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Sigma DP3M

Wow. First of all, I really like the image -- rugged and ethereal at the same time. Secondly, I've read so many narratives of climbs of Everest that this particularly resonated with me. Thanks for giving us all a look. --Barbara
 

Arjuna

Member
Well, I don't really want to be discouraging, but having been to the Everest region several times, the topology doesn't really look like it. Here is a picture that I took, flying from Paro to Kathmandu, also on Druk Air; Everest is the highest peak, with Lhotse to the right, and the ridge from Lhotse to Nuptse, on the left, running in front of Everest. (In Tibetan, Lho is south, and Nup is west, i.e. south peak and west peak).
 

usathyan

New member
@Arjuna, you could be right in this...my comparison was based on what the pilot said when flying over, and my comparison on shape based on wikipedia entry (Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Everest from Drukair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

If you view full size of the image above, and compare the shape...to me, it looks like this is it...however, heavily clouded and shrouded in fog...plus, this was shot the reverse way (Delhi to Paro) - plus, the air route would be different....a different angle.

Nevertheless - the intention of sharing this was because I was blown away with the resolution and quality of the image i got from a casual shot through the window....
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Owl Trench Cemetary, Hebuterne, Pas de Calais France



... and what we found behind the wall surrounding it...

 
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biglouis

Well-known member
This is a short write up of my feelings about the DP3M after about 2 months of ownership.

PROS: Very high image quality and lovely out of focus areas wide open. Lightweight but quality construction, simple controls. Addition of macro to FOCUS mode. Sharp even at f2.8.

CONS: Focus hunting which gets worse the closer the subject. Strange squeaky lens a bit offputting. Unbalanced in shape with large objective on relatively slim body.

To be honest I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this camera. When it is good, it is very, very good. But when it misbehaves it is useless. The main problem is slowness and often failure to focus on near objects. When you consider this is classed as a macro lens then this is a serious failing. I regularly miss shots, especially of insects because the lens is hunting and missing focus. My DP2M seems to lock focus very quickly but not the DP3M.

Below are some very successful macro shots from today. There is no argument with the IQ which is outstanding. But the only successful regime I have found for using this lens in macro mode is to mount it on a tripod and use manual focus. This is fine for static subjects but I am used to being able to being opportunistic with my GH-2 and 45/2.8 (alas now sold via eBay) and this lens does not work quickly or predictably on focus.

I was all for selling this camera and moving on until I processed my photographs today. How long the reprieve will be depends on whether I really can deal with the quirky focus issues with this lens.

All photos were converted to 16-bit TIFFS in SPP5.5.2 and then imported into LR3.6. In SPP I mainly either reduced exposure to protect highlight and/or boosted XR3 fill-light. But in fact the photos required very little adjustment.

I did very little post processing in LR other than to crop and occasionally boost the saturation or contrast (as I find in RAW the DPxM cameras lack both).

The first four photographs are all manually focussed on tripod. The last two, iirc, were handheld.

Nigella, or "Love In A Mist" - the treatment here was to shoot at f3.2 - a sweet spot for many lenses so I got a sharp centre but diffuse background.



Stopped down you absolutely cannot fault the detail you can pull from an image even at very close focus.



The lens, or is it the sensor - or both - really does create spectacular colours when some XR3 fill-light and a boost of saturation is used. Again, check out the creamy out of focus areas.



Detail, as expected from a Foveon camera is amazing - notice the individual beads of pollen on the stamens - normally these would be blobby and not so distinct.



Probably my favourite picture of the day and another example of the beautiful rendition of oof areas. In my opinion 'bokehlicious'



Crop from another plant but the same insect. In this case you can see the astonishing detail of the carapace and head being covered in pollen.


There you have it, my most successful shoot to date of macro-type subjects with the DP3M. Perhaps it is worth working harder to achieve such results but I either need to invest in a Hoodman (or similar) loupe and possible a ring flash if I am to achieve consistent results.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Fantastic photos, Louis. How close do you have to get before the AF becomes a problem. Is it only a problem in macro mode?
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Fantastic photos, Louis. How close do you have to get before the AF becomes a problem. Is it only a problem in macro mode?
Jorgen

It seems to be a problem, for me, for anything which is in the 0-1.5 metre range. For landscape work, which is nearly always at infinity or over 1.5 metres it works fine.

Thanks for the comment.

LouisB
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Just spotted this review by Ming Thein who has a good reputation amongst, especially, Leica photographers. His conclusion about the DP3M "As it is, this camera challenges the very best of the 35mm full frame DSLRs on image quality; it’s probably better than the previous generation of medium format digital backs, too. And it still beats the current ones on high ISO performance."

Well worth reading.

LouisB
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Almost ready to harvest.



... and just because I think it interesting to see the difference taken with the DP2M...

 

biglouis

Well-known member
Love them both, biglouis. I know you didn't ask, but I'll say I prefer the DP-2 version!
I tend to agree with you as I know from previous experience that a DP2M frame will easily print to 30x20 and I think those wheat stalks would look good.

LouisB
 
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