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Sigma DP2 Merrill shots

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Well: that's what we are all trying to do: see, and capture, amazing things in daily life that (without sounding too critical, I hope) simply pass most people by. Amazing and beautiful things in daily life, right under our noses. Brilliant capture.
 

Tim

Active member
Re: Is the DP2M the best digital camera yet made?

Is the Sigma DP2M the best digital camera yet made? Discuss...
From an IQ performance / price / size ratio it would be hard to beat.
The DP2M set a new standard and has raised the bar IMO.

The RX1 owners may or may not agree. But I think the DP2M/RX1 would work well in a team. :cool:

:watch:
 

retow

Member
Re: Is the DP2M the best digital camera yet made?

From an IQ performance / price / size ratio it would be hard to beat.
The DP2M set a new standard and has raised the bar IMO.

The RX1 owners may or may not agree. But I think the DP2M/RX1 would work well in a team. :cool:

:watch:
I do agree as I have both. The RX1 does have an excellent sensor-lens combo and its DR and high iso capabilities are great. But it is no match for the DP2M's resolution, sharpness and rendering of details for landscapes, cityscapes, stills. If I could only have one, the Sony would have to go.
 

Kyndel

Member
Just received it :) - just unboxed it, and loaded the battery.

The card I wanted to use came from another camera, so therefore I wanted to format it, but just now it is "Formatting"...... and it has done that now for 10 minutes, and stil does ? - That can not be right (it normally takes 10-30 seconds)? ?
 

W.Utsch

Member
The RX1 is rally tempting, but the price tag is way to high. I like the pics posted from the RX! in our forum. An other cam with fixed lens and no EVF (build in) is pretty hard to justify for me.

Want to add to the discussion (best made digital cam....):
The DP2M has not only the Foveon Sensor but a world-class lens as well. Even Leica and Zeiss glass has to fight the 2M's lens very hard.

 

Kyndel

Member
Kyndel; Formatting is a question of seconds not minutes.
Yes it is, as mentioned, but after 15 minutes - still "Formatting.." and blinking it went were warm, so I had to take the battery out, even they do say: "Do not, while blinking," but any button was not to be used, whatever I clicked on.

Then I took a couple of photos, and then Formating again, and then it went smooth like other cameras.

Just hope I have not ruined anything in the camera, because I took the battery it - it was the only way ??
 

valka

New member
Yes it is, as mentioned, but after 15 minutes - still "Formatting.." and blinking it went were warm, so I had to take the battery out, even they do say: "Do not, while blinking," but any button was not to be used, whatever I clicked on.

Then I took a couple of photos, and then Formating again, and then it went smooth like other cameras.

Just hope I have not ruined anything in the camera, because I took the battery it - it was the only way ??
I had exactly the same problem. Waited till battery died, tried again with another battery and it was done in seconds.
 

Kyndel

Member
Thanks, valka, I should have done the same, but it went warm, so I did not dare, but should have done, because I am a little worried now: How do I test if anything is "bad" now.??

---

Took some shots - with 0,0 in-camera sharpening. Perhaps it shall have a little bit ?

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Did my normal sharpening - batch - it is a bit USM and a bit HIgh Pass mixed together in Nikon NX2 (Tiff) = Way too much, but it could benefit from a bit High Pass-sharpening (closed the USM-sharpening).

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Sometimes there is a bit of front focus, sometimes not (did a special test, not scientific, but it is normal a fine test, that workes - 3 cola cans placed with distance and shoot at the largest aperture, and when I have had problems Nikon Repair shop has said "yes" to my findings with this test) but have not testet it with a tripod, so not sure, and the pictures are fine.

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And I can say: No dead pixels, not hot pixels, no dust = The last I am very happy there are NOT, because it is not unusual to get a new camera with some dust particles, and here you can not clean it, so ..............well done, Sigma.
 

Jim DE

New member
Funny, in my early years with digital (like with my agfa 1680) I would format my cards religiously but for no other reason than I have not seen a need to I have not formatted a card since before my KM7D. Am I missing something? I swap card a lot between several different camera's weekly and have never had a issue that I am aware of.
 

Kyndel

Member
Funny, in my early years with digital (like with my agfa 1680) I would format my cards religiously but for no other reason than I have not seen a need to I have not formatted a card since before my KM7D. Am I missing something? I swap card a lot between several different camera's weekly and have never had a issue that I am aware of.
I shot weddings with a friend = we covered the wedding together, and he never formatted the card, untill one day he mounted it at my pc, and there were a lot of trubles, funny things happened, but after that he always formatted it in the camera, and no problems later, ever.

So after that I always do it, also after reading some recommendations, but perhaps it is more "just to be sure", but to ruin a serie of wedding-pics are really bad.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Want to add to the discussion (best made digital cam....):
The DP2M has not only the Foveon Sensor but a world-class lens as well. Even Leica and Zeiss glass has to fight the 2M's lens very hard.
I agree about the lens and it is based on going back through my photographs and comparing the same shots - albeit on different dates - of one or two regular 'test' landscapes I do. Leica always outperforms Nikkor but in terms of detail and microcontrast the Sigma 30/2.8 outperforms both. Or it could be the sensor, or a combination.

That's not to dis Leica or Nikkor, two lens families I have a great deal of respect for and would gladly use now and in the future if necessary. In any case you could argue that for many purposes you wouldn't notice the difference.

However I am confident I can produce pin sharp prints at 30x20 with the DP2M which will capture the attention of the viewer.

LouisB
 

Kyndel

Member
The sharpest combination I have is the Olympus E-M5 with Olympus 75mm f/1.8, and I compared today shot against the same object.

It must be said that this Oly combination is incredibly sharp - sharper than a similar test I have done with the famous Nikon 200mm VR F.2.0

I am fully aware that it is not the exact way to compare these two things - one is 150mm and the other is 45mm ('s equivalent), so it's not a fair test, but I had to try anyway

Oly combination was sharper - for me clearly, but Sigma-one has a better "look", where Oly combination is more "digital", hard to explain, but I think you understand.

Sigma DP2Merrill is really sharp enough and I am very happy with it, but it got better sharpness with USM 30-7-3 .... or High Pass, pixel 1 radius and overlay (Nikon NX2 after conversion to TIFF), not both, as I would normally use as default, and then sometimes put it down, for example with Oly combination.

(the sharpening I do is for print - normally A3+)

-----

I am still a little worrying about the "formatting-problem", where I took the battery out (please see earlier post) - I have just read a huge warning about it in the manual for the Sigma - does anybody know what - in worst case - could happen ?
 

valka

New member
I am still a little worrying about the "formatting-problem", where I took the battery out (please see earlier post) - I have just read a huge warning about it in the manual for the Sigma - does anybody know what - in worst case - could happen ?
If your camera formatted the card OK on second try, I don't see why you should be worried. I had the same problem and my card is working nicely (although better speed would be nice :))
My wild guess about formatting problems is that the first time you format the card in camera, it has "NO NAME" name. Whet the camera starts to format, it renames the card to "Sigma DP2M" and starts to format card. I think that the problem lies in some bug somewhere between naming and formatting (camera trying to format card "NO NAME" but actually has card "Sigma DP2M") because the second time you try to format the card it already has correct name and formatting succeeds. Just my wild guess :grin:

valka
 

Rand47

Active member
Both times I've done a firmware update on my DP2M I've had to yank the battery to stop an endless "format." Put the battery back in, power up the camera, and the card formats in seconds. Camera works flawlessly otherwise, including routine card formatting when only images the camera made are on the card.
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
The sharpest combination I have is the Olympus E-M5 with Olympus 75mm f/1.8, and I compared today shot against the same object.

...

Oly combination was sharper - for me clearly, but Sigma-one has a better "look", where Oly combination is more "digital", hard to explain, but I think you understand.
That surprises me. The closest I have some in terms of sharpness to the DP2M is my Hasselblad HC-50 II lens on the H4D-50. That lens was redesigned specifically to replace the earlier Mk1 which was OK but not outstanding on the latest generation of sensors. However, sharp as that lens is, there are moire issues not present in the Sigma DP2M with its Foveon sensor, so in some cases the advantages of extreme sharpness can be countered with artifacts and moire on bayer sensors.

Of course the Hasselblad combination is clearly superior in absolute terms given the pixel count, and a great camera generally (which it should be given the HC-50 II lens alone costs 4 times the price of the DP2M!). But guess which camera I use more?
 

W.Utsch

Member
The Oly EM-5 with 75/1.8 is a very nice combo. Very sharp, as sharp as it gets with MFT's, but IMO can not compete to the Sigmas M's in any way.
I like to use the Olympus for people and portraits. As a complete system MFT is hard to beat if you want it small. But the files of the Sigma, low Iso and carefully processed etc, are not to beat.
For me the two (and Sony NEX 7) complement one another.
 

Kyndel

Member
Thank you Quentin and W.Utsch, perhaps the sometimes front focus (but not much and only sometimes)has a roll here ?

I used "standard" color and 0.0 in sharpening in-camera and Sigma Pro Photo, and only set a grey color point for the WB, then Tiff and then went to the Nikon NX2.

Perhaps it is too problematic to use a 150mm lens (75 x2) against a 45mm - the subject was about 75-100 metres away (I think this is about 300 yards), both f. 2.8, about same light, and fine (very short) shuttertime.

But this Oly-combo is really a killer-combo, as mentioned I have shot it against the mighty Nikon 200mm f/2.0 VR1, and it was my dream lens, untill I got the Oly 75mm (of course the Nikon 200mm is much better for sports, with a fantastic AF).

I will look into my other pics and find a more "right" lens to compare with - there is this fine house about 75-100 metres from me, and it is the most photographed house ;), because I have testet all my lenses and cameras with this house since 2005 - day and night - winter and summer ;) - do not hope anybody will interpretate it wrong, and think I am a Paparazzi ;)

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Added: Checked with the Nikon 28mm (both manual and AF), and the Sigma was sharper than both at f. 2.8, the closest I got to the 45mm focal lenght is my Panasonic 20mm for m/4/3 (40mm), but it is a picture in a totally other light, so I can not compare.

Then I compared the D3x mounted with Nikon 50mm f/1.8G, and it seems a bit sharper, but only at the precise focus point and the short area around, the rest of the picture was in fact sharper with the Sigma !!

Then I tryed again with the Oly-combination, and also here it is only the focus point and the area around this focus point, which is sharper(that was what I looked for in the first), NOT the rest of the picture.

So the sum (for me) is:

Sharper than the Nikon 28mm on the Nikon D3x - all over

Sigma: Not sharper - a bit less sharper - than the Oly e-m5 + Oly 75mm f/1.8 at the focus point and the area around, but sharper at the rest of the picture (the sorroundings)

Sigma: Not sharper - perhaps a tiny bit lesser - than the Nikon D3x and the 50mm f/1.8G at the focus point and the area around, but sharper at the rest of the picture (the sorroundings)


What do you say, if we are really pixel peeping ?? - can the perhaps - and only sometimes - small/little front focus means something here, or has something happened with my taking the battery out ?

Not pixel-peeping= I am satiesfied with this Sigma DP2Merrill, the sharpness all over at f. 2.8 (100 metres distance) is really something + better colors than all the rest, and very natural looking colors

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In fact it was Quentins tomato picture (and some of the others, of course at the same post= The very first post here) that first got my interest in this camera+ lens - could you please tell about the f. stop and shutter, and perhaps standard or natural and sharpening, and perhaps also the distance to the tomatos (appr.)THANKS
 
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