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The Sigma DP Merrils and their colours: the truth revealed

vieri

Well-known member
Hello everyone,

following all the polemics going on on various Internet forums lately regarding the DP3 Merrill's colour rendition and whether it's colours are different or not from the DP1/DP2 pair's, I proceeded to a controlled test that should put this discussion to rest - I shot colour charts under controlled flash light, using different WB, computing all colorimetric values in PS, etc.

In short, the result is that there are in fact differences; especially so if you use Auto WB or WB Presets, where the DP3 is much better than the DP1/DP2, much less so if you use Custom WB in which case, actually, the DP2 and DP3 are very similar, versus the DP1 which stands alone in this case.

I posted the whole test, colour charts shots included, on my blog for your reference:

The Sigma DP Merrils and their colours: the truth revealed!

Hope this helps to clarify things on this heated issue :D
 

dbogdan

New member
Halleluiah....life goes on after all.:chug: And the beheading has been officially canceled!:thumbs::clap::clap:
 

Hulyss Bowman

Active member
I start to learn that internet is like politic. You need to stand strong in the wind and not ploy :D

Thank You Vieri for this very good test. This is always difficult to stand alone but here we are.
 

adsf

New member
Maybe better but issue is still not gone.

May i link something?
Look here: Beispielbilder Sigma DP3M Merrill - DSLR-Forum
Eyebrows rendering is strange in the parts that have shadow caused by the eyebrows. When it goes towards the ear color is really off. Skin part under Hair which is not as bright as the face itself is also strange color.

As i said. Might be better but is far away from good.


Its like politic. You can claim something and stay strong in the wind but it might still not be the truth... And you might even not realize the truth cause youre staying so strong...
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Vieri

Interesting work. It took me a lot of 'back and forth' up and down the screen to be able to discern differences.

I am going to be controversial here and say that given the post processing options available in SPP, Lightroom and PS - I have never let the colours presented to me in the original files get in the way of the final result I want!

LouisB
 

vieri

Well-known member
Halleluiah....life goes on after all.:chug: And the beheading has been officially canceled!:thumbs::clap::clap:
I start to learn that internet is like politic. You need to stand strong in the wind and not ploy :D

Thank You Vieri for this very good test. This is always difficult to stand alone but here we are.
Maybe better but issue is still not gone.

May i link something?
Look here: Beispielbilder Sigma DP3M Merrill - DSLR-Forum
Eyebrows rendering is strange in the parts that have shadow caused by the eyebrows. When it goes towards the ear color is really off. Skin part under Hair which is not as bright as the face itself is also strange color.

As i said. Might be better but is far away from good.


Its like politic. You can claim something and stay strong in the wind but it might still not be the truth... And you might even not realize the truth cause youre staying so strong...
Guys, it was not my intent to take position pro or against any of those discussing the issue before my article. In fact, in a way, my article proves them all wrong (or all right); what it proves, most of all, is that both polemizing parties were basing their (different) conclusions on different assumptions, accusing then the other party to be wrong, just because they moved from a different starting point... :rolleyes:

This is why, sometimes, a good ol' scientific comparison with clear starting methodology and starting assumptions makes sense :D

So, please, don't try and use my article to validate this or that position: it is neither intended to do so, nor the results I got to suggest that... I just intended to contribute a controlled test, which results one can interpret as he or she might please.

Vieri

Interesting work. It took me a lot of 'back and forth' up and down the screen to be able to discern differences.

I am going to be controversial here and say that given the post processing options available in SPP, Lightroom and PS - I have never let the colours presented to me in the original files get in the way of the final result I want!

LouisB
Hey Louis,

I completely agree with you on your point, so there is no controversy at all; my aim was simply to test what kind of starting point each camera was providing us with as far as colour renditions (and exposure, it turned out). I'll give you one better: shooting RAW and going through all the RAW development process etc implies by definition that we are not accepting what colours come out of the original files! :D
 
E

eiaa

Guest
Maybe better but issue is still not gone.

May i link something?
Look here: Beispielbilder Sigma DP3M Merrill - DSLR-Forum
Eyebrows rendering is strange in the parts that have shadow caused by the eyebrows. When it goes towards the ear color is really off. Skin part under Hair which is not as bright as the face itself is also strange color.

As i said. Might be better but is far away from good.


Its like politic. You can claim something and stay strong in the wind but it might still not be the truth... And you might even not realize the truth cause youre staying so strong...
Well as Michael put it – "Definately Not for Camera Pussys". Things are all relative and certainly correctable if you have some skill. :talk028:
View attachment 70987
 

Malina DZ

Member
Thanks for your research, Vieri! Interesting read. Did you try other iso sensitivities? Any color cast or banding happened in your test shots?

Things are all relative and certainly correctable if you have some skill. :talk028:
For me, de-saturation is not a solution for fixing color cast and weird skin tones. SPP is definitely unable to fix the issue and one would need to resort to PS for solution.
One of the reasons I got DP2M is the out-of-camera unique image look that I don't need to mess with. Unfortunately, Merrills are not always predictable and rewarding in the way they render color even at iso 100-200. We need to make a DON'Ts thread with tips for avoiding color casts and banding. Hopefully, Sigma will finally take care of the Foveon flaws with a FW update.
 
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