Ok, so I've been looking into these two babies and the only conclusions that I've reached are image wise. The DP1 is simply incredible.
Its pretty good but I wouldn't go that far to call it incredible but so is GRD's, just with little less resolution. DP1's lens has a particular look/rendering which isn't to my taste, I much prefer Ricoh's lens over Sigma's.
The latitude using Raw looks like HRD!
Not true, DP1's DR is a little better that Ricoh's but nothing special to get excited about.
The detail is awesome and the grain is sooo film like even at 800 iso.
The images are sharp and detailed but definitely have a very digital look to them. For film like grain the original GRD is still the best imo.
The bad thing is that I've read some real horror stories regarding how slow this camera is (is it really that bad???).
So, what are your thoughts?
For me the DP1 was the worst handling camera I ever bought, its horrendous! Bad enough that I just couldn't get one acceptable for me image with this camera and after few months of struggling with it I could care less about its IQ when I'm not able to get the shot! And the reality is that as good as the IQ is, it isn't that great to warrant the effort, any of my dslrs can outgun the DP1 in every parameter with no fuss at all.
Let me itemize what I didn't like about the DP1
- Not very pocketable compared to the GRD, important for me and my main reason to own a small camera.
- Not very keen on DP1's lens, I'm not crazy about the look, but then again I never liked Sigma lenses. I really like Ricoh's, its very much to my tastes and Ricoh also has a fantastic 21mm and a pretty decent 40mm attachment which add to the versatility of system, Sigma has nothing.
- I had 3 Sigma batteries and none would hold their charge for more than a week, the one in the camera would last only a few days at best, and of course they're always drained when you need them most. Ricoh's on the other hand hold their charge for months, even the one in the camera remains charged, I never have to worry about that.
- Sigma raw files are proprietary and you're stuck with their software, another a$$ backwards piece of engineering, I've never come across any modern software so counter intuitive, this adds significantly to the stress and difficultly of getting a decent image from this camera. I heard from some that PS supports Sigma files now but I haven't been able to open them with CS4, do you really want to be limited like this, that you can't even view the thumbnails without Sigma's Photo Pro?
Ricoh's raw files are DNG, you're free to use all major and most minor raw processors on the market.
- Handling, or lack of! The body is a boxy and fat, not very convenient to hold. AF is worthless under most circumstances making the RF attachment useless since you have to constantly check focus with the LCD which isn't easy given its poor quality. The manual focus that people talk about is basically hyperfocal, otherwise there's no real focus here.
The controls and menus are asinine, they really get in the way of your shooting. The DP1 package reminds me of 1970s Volvos, ugly box design, slow, basically horrible to drive with absolutely no road feel but with one claim to fame, they claimed that it was safe, kinda like the DP1, horrible but with one claim to fame, a full APS size sensor!
In contrast the GRD is a thoroughbred GT, it has one of the best industrial designs that I've seen in any camera. You just pick it up and you'll fall in love with it instantly. The body is beautifully molded and controls are logically placed with easy and sensible menus. Great accessories too, all in all it will enhance your shooting skills instead of getting in the way and depriving you of the shot. And its slim enough to fit in my shirt pocket with the RF attached.
If you think that I'm exaggerating, take a look at DP1 posts online, you'll most are very heavily pp'd files of mediocre images by otherwise good photographers to make them acceptable and I don't mean basic stuff or just color enhancement, I really mean heavy. I know that I went down that path myself all because of the promised IQ from the Faveon sensor, but it turned out to be a mirage. The reality is that while GRD's IQ might not be as good as the Sigmas, it really is still pretty good and good enough for my purposes.
At the end of the day, beyond the initial techno lust, the camera is only a tool to assist you with your main purpose of creating images, I find the GRDs one such tool, the Sigma on the other hand failed its purpose for me, but that's my experience, your mileage might be different.