Impressions: DP2M for DP2 owner

So, I've had my DP2 Merrill for a couple of weeks and must admit it took me a while to be comfortable with the big brother - but I'm getting there!

DP2 was my first Foveon and my favorite Foveon, which influences my reaction to the DP2M. I never really liked the colors I got from the DP1s and while I enjoy the SD15 colors, they are quite different.

I eventually had to do some (boring) side-by-side shots between the old and new and that told me quite a bit. First, the LCD of the old model may be pixelized, but its low contrast has an advantage: You get a better impression of the dynamic range you can expect in SPP. In fact, I ended up taking a range of shots with the Merrill when a quick check told me my first try was spot on with the DP2.

Back on the PC, the same exposure of course proved to be correct for both cameras. What wasn't the same was the automatic white balance, with the old model being closer to reality. Switching both to Sunlight reveals that the two are not so different after all.

TIP #1 : Try Sunlight or other relevant preset, don't always trust Auto.

TIP #2 : As you may have heard a few hundred times already, the Sharpness slider in SPP behaves differently with the Merrill. In fact, I think this is a bug, because the in-camera setting applies a sharpness to the JPEG that is closer to what we were used to with the original DP2. Until this is fixed, -2.0 is where you should start.

TIP #3 : Where the DP2 had sharp detail and delicate transitions, the DP2M is more analytical than delicate. I found that turning Shadow to +1.0 or so and Highlight to -1.0 or so was necessary to bring back some of that delicate magic.

There are areas where the DP2 will still beat the DP2M, in particular with very soft brown tones which have a tendency of going all monochrome. But, the few adjustments above gets me close enough to enjoy the strong points of the Merrill. And it has a lot of them:

• If you thought DP2 was sharp wide open, try DP2M at f/2.8

• Responsiveness, 7 photo buffer and usable while saving

• Quicker to turn on/off

• Premium build / perceived quality (enough to make a BMW blush)

• The control wheel is perfect

• 3 custom modes where you can save pretty much any configuration

• Manual focus which takes over where AF last locked (like a DSLR)

• Auto Focus: Speed in daylight and effectiveness in dark (since firmware 1.01)

• Variable Auto ISO (since firmware 1.01)

• Less chroma noise at low ISO

• Better monochrome high ISO (since SPP 5.3.2)

• Takes filters directly on the lens (UV filter vs lens cap..)

Bottom line: The DP2 is easier to get good results with, but DP2M is more fun and the end results can be just as good overall with a bit of tweaking. I don't care about the increased resolution, I have sharp A2 prints from the old model, but I guess more pixels don't hurt either