Sigma DP1

[Lili]

E-410 compared with DP1

Hope that helps,

Kind Regards

Brian

Brian,
It does indeed help, thank you!
Lili

 

[Sean_Reid]

And by the way...WHAT´S NEXT???
Erik.

Hi Erik,

That's the question I face every morning <G>. Here's what's cooking:

- comments on a pre-production version of an upgraded M8
- the first of two articles on children as photographers
- an essay on B&W photogrpahy
- various Leica and Pentax lens reviews
- reviews of the DP1, Olympus E3 and Nikon D3

Thanks for the comments on the site.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Brian Mosley]

Hi Sean,

thanks for your review site... I'm taking my time reading through them all and really enjoying it. I particularly enjoyed the R1 review - since mine has hardly been used since I got it last year... however I've found that the E-3 in live view mode with the lcd flipped out onto my left wrist allows me the same top-down shooting style so I think my R1's days are numbered.

Here's a shot taken with my E-3 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2 - inspired by your R1 review I used the E-3 waist level...

Have you considered reviewing the Olympus E-410 in a similar class to the DP1?

Keep up the good work!

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[asabet]

Beautiful portrait Brian.

I think the Foveon sensor is pretty impressive with direct to B&W conversions from RAW. At high ISO, the blotchiness seen in color images is largely absent from black and white. Click here to see extremely high ISO images from the Sigma SD14, which has the same sensor as the DP1. Click here to see an SD14 B&W image upres'd to 14MP.

 

[Irenaeus]

Hi, Sean —

Thanks for being interested in seeing my B & W infrared stuff. I'd love to show it to you, but it'll have to be awhile, as none of it is in digital form yet.

Thanks for your interest, which is most encouraging.

Hi, johnastovall —

I was thinking, more prosaically, that there might be some theoretical writings by Blake which I hadn't heard of, rather than of his amazing art.

Your response reminds me of the story about Frank LLoyd Wright, who was asked by a women's group to talk to them on the theme, "What is Art?" He dutifully arrived, made his way to the podium, took a small book from his pocket and, with no words of introduction or explanation, began to read to them the whole of one of Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales. When he'd finished, he closed the book, said, "That, dear Ladies, is Art," and took his seat.

Thanks for being so imaginatively concrete.

Cheers,

Irenaeus

 

[Brian Mosley]

Hi Amin,

thanks for the DP1 links... and yes, the high ISO B&W images do seem to be very impressive indeed - as you say, the noise is very fine grained. It would be excellent to see a comparison with the GRD/II at ISO 3200/6400

The B&W portrait is also very good... unfortunately, I don't think the fixed lens on the DP1 will be well suited to portrait work though... although I can see more of a case for street shooting in B&W given your linked info.

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[Brian Mosley]

Amin, I read on dpreview that the DP1 may suffer from blotchy colour noise at high ISO... I didn't know that - the DP1 looks like it will be a very interesting mix of capabilities / limitations.

I think it will be a camera some people love, and some people hate... i.e. a camera with character! which I like - just a matter of understanding the very specific niche in which it will sing.

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[SimonL]

A slight hijack for one line only:

UK Prices announced at http://www.sigmauser.eu/content/view/189/63/

Dp1 digital camera £549.99

DP1 digital camera with optical viewfinder £599.99

Finder alone £ 84.99

EF 140DG Flashgun £ 44.99

HA-11 Hood Adaptor £ 19.99

SAC-3 AC Adaptor £ 39.99

BC-31 Battery Charger £ 39.99

BP-31 spare battery £ 29.99

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Sean,

thanks for your review site... I'm taking my time reading through them all and really enjoying it. I particularly enjoyed the R1 review - since mine has hardly been used since I got it last year... however I've found that the E-3 in live view mode with the lcd flipped out onto my left wrist allows me the same top-down shooting style so I think my R1's days are numbered.

Here's a shot taken with my E-3 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2 - inspired by your R1 review I used the E-3 waist level...

Have you considered reviewing the Olympus E-410 in a similar class to the DP1?

Keep up the good work!

Kind Regards

Brian

That lens seems to work beautifully on the E-3. The R1 is a very interesting, though largely forgotten, camera, not only for its waist level advantages but also for its almost silent shutter release.

An E-410? Maybe, the E-3 will be first and we'll see from there.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Lili]

That lens seems to work beautifully on the E-3. The R1 is a very interesting, though largely forgotten, camera, not only for its waist level advantages but also for its almost silent shutter release.

An E-410? Maybe, the E-3 will be first and we'll see from there.

Cheers,

Sean

Sean, that is one huge advantage about many of the EVF (as well as our beloved small sensor cameras) cameras; that silent shutter.
I have been hunting an R-1 for some time but they are quite dear in price

 

[Lili]

Brioan,
That is stunning portrait, you are a very effective patron of the Olympus DSLR'S!!!!

 

[Brian Mosley]

I'm hoping that by the time you've done the E-3 there will be an E-420 announced! that would be an even more interesting review...

Good luck with your E-3 review, I'm really looking forward to your insights. Do you have any Leica R lenses you could try with an adapter? Rich Simpson is getting some beautiful results with his... and they're still relatively inexpensive to collect - I must get started with that.

The E-1 has a beautifully quiet shutter release, it's a real shame Olympus couldn't have brought that forward to the E-3.

Kind Regards

Brian

That lens seems to work beautifully on the E-3. The R1 is a very interesting, though largely forgotten, camera, not only for its waist level advantages but also for its almost silent shutter release.

An E-410? Maybe, the E-3 will be first and we'll see from there.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[asabet]

Hi Amin,

thanks for the DP1 links... and yes, the high ISO B&W images do seem to be very impressive indeed - as you say, the noise is very fine grained. It would be excellent to see a comparison with the GRD/II at ISO 3200/6400

Hi Brian, since the GRD II lens is about 1 1/2 stops faster than the Sigma, I'd be very interested in seeing an ISO 800 GRD II image compared to an ISO 800 DP1 image pushed about 1 1/2 stops (~ISO 2400 equivalent) and uprezzed to the GRD II file size. I think the results would be pretty close, though the GRD II files may show more "blotchiness" at those ISOs.

Amin, I read on dpreview that the DP1 may suffer from blotchy colour noise at high ISO... I didn't know that - the DP1 looks like it will be a very interesting mix of capabilities / limitations.

Agree. The Sigma SD14 has the same sensor as the DP1, and it's pretty clear to me that it is susceptible to color blotching at ISO800 and up (and even ISO 400 in some cases). I'd say that the E-410 begins to show blotchy chroma noise at ISO 1600 (similar to the Sigma at ISO 400-800ish), and this process persists in B&W conversions unless heavy chroma NR is employed to the point of destroying detail. With the GRD II, similar blotchiness seems to be apparent in high ISO (ISO 800 and up) files and is also apparent in B&W conversions. The unique thing about the Foveon is that the blotchy chroma noise seen in color high ISO files is largely unseen in the B&W conversions from RAW. The other negative issue worth mentioning with regards to the Foveon is that the color tends to be off in incandescent lighting and is largely unfixable in post (even with RAW). More on that issue here.

I think it will be a camera some people love, and some people hate... i.e. a camera with character! which I like - just a matter of understanding the very specific niche in which it will sing.

Again, I agree. One thing to keep in mind is that this camera is far more compact than an E-410 or M8 without lens and a good bit more compact than a G9. To me, the fact that the Foveon sensor does beautifully in both color and B&W for low ISO in the great majority of lighting conditions and also does well at high ISO for B&W makes it versatile enough to compete strongly against the GRD II if there are no hidden issues.

 

[Otto]

--- snip---The Sigma SD14 has the same sensor as the DP1, and it's pretty clear to me that it is susceptible to color blotching at ISO800 and up (and even ISO 400 in some cases). ---snip---

Amin,

I thought I read somewhere that the sensor was similar to the SD14, and that the software/firmware would be different. Have you seen anything about that?

Other than the high ISO issues, do you think the B&W rendering from the DP1 at low ISO will be as good, or better, than from a Bayer sensor at low ISO?

Thanks,
Otto...

 

[asabet]

Hi Otto,
Everything I have read suggests that the sensors of the DP1 and SD14 are the same, which does not preclude differences in firmware or in-camera processing, or handling by RAW software. It may be that Sigma has redesigned the microlenses, though I've seen no indication of that either. As far as low ISO B&W from the DP1 vs Bayer sensors, I don't have the answer. Clearly not all Bayer sensors are created equal. I'm probably going to pick up a DP1 and do some detailed image quality comparisons between that camera, the GRD II, and the Canon 5D.
Regards,
Amin

 

[bbodine9]

Does anyone know if the DP1 will be able to attach adaptors like the GRDII currently does? Thanks!

 

[Otto]

It's my understanding that the hood is threaded which would allow various after-market converters to be used.

Good shooting,
Otto...

 

[Sean_Reid]

I'm hoping that by the time you've done the E-3 there will be an E-420 announced! that would be an even more interesting review...

Brian

Interesting is in the eyes of the beholder but thanks for the suggestions. The E-420 is not weather-sealed, making the E3 much more interesting to me.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[nostatic]

the 410 isn't weather-sealed. I think Brian is hoping that the yet-to-be-announced 420 will be.

 

[Maggie O]

Amazon says the DP1 ($800) will be available on March 25th.