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dp2 merrill but?

tray271

New member
well i finally got the dp2 merrill today and when i opened it i like the look of it ..so armed with my tripod and sd card i went out ....i allso took a nex 7 with a zeiss 35 70mm f3.4 ....most of my shots were iso 100 f8 ....i noticed that when i was using manual focus the ring made a bit of a noise ,is this normal

allso when magnifying with the live view i didnt think the sharpness was that good so i didnt really know if i nailed the shot

my nex has focus peaking which is very very handy ...so most of the day i was keeping my fingers crossed that the images would be as good as i have seen on here and other forums ..in the sun it was hard to focus on the lcd so hoping there is another option ...

i thought battery life wasnt bad ..i like to think what i am taking and as i was taking all the shots i was thinking i hope this is as good as everyone says

so walked home thinking maybe they will be ok but not great

i installed the sigma photo util then converted the files to tiff ..i was on the floor with totall amazement ..the best and sharpest camera lens conmbo i have ever seen ..its that good and suits my needs that i am going to sell all my zeiss lenses and all my canon and nex gear..

i love the way the sensor gets every last drop of detail and it makes me want to photo all sorts of things to see that amazing detail ...my next purchase will be a view finder screen protedtor and maybe some sort of hood ..will have to now get the dp1 merrill and dp3 merrill
 

adsf

New member
The noise you are speaking of may be the Motor of the lens (cause it is focus by wire). If you turn the ring with the camera not powered it shuld be really silent...
 

tray271

New member
thx guys for the welcome .so the noise is normal thats a relief ...if i got a view finder and most of the time i do tripod shots would that benifit me with focusing ..what would you say was the most accurate way to manual focus ...allso does anyone here use a lcd hood and what is it like
 

chris007

New member
allso when magnifying with the live view i didnt think the sharpness was that good so i didnt really know if i nailed the shot
I had the same experiences when focusing with magnified viewfinder on the DP1m. The viewfinder image is never really sharp. Other cameras show a more sharper picture in liveview-mode. Nevertheless you have to choose the most sharpest focus position and you are fine ;)

Chris
 

tray271

New member
hi thx for that chris...i wish sigma would use some sort of focus peaking like the nex cameras ..bit more accurate ...i dont mind to much as the image quality is just incrediable ...the only problem is in sunny conditions ...what do you guys do to manually focus when the sun is really bad
 

tray271

New member
i tend never to use auto focus as all i ever do is landscape with tripod shots..just a bit tricky with the lcd when the sun is bright ...im assuming if i get a view finder i wont be able to focus manually and see the sharpness ...maybe im wrong
 

The Ute

Well-known member
Get a hoodman loupe. Works great.

I use AF at f16 for most landscape shots and there is rarely ever a problem.

No real need to MF.

The DP2 is an amazing camera and your shots should be sharp corner to corner.

It's hard to beat when used properly.
 

chris007

New member
i never even thought to use auto focus ..just im so used to manual ..crazy may try that :thumbup:
Hi tray271,
I know your way of focusing very well. I have the same approach when I do landscape shots with a DSLR (in my case a Canon one). This way is the most accurate one I know, and was only possible when DSLR's got live view a few years ago.

I tried to apply this method on the DP1m. It is working, but not as pleasing as I wished:

1) You can choose a free focus point, but only in a limited rectangle in the center. It's impossible to position your focus point in the frame borders.

2) You have two magnifying levels which is very handy. But, as you said, there is no real sharp focus position.

On the other you don't have to press the aperture preview button, to see the real level of sharpness :)

I think we have to find another way of accurate manual focusing and I'm sure it is possible. The many excellent pictures here approve this.

@The Ute
I will try the "f/16 and autofocus" way too. Maybe we are fiddling around about focusing to much :eek:

Chris
 

The Ute

Well-known member
Hi tray271,
I know your way of focusing very well. I have the same approach when I do landscape shots with a DSLR (in my case a Canon one). This way is the most accurate one I know, and was only possible when DSLR's got live view a few years ago.

I tried to apply this method on the DP1m. It is working, but not as pleasing as I wished:

1) You can choose a free focus point, but only in a limited rectangle in the center. It's impossible to position your focus point in the frame borders.

2) You have two magnifying levels which is very handy. But, as you said, there is no real sharp focus position.

On the other you don't have to press the aperture preview button, to see the real level of sharpness :)

I think we have to find another way of accurate manual focusing and I'm sure it is possible. The many excellent pictures here approve this.

@The Ute
I will try the "f/16 and autofocus" way too. Maybe we are fiddling around about focusing to much :eek:

Chris
It works like a charm for me. Especially w the DP2.

I do think you are fiddling too much. It's not necessary unless you are doing a "bokeh" type shot.

Not many Landscape shots are done that way.

;)
 

tray271

New member
thx for the replies guys ..yes chris i agree with tht focus points are a little limited ..but so far im happy with the results...maybe sigma with a firmware update may change things ..

allso very interesting that sony are going for a patent

Sony sensor patent describing a Foveon alike sensor. With Foveon alike I mean a RGB 3-layer image sensor

that would be amazing if it is as good as the merrill but with better ergonmics and extra features ...maybe better high iso
 

usathyan

New member
question to those using AF and MF to focus...

The focus points don't extend all the way to corners. Is there any way to use Live View with Magnify option to view and focus accurately on the corners?

Thanks!
 

etermes

New member
question to those using AF and MF to focus...

The focus points don't extend all the way to corners. Is there any way to use Live View with Magnify option to view and focus accurately on the corners?

Thanks!
I think you have to recompose, to my knowledge there aren't other way
 

chris007

New member
question to those using AF and MF to focus...

The focus points don't extend all the way to corners. Is there any way to use Live View with Magnify option to view and focus accurately on the corners?

Thanks!
For me that's one of the few drawbacks of the DPxM series that really hurts. Another one is the limited long exposure time (not more than 30 seconds). This and a few minor issues (battery) made me return the DP1m.
But whenever I see the pictures from it, I'm not sure if this decision was right... :rolleyes:

If your main attention is on IQ and resolution there is no way around the DPxm cameras.

Chris
 

usathyan

New member
Chris, I had a lot of pondering sessions about its limitations....I finally gave in to the quality of the image...only because, i could never be happy knowing that my pixels could have been better, given A photographic situation...

I do have a solution for the focusing issue - Shoot pano and stitch them. You overlap non the AF focus area for stitching...of course, this is not a great solution...but, it works. I was able to stitch together a pano for a table top still life...never done that before. Of course, this was focus stacked - so, working the image to its final state now takes twice the time!

Its almost like Sigma just delivered the Foveon chip, in a half baked product. The camera is like a generation behind it its technology...I had better usability from my D70!
 
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