Owned for 3 months now & I love this camera but it is by no means perfect (no camera is!). Firstly the image quality is superb, dynamic range is incredible, as is the detail recorded, I hesitate to say it but almost on a par with my Canon 5D with "L" lenses. Images suck you in, the combination of the sharp prime lens & DSLR size Foveon sensor produces dream-like images. ISO 50 is like looking through a window, 100 -,200 & 400 easily useable but 800 is strictly for B&W. The Sigma software is ok (it does a good job) but I prefer Lightroom & the raw files size-up massively without any degradation (don't ask me how, I don't care how, all I know is the results look amazing in print). The DP1 is not a P&S and shouldn't be viewed as such, it's quirky but very rewarding. It's not a pocketable SLR more a pocketable 10x8 (you're not gonna get grab shots with it). The fixed lens makes you think about composition & the slow write speeds mean you think about metering & exposure before pressing the shutter. Build quality is excellent, the body feels solid but not heavy, although the catch has broken in the SD card slot so mine's gone back to Sigma for repairs (missing it badly!). This camera is old school, it will take you back to the days of film, no instant gratification, you've got to take your time, enjoy it! I have no allegiance to Sigma/Foveon (or any camera manufacturer), it may seem that I'm overly critical to some or overly complimentary to others but this is just my experience with this particular camera, I love it so much I've actually bothered to write a review!
Problems:
Like all cameras it has limitations, start-up is slow & you have to remember to take off the lens cap. AF is slow (anything moving is gone before the AF locks), jpegs are ordinary and the raw write-speeds are pedestrian. Once you've pressed the shutter, the camera locks up for a few seconds but you can shoot a burst just put the kettle on afterwards while you wait for 3 raw files to write to the card. Battery life is poor & why is there no viewfinder!! LCD is poor & histogram only available in playback. If you shoot into a direct light source the flare is bizarre (red-grid flare) and there are definite WB issues and a green colour cast. F4 lens and a max ISO of 800 means low-light grab-shots are out of the question. My advice, learn to work within the those limitations. Update the firmware, set-up the zoom buttons for ISO/AF point or WB etc (however you work), learn to use manual, aperture & shutter priority (it's not a P&S). Using MF wheel cuts down the shutter/AF lag & setting the WB reduces colour cast & write times (or that's just my imagination). Carry a mini tripod (£2 Tesco job does the trick!) & use 2 sec timer for long exposures, get spare batteries. Get a viewfinder as holding it against the face helps reduce camera shake and hence lets you use a shorter shutter speed. I also got the small grip attachment available on the internet which made holding the camera a joy. Like I say I love this camera but it's not for everyone so know what you're buying and whether it's what you're looking for.
Problems:
Like all cameras it has limitations, start-up is slow & you have to remember to take off the lens cap. AF is slow (anything moving is gone before the AF locks), jpegs are ordinary and the raw write-speeds are pedestrian. Once you've pressed the shutter, the camera locks up for a few seconds but you can shoot a burst just put the kettle on afterwards while you wait for 3 raw files to write to the card. Battery life is poor & why is there no viewfinder!! LCD is poor & histogram only available in playback. If you shoot into a direct light source the flare is bizarre (red-grid flare) and there are definite WB issues and a green colour cast. F4 lens and a max ISO of 800 means low-light grab-shots are out of the question. My advice, learn to work within the those limitations. Update the firmware, set-up the zoom buttons for ISO/AF point or WB etc (however you work), learn to use manual, aperture & shutter priority (it's not a P&S). Using MF wheel cuts down the shutter/AF lag & setting the WB reduces colour cast & write times (or that's just my imagination). Carry a mini tripod (£2 Tesco job does the trick!) & use 2 sec timer for long exposures, get spare batteries. Get a viewfinder as holding it against the face helps reduce camera shake and hence lets you use a shorter shutter speed. I also got the small grip attachment available on the internet which made holding the camera a joy. Like I say I love this camera but it's not for everyone so know what you're buying and whether it's what you're looking for.