fordfanjpn
Member
I'm sure that everyone is aware that there are already several people posting reviews and pics from the DP2, so I really don't think it's necessary for me to contribute to the noise level. So this will be my last word on the camera itself. I will of course continue to post pics that I like, and I'd be happy to answer any specific questions if I can, but I do think it's time to get on with what I bought the camera for in the first place.
First the bad. The camera eats batteries, possibly even worse than the DP1, but I'll have to see how it goes in that respect. I managed to drain the first fully-charged battery in only 86 shots. Not good. However, I was using the LCD more than I normally would while I was getting used to the camera, so that may have had some impact on battery life. Fortunately I have a few batteries, so I'm not too concerned.
The LCD is, as far as I can tell, exactly the same as on the DP1. I think this is going to be a problem for people who rely on the LCD for manual focusing. Especially with the lens wide open. Personally, I only use the LCD to change settings or for shooting close ups, and for the latter, I plan on trying to use a loupe for focusing, if it seems to be necessary. Otherwise, I generally keep the LCD turned off.
I did find what may be a bug in the firmware. A few times when activating the Quick Setup menus, all I got was some colored squares on the screen, with no menu items. All I had to do was go back to shooting mode and then reactivate the Quick Menus, but there does seem to be something strange going on there. Not a big deal though, so I'm not worried about it.
One thing that's not the camera's fault is that the new SPP seems to apply a buttload of noise reduction to high ISO shots. Much more than I'd like. And AFAIK, there is no way to control that. Carl Rytterfalk mentions this on his website. This is something I hope Sigma will address in the not-too-distant future. I'm sure that we'll eventually be able to process the DP2 raw files in other converters, but I prefer the results out of SPP, minus the heavy-handed noise reduction.
On the plus side, other than the few little niggles above, I am completely happy with the camera. While it certainly can't compare to a DSLR in terms of speed of performance, I'm finding it to be significantly faster to use than the DP1, and that's all I wanted or expected. The Quick Settings menus make a big difference in ease of operation so it's pretty much no longer necessary to go into the menus themselves once you have the camera set up the way you want it. And the shot-to-shot speed is much better.
Picture quality is excellent, maybe even better than the DP1. And ISO 1600 will be completely usable for me since I intend to shoot primarily for B&W. I know that some people have complained about a green cast, but I'm not seeing that. Maybe those people haven't figure out what WB is. In any case, I have no complaints in that area.
In manual focus mode, the focus dial seems to be tighter and harder to turn accidentally. It is harder to guesstimate focus distance with the lens wide open, but that's a personal problem, and not the camera's fault.
The Voigtlander 40mm viewfinder is working very well for me, and seems to be quite accurate, although I haven't actually tested that to be sure. And the roughly 42mm effective focal length of the new lens seems to suit me quite well.
Overall I am very pleased and excited about this camera and am looking forward to shooting with it from now on. I have temporarily retired the DP1, and found that the Ricoh lens cover that I adapted for the DP1 works perfectly on the DP2, so that's how I'll be carrying it for the most part. I did pick up a couple of the adapter tubes so I can use a protection filter or close up lenses.
I have probably forgotten a few things, but for the most part, I'm happy camper. Now it's time to take some pics.
Bill
First the bad. The camera eats batteries, possibly even worse than the DP1, but I'll have to see how it goes in that respect. I managed to drain the first fully-charged battery in only 86 shots. Not good. However, I was using the LCD more than I normally would while I was getting used to the camera, so that may have had some impact on battery life. Fortunately I have a few batteries, so I'm not too concerned.
The LCD is, as far as I can tell, exactly the same as on the DP1. I think this is going to be a problem for people who rely on the LCD for manual focusing. Especially with the lens wide open. Personally, I only use the LCD to change settings or for shooting close ups, and for the latter, I plan on trying to use a loupe for focusing, if it seems to be necessary. Otherwise, I generally keep the LCD turned off.
I did find what may be a bug in the firmware. A few times when activating the Quick Setup menus, all I got was some colored squares on the screen, with no menu items. All I had to do was go back to shooting mode and then reactivate the Quick Menus, but there does seem to be something strange going on there. Not a big deal though, so I'm not worried about it.
One thing that's not the camera's fault is that the new SPP seems to apply a buttload of noise reduction to high ISO shots. Much more than I'd like. And AFAIK, there is no way to control that. Carl Rytterfalk mentions this on his website. This is something I hope Sigma will address in the not-too-distant future. I'm sure that we'll eventually be able to process the DP2 raw files in other converters, but I prefer the results out of SPP, minus the heavy-handed noise reduction.
On the plus side, other than the few little niggles above, I am completely happy with the camera. While it certainly can't compare to a DSLR in terms of speed of performance, I'm finding it to be significantly faster to use than the DP1, and that's all I wanted or expected. The Quick Settings menus make a big difference in ease of operation so it's pretty much no longer necessary to go into the menus themselves once you have the camera set up the way you want it. And the shot-to-shot speed is much better.
Picture quality is excellent, maybe even better than the DP1. And ISO 1600 will be completely usable for me since I intend to shoot primarily for B&W. I know that some people have complained about a green cast, but I'm not seeing that. Maybe those people haven't figure out what WB is. In any case, I have no complaints in that area.
In manual focus mode, the focus dial seems to be tighter and harder to turn accidentally. It is harder to guesstimate focus distance with the lens wide open, but that's a personal problem, and not the camera's fault.
The Voigtlander 40mm viewfinder is working very well for me, and seems to be quite accurate, although I haven't actually tested that to be sure. And the roughly 42mm effective focal length of the new lens seems to suit me quite well.
Overall I am very pleased and excited about this camera and am looking forward to shooting with it from now on. I have temporarily retired the DP1, and found that the Ricoh lens cover that I adapted for the DP1 works perfectly on the DP2, so that's how I'll be carrying it for the most part. I did pick up a couple of the adapter tubes so I can use a protection filter or close up lenses.
I have probably forgotten a few things, but for the most part, I'm happy camper. Now it's time to take some pics.
Bill