jaronberman
Active member
This is an incredibly tough camera to classify, not to mention live with. Image quality is top-notch but unfortunately, the camera isn't what it could and should be. It's slow. Painfully slow. If you shoot landscapes and need a camera that can slip into a pocket, then you're in luck. (although you can find much cheaper and more versatile cameras that do that task almost equally well). If you need just about anything else out of a camera, sadly this is not it.
Now before I get jumped on by the mob, understand that there are a number of ways to get the camera so that your actual compose-focus-shoot time is fairly fast. However, this means you'll be using a fully manual camera with buttons and menus to access your settings. If you choose AF or priority exposure, this camera is generations behind even it's cheapest rivals.
MF works quite well, albeit very slowly. The 1:1 focus window works, though getting it on and off is slow and illogical. Perhaps one day sigma can make it work like a rangefinder with a superimposed image focusing system.
Many people (who have either never used or never properly used rangefinders) will say "just treat it like a rangefinder, and you'll love it." This is a fallacy. THIS IS NOT A RANGEFINDER OR RANGEFINDER REPLACEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!! The DP1 does not let you compose focus or set exposure while it's writing to card, which it does slowly on even the fastest cards. There is no optical viewfinder built-in, and the aftermarket finder is pathetic. Holding an f/4 lens at arms length is nothing like holding an f/1.4 to your eye - hand shake will be a problem. At high-iso's (anything 400 and up) the image begins to fall apart.
This is a camera that I want to love, but just has far too many flaws. I am not going to change the subjects that I photograph in order to use this camera (but thanks to all those who suggested it). In response to the groups who are zone-focusing and shooting hyperfocal.... why exactly do you want a dp1 to do that? If deep DOF is the goal (so you don't have to focus), then a camera with a smaller chip will be at an advantage. If the goal is best possible image quality while capturing landscapes, then there are far better options, and most are compact and lightweight.
It can capture a nice image, but then again if you're using it in the very limited situations where it can shine, it's disappointingly close to far lesser cameras (which made me sad after I bought it... Canon G9 looked nearly identical at low ISO, but a bit sharper and quicker to use. 400 iso the Sigma looked much better).
The good news is that a lot of people are buying these... so hopefully it will drive Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, and Ricoh to build the same concept, except correctly.
Problems:
SLOW! Slow operation, slow lens
Illogical menus
Lots of great ideas very poorly executed (MF)
Value for money
Did I mention it's S-L-O-W. It is literally faster to use a 4x5. I timed them using extreme III cards in the sigma and readyloads in my 4x5 (not the fastest back).
Now before I get jumped on by the mob, understand that there are a number of ways to get the camera so that your actual compose-focus-shoot time is fairly fast. However, this means you'll be using a fully manual camera with buttons and menus to access your settings. If you choose AF or priority exposure, this camera is generations behind even it's cheapest rivals.
MF works quite well, albeit very slowly. The 1:1 focus window works, though getting it on and off is slow and illogical. Perhaps one day sigma can make it work like a rangefinder with a superimposed image focusing system.
Many people (who have either never used or never properly used rangefinders) will say "just treat it like a rangefinder, and you'll love it." This is a fallacy. THIS IS NOT A RANGEFINDER OR RANGEFINDER REPLACEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!! The DP1 does not let you compose focus or set exposure while it's writing to card, which it does slowly on even the fastest cards. There is no optical viewfinder built-in, and the aftermarket finder is pathetic. Holding an f/4 lens at arms length is nothing like holding an f/1.4 to your eye - hand shake will be a problem. At high-iso's (anything 400 and up) the image begins to fall apart.
This is a camera that I want to love, but just has far too many flaws. I am not going to change the subjects that I photograph in order to use this camera (but thanks to all those who suggested it). In response to the groups who are zone-focusing and shooting hyperfocal.... why exactly do you want a dp1 to do that? If deep DOF is the goal (so you don't have to focus), then a camera with a smaller chip will be at an advantage. If the goal is best possible image quality while capturing landscapes, then there are far better options, and most are compact and lightweight.
It can capture a nice image, but then again if you're using it in the very limited situations where it can shine, it's disappointingly close to far lesser cameras (which made me sad after I bought it... Canon G9 looked nearly identical at low ISO, but a bit sharper and quicker to use. 400 iso the Sigma looked much better).
The good news is that a lot of people are buying these... so hopefully it will drive Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, and Ricoh to build the same concept, except correctly.
Problems:
SLOW! Slow operation, slow lens
Illogical menus
Lots of great ideas very poorly executed (MF)
Value for money
Did I mention it's S-L-O-W. It is literally faster to use a 4x5. I timed them using extreme III cards in the sigma and readyloads in my 4x5 (not the fastest back).