Let me begin with an answer to the last question: YES, I will bring the DP1 to San Juan if you'd like me to. I will also bring the incredibly cute external flash for it. I mention this because this flash works in manual mode on the M8! It's a very convenient little flash to have in your pocket for challenging situations.
Second, as to my experiences with it, we are still in the courting phase. Here are some of my likes/dislikes so far after a few weeks:
Likes:
- amazing image quality, better than any compact camera I have ever used
- extremely sharp lens from corner to corner
- good auto exposure
- low noise up to and including ISO 400
- easy to carry around
- SDHC support (unlike M8)
- nice external flash
Dislikes:
- autofocus is slow and doesn't work in low light
- LCD is low resolution so it's hard to use manual focus and hard to review photos
- f/4.0 is slow for a compact camera, wish it was f/2.8
- square body is difficult to get a grip on, so I applied egrips at strategic locations
- very weak (unusable) built-in flash
- lens cap must be put on with logo upright. This is the first camera I have used that cares about the orientation used when you put the lens cap on.
So far, I am keeping the DP1 and use it when I need a few quick grabs or I need to keep it all in my pocket. Other than that, I would rather take an M8 along. Other compact cameras (I have owned more than a dozen) have always been a disappointment in image quality regardless of what other features they offer. I think there's no substitute for a generous sensor with big photosites. I hope other manufacturers follow Sigma's lead and introduce their own variations.
