back then and I hated--for financial reasons--having to make a choice between the two cameras. Now I have both, thanks to a very good deal on the Sigma, as models of both cameras are out of date already. (As I said in another review, I seriously doubt that current models take better pictures, though no doubt they offer ever more and more options, gimmicks, thingamajigs, and so on.)The Sigma came with a lens hood and in a very nice leather half-case with strap. I had to buy one for the Panasonic, and they are expensive, believe me!! $100+ for each case. That\'s almost as much as for viewfinders that attach or for optional flash units available for both cameras (and essential if one does a lot of flash photography). The case for my Panasonic is a full-cover one I had to order from Japan. These cases offer a lot of protection while allowing access to all camera controls.The only really, really awkward thing about using these cameras is how difficult it is to use filters--thanks to the pop-out lenses. I DO wish manufacturers would figure out a way to make filters that fit the smallest diameter lens extension. I realize that could be very hard to do, but I think it could be done with a bit of ingenuity in design. As matters stand, use of filters requires long tubes that allow the lenses to move back and forth depending--in the case of the Panasonic--on the optical zoom chosen; and--in the case of the Sigma, which lacks optical zoom--on the simple fact that the lens extends from the camera body on start-up. That is, for those who don\'t already know, attaching a filter directly over the lens would cause the camera to issue a message asking that the lens cap be removed first. Filters have to be fitted at the end of the tubes, which in turn have first to be attached to the camera. The Sigma still allows, however, for use of the lens hood with a filter in place, while I have none for the Panasonic. I should get one but don\'t know how it would attach to the tube with a filter in place. So that\'s my biggest gripe about both of these cameras and, I think, likely about all so-called \"point and shoot\" cameras when on starting one up the lens extends out from the camera body. That\'s nice for carrying them, but very awkward for use of filters and hoods.I\'m very happy with both of my fixed-lens, compact (far more than \"point and shoot\") cameras, and really happy to have both to play with. And I can recommend either one, depending on what kind of photography you like to do.
• Although there are a number of widely varying opinions amongst the reviews on this page, hardly anyone says anything that I\'d say is wrong. It\'s just a question of what priorities you have and what you want in a camera. If you\'re looking for the best all-around compact you can get, and are satisfied with perfectly decent image quality, maybe you\'d be better off with something like the Canon G10 or Panasonic LX3, excellent cameras by all accounts. On the other hand, if you want a compact camera that has, hands down, the best picture quality of any compact digicam on the market today, and you are willing to put up with a slow, quirky, limited camera to get it, welcome to the Sigma DP1.A lot has been written about this camera, both in these Amazon reviews, and elsewhere. Since there is no shortage of information, I am going to limit my comments to two areas. First, some specifics regarding image quality, followed by a couple of clarifications regarding things that people have said in other reviews on this page.Other than being cool looking (to my eye), and very solidly built, this camera is basically a one trick pony, and its trick is unsurpassed image quality. So even the most minor image quality flaws bear mentioning. Keep in mind, the pictures from this camera are outstanding, and I am doing everything I can to nitpick here.1. Color noise, especially at high ISO in dark areas, takes the form of green and magenta mottling. It is much less finely grained than color noise usually is, and as such, is not entirely removed by the normally very effective \"color noise reduction\" slider in Lightroom.2. White balance sometimes tends towards magenta in the highlights, and green in shadow areas, making a global white balance correction difficult in some cases.3. Color saturation is greatly reduced at high ISO.4. Chromatic abberation, though slight and easily corrected in Lightroom, seems more pronounced in many of my photos than it had been in sample photos that I\'d looked at before purchase.Again, I\'m really looking for flaws here. Sharpness and dynamic range are incredible. Color and noise levels are amazing. The picture quality of this camera bests not only any other compact, but indeed many lower end DSLRs as well.Lastly, a few comments regarding some things said in other reviews on this page.1. The latest DP1 firmware (1.04 as of this writing) includes a number of improvements, including the ability to map the ISO controls to the otherwise useless \"zoom\" buttons on the camera. This means that ISO can now be changed directly with a single button push, without going into any menu. (My camera, ordered a couple weeks ago from Amazon, did not come with the latest firmware, but it is easy to download and install from Sigma\'s website.)2. As of this writing, Adobe Camera Raw, DNG Converter, and Lightroom 2.1 now offer \"preliminary\" support for DP1 raw files. I have been using Lightroom 2.1, and to be honest, it does not render the DP1 raw files as well as Sigma\'s own software. But it is adequate in most cases, and it is reasonable to expect that this will improve once the support is no longer just \"preliminary.\"3. Some reviewers have mentioned that the camera is not really 14 megapixels, one reviewer going so far as to suggest that the claim is misleading, \"since each pixel records only one color.\" By that logic, the megapixel claims of all manufacturers are spurious, since the same is true of every camera on the market. If you\'re interested in this camera, you probably already know what the Foveon X3 sensor is, and understand issues of color interpolation vs. spacial interpolation, and photo sensors vs. final image pixels. But if you\'re interested in reading more about this, Mike Chaney gives the best explanation I\'ve encountered. (Amazon apparently won\'t let me give a link here, you can do a Google search for \"Chaney\" and \"sd14\" and click the first result.) Mr. Chaney is talking about the Sigma SD14, but the SD14 and the DP1 use the same image sensor, and all of his comments are applicable to the DP1 as well.All in all, I am very happy with this camera, and I hope it is a sign of things to come. It is not perfect, but it\'s a step in the right direction, and it would be great to see Sigma, and other manufactures, continue down this road of making compact cameras for serious photographers.

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