Commiting to DP2 as Primary Camera, a Couple of Questions

I have had my DP2s for almost a year. I bought it second hand from Ebay and the previous owner had it for about 6 months before he decided it 's not for his taste.

REShultz wrote:

I've just agreed to give away my M43 camera and go with the DP2 as a primary camera with an LX3 as a backup. I will use it for travel photography, environmental portraits, and the occasional landscape shot. I love the focal length and simplicity of the camera. And the files, of course.

I don't think I can use the DP2 as my primary camera. It just too slow and misses too many shots. So I also bought a Fuji X10 to cover the Sigma's shortcomings especially for low light.

Lots of questions though, for anyone who would like to take a crack at one or more!

1. Durability: one poster said that he had two DP1s go bust. Has your DP2 proved to be a durable camera?

So far the camera works fine. I have even used it at the swimming pool and in the desert. I have a JJ retractable lens cap to protect the lens.

2. Speed: I don't shoot moving objects. The fastest I shoot are, for example, people in a street market. Is the DP2 up for this at least?

Yes and no. If you are shooting at running kids, forget it. Relatively static subjects are fine. I have many missed shots for street photography especially when the sky starts getting dark.

3. I'll be shooting some statues similar to those on Easter Island. Do I need to bring a tripod along to keep ISO at 100 and get a good exposure? Would a monopod work, or is that still too unreliable?

Bring a very light weight tripod. I wouldn't bother with a monopod. I 've found images are acceptable up to ISO200. ISO400 is a stretch but required fair amount of post processing. If I need to go beyond that, I switch to black and white in post. For landscape, just shoot with ISO50 or ISO100 and with a tripod. I use my Fuji X10 for handheld.

4. Do you recommend using the lenshood or any particular filters?

Yes, you should consider a JJ retractable lens cap.

Also if you want to slow the shutter speed in broad day light, get the Rainbowimaging variable ND filter. You will need the hood to mount the filter. I use this vari ND filter for waterfalls.

5. Does anyone mind sharing their typical editing settings in LR or SPP 5? I'm thinking of sharpening more than anything.

I mostly use SPP 5.2.1 these days. I haven't tried exporting TIFF to LR4 yet.

6. Is this a 4 megapixel camera or 16? So much disagreement on the net. This one is more from curiosity than anything else.

This is an irrelevant question. I think you need to ask which system has the equivalent resolving power as the Dp2 because you need to consider the lens as part of the equation especially all Bayer cameras except Fuji X-pro1 have AA filters. To my eyes, the DP2s comes very close to my Canon 7D with a 24-70L lens in terms of resolving power. I see more pixel level detail with DP2s output.

7. Any critical advice for this camera not covered here?

Thanks!

Get the fastest SDHC card and at least a couple of extra batteries for your trip. They are relatively cheap these days.