Help please regarding 1st Sigma Merrill camera

tagscuderia wrote:

Hi, I was late to the Foveon party but had always aspired to own one − I didn't really like what I saw on Flickr for the Merrill, so my first Foveon was a dp0 Quattro. I pre-ordered and there were definitely teething issues regards image quality but I loved the images that I was getting; all landscapes, but nearly always with an ND grad because the dynamic range really is poor.

Buying the dp0 drove me to join this forum, where I discovered what the Merrill chip was really capable of. So I bought a DP3M, and haven't looked back . A DP2M or DP3M is what I'd suggest but £500? Somebody is taking the absolute p*ss! They often pop up on eBay in very good condition for £350, so I'd suggest setting up an alert and waiting.

My DP3M is still going strong, no issues whatsoever albeit the SD1M is now my workhorse. Both are proving perfectly reliable − the only issue with the SD1M is that the clock battery has died, so if you don't have a battery with charge in the camera at all times... it looses the time and date. A small nuisance.

P.S. the DPxM cameras are very well built, they'll tolerate the fair level of abuse that comes naturally with landscape photography in the UK. My dp0's top plate was exceedingly prone to moisture ingress, rendering the camera useless until it fully dried out; which once took a week in Scotland!* I was back home before it was usable again. The SD1M is built like a tank, but it's not for everybody.

*it hadn't even left the camera bag, a very soggy day on the Ring of Steall. For what it's worth, the DP3M was sat next to it and was fine.

You hiked THIS?!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GALdMFS44Uo