when the dam breaks

[smokysun]

all i can say is stay away from craigslist. first it was a basically new 40d for 500 dollars. whatever the criticisms, it's responsive as the devil. then today i drove to san francisco (xmas house-sitting in berkeley) and picked up a basically new dp1 with an unsigned warranty card for 300 dollars. add to this the digital rebel infrared off ebay and the 5d with a shaved mirror off fred miranda and you've got someone with a serious problem! but i keep telling myself it's safer than the stock-market.

the dp1 seems like an 19th century camera and the first pictures to come out of it have that feel.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. must say the xmas day traffic on the bay bridge not bad.

 

[smokysun]

out and about with the dp1. black and white seems best for the the street and the photo journalistic approach. once i got inside the san francisco museum of modern art, color seemed to work better.

well, everything they've said about the dp1 is true. the pictures are a delight. the painfulness of every other aspect, well, you practically have to treat it like a view camera. the focusing is like like a tortoise in quicksand. the battery performance is absolutely dismal, maybe the worst i've ever experienced. writing to even an sdhc card would try the patience of a saint. i got mine cheap cause the woman couldn't take pictures of her kids. all the controls buried in the menus. sigma obviously got possessed with their major task and forgot about all the small ones.

that said, it's very stylish. i enjoy wearing it.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Lili]

Wayne,
I've tempted by the DP-1 despite the speed issues; the IQ alone is awesome.
Perhaps if one thinks ofit a like on would a Medium Format Folding camera; superbly portable, excellent IQ and demanding of technique?
Great images

 

[helenhill]

Wayne
Love shots 2 & 3

If you see another DP1 for that Price
PLEASE let me know
Thanx-Helen

 

[Will]

Great images wayne. I think i will have to leave my GRD2 at home next time I take the DP1 out, them maybe I will use it for more than a couple of shots each trip.

 

[DavidE]

Excellent shots, Wayne.

The DP1 is somewhat faster if you use a fast SDHC card, such as a SanDisk Extreme III. Also, the latest firmware (2.0) lets you assign a different function to each of the digital zoom buttons. Here's link to the firmware page: http://www.sigma-dp1.com/software/firmware/.

You mentioned you enjoy wearing the DP1. How are you wearing it? I've been looking for a non-bulky belt case. Maybe a neck strap would be a better solution.

 

[smokysun]

lili - yes, that's one way to do it. i did with the digilux 2, which has the most gorgeous lcd i've ever seen. on the other hand, someone around here suggested switching completely to manual with a viewfinder and using it as a classical leica rangefinder. with a little practice it seems perfectly possible (and would help battery life). does anyone know the hyperfocal distance of the dp1?

helen - a complete fluke. belonged to a very well-off young family living on a huge new hillside house in san francisco. but i'll let you know, if...

will - some of the pics you have taken with the dp1 made me want one! i think if you took it out alone for a few days you'd completely out-shine me.

david - for the first time i've used the strap supplied with the camera (on xmas day no choice) and found i like it hanging from my neck at just that height.

thanks, all. spent the day in the sf asian museum putting the dp1 to the test, plus shooting a few along market street.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Streetshooter]

Wayne,
That 1st image in the museum is magical.........

 

[smokysun]

thanks, shooter. i love museums so this is really putting the dp1 on its mettle. today at the sf palace of the legion of honor.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Streetshooter]

Yeah, ya got a certain way of presenting what you are seeing. It lets the viewer in. Very vouyeristic.....wonderful......

 

[Lili]

I have to agree with 'shooter, in the shots with folks, it is as if you are invisible, looking over their shoulders so to speak
Excellently done, as ever Wayne

 

[smokysun]

lili and shooter,

ah, i've been caught out. yes, i'm an unrepentant people-watcher. even today as i walked around the uc berkeley campus with the dp1 taking pictures of buildings, i ended up with a few of these.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. on manual focus infinity most of the time. speeds up the process and extends battery life. a relief not to wait.

 

[smokysun]

life imitates art at the sf de young museum (dp1)

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[simonclivehughes]

Also, the latest firmware (2.0) lets you assign a different function to each of the digital zoom buttons.

I've updated to this firmware, but I find the zoom buttons ill suited for function assignments. I had wanted to have the left button for ISO and the right for focus point, but in reality, I found I hit them inadvertently every damn time I handled the camera. Very frustrating! I finally had to reset them to doing nothing.

As much as I love the results from the DP1, the user interface is simply astonishingly bad.

Cheers,

 

[smokysun]

ditto

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Michael S]

Wayne , you're off to an excellent start -- photographically if not economically.

Here's a lengthy thread on another forum addressing the DP1. I'd direct you specifically to the comments of Markus Hartel an Kendall Gelner, each of whom commented not based upon charts/reviews, etc., but rather based upon extensive and productive use of the camera. I'm familiar with Markus' excellent street photos, and was interested to see that he evidently decided on manual (zone focus) for the DP1, rather than rely upon the pokey af.

In any case, here's the thread:

http://photo.net/digital-camera-shopping-forum/00PXHf

 

[Robert Campbell]

Wayne, "the outsider looking in" -- as if you were invisible.

 

[Streetshooter]

I also did the firmware update yesterday just as I got the new camera.
I set the T zoom to do the ISO and the W zoom to do metering.

So far, the camera is great. I will right about it soon because I feel that it deserves a conversation about the relationship of the camera, the photographer and the image making process.

I am doing the Mummers Parade again tomorrow. I will use the DP-1 with the viewfinder and have the G10 along for the ride......

Happy New Year's to everyone........go safe and go in peace.....

shooter

 

[simonclivehughes]

I also did the firmware update yesterday just as I got the new camera. I set the T zoom to do the ISO and the W zoom to do metering.

Streetshooter,

You may want to periodically check and make sure you haven't inadvertently changed the ISO or metering. I found that simply holding the camera or putting it up to my eye would result in me pressing those buttons.

Cheers,

 

[Streetshooter]

Simon, I'm about 350 frames testing and no problems yet...in fact...
it's simply wonderful to sloooooow down and see again. The camera makes me think like back in my Leica M daze....

It just is so organic and intuitive...I really haven't read the manual yet.....it's like a Mac...
if ya get stuck...slow down and think about what you want to do....then do it...

1 thing that is outstanding....when the camera goes off....then ya boot it up...it's right back where ya left off....that to me is simply pure genius of design.

I memorized the Hyperfocal distances already and manual focus is great....

later...later.....after the shoot tomorrow, I'll right a long review and leave it open to comments......My buddies in the press corp will be suprised to see me with this little gem......
shooter