best version of SPP for dp2s images?

I have a dp2s, and was wondering what version of Sigma photo pro is best to use for dp1s/dp2s image processing.  I have recently updated version 4 to version 6, but 6 seems to crash frequently.  A few questions

1) do the more recent versions of photo pro add any features or improve usability, or do most of the changes in the recent versions have to do with processing the Merrill and Quattro files?

2) Given I will only be processing dp2s files, any insight on what version of sigma photo pro would be the best to use?  I have no plans to upgrade to a Merrill or Quattro, I really like the small size of the dp2s for hiking and am happy with the images it produces.

There are really only two choices: SPP version 3.5.2 or SPP version 4.2.2

Later versions of SPP produce the same output for the DP2/DP2s/DP2x as version 4.2.2, so you can use them but they provide no advantage in terms of image quality.

For ISO 50, 100 and 200 there is no difference between 3.5.2. and 4.2.2.

For ISO 400 and above SPP 4.2.2. produces more satured colors than 3.5.2 but also introduces a mild green cast as greens are pushed. In black and white mode SPP 4.2.2 applies very strong noise reduction and therefore the resulting images look very digital whereas SPP 3.5.2 looks like a traditional "grainy" black and white film. With SPP 3.5.2 you can easily use the DP2s in black and white at ISO 1600 and results still looks good!

So if you do a lot of color photography at ISO 400 then I would recommend SPP 4.2.2., otherwise I would strongly suggest to use SPP version 3.5.2 as I do.

This allows to you get great images at low ISO (the natural playground of the DP2) and also to get the nice high-iso b&w that you don't get with any SPP later than 3.5.2. Also, you will get very nice ISO 400 color images with version 3.5.2. simply by increasing saturation a little bit and switching to landscape mode if you think greens are lacking.

I just posted these DP2 images:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57489565

My DP2 came out a little bit earlier than your DP2s (about 18 months earlier if I read the DPR listing correctly).

I had 1.5 hours while waiting for car maintenance and it was a beautiful day so I took my DP2 with me.

I used SPP 6.3.2 to process these images. Seems to work very very well. Cropping and some small tweaking was done in Photoshop Elements 13.

I believe Sigma has said the new versions of SPP have exactly the same support as was found in earlier versions but I haven't tried the earlier versions so I can't be sure this is true. I like the results I am getting from SPP 6.3.2. It is also the version easiest to find because you get it directly from the Sigma website for free.

http://www.stv.ee/~donq/sigma/s/sigma-spp352-setup.exe

Especially for high ISO bw (say at 800 or 1600) SPP 3.5.2 really is the preferred choice - the difference to later SPP versions is quite dramatic.

allineedislight wrote:

http://www.stv.ee/~donq/sigma/s/sigma-spp352-setup.exe

Especially for high ISO bw (say at 800 or 1600) SPP 3.5.2 really is the preferred choice - the difference to later SPP versions is quite dramatic.

I hoped they fixed it in later versions. Five or so years passed, I still remember the shock when I saw how they destroyed that beautiful grainy rendition. What a shame.

Hello,

I had a similar query, as i was not sure if Sigma Photo Pro HAD to be updated on my PC with every new release. Since i use the SD14 and the DP2S and the change logs had no mention of anything remotely connected to these cameras...i was always in doubt.

I therefore wrote in to Sigma USA with my query. In reply, i was told to stay updated to the current version.

I guess the people making this stuff know better. End of story.

Perhaps you can also do the same, write in to Sigma direct and ask them about it. Do share your insight if you do go about it!

Regards,

Sattva.

I therefore wrote in to Sigma USA with my query. In reply, i was told to stay updated to the current version.

I guess the people making this stuff know better. End of story.

of course Sigma want you to update to the latest version, because this is what they support.

however, for first generation DP users and for SD14/SD15 user there is absolutely no advantage of using SPP series 5 or 6, unless you also like to develop Merrill or Quattro raw files.

In fact I did the test and developed DP2 raw files in various versions of SPP - with the same settings you get *exactly* the same JPG file (with 100% identical byte count) in low iso (until 200).

and for high-iso (400 and above) it is a matter of taste whether you prefer series 3 or series 4 renderings. For that I trust my eyes and prefer the SPP 3.5.2 b&w any day over the SPP 4 bw "smearing".

but if you never use ISO 400 and above anyway it doesn't really matter... except that SPP 3.5.2. is very speedy I guess it is because it is so slim?

dr.noise wrote:

allineedislight wrote:

http://www.stv.ee/~donq/sigma/s/sigma-spp352-setup.exe

Especially for high ISO bw (say at 800 or 1600) SPP 3.5.2 really is the preferred choice - the difference to later SPP versions is quite dramatic.

I hoped they fixed it in later versions. Five or so years passed, I still remember the shock when I saw how they destroyed that beautiful grainy rendition. What a shame.

Thanks for the link! I downloaded and installed SPP3.5.2, compared with SPP6.3.3. Both run well on my windows 10 laptop. Only problem I have is that the SPP3.5.2 exposure warning does not work. It works well on SPP6.3.3.

But what a difference!

Classic DP2 ISO 1600 files, converted to Monochrome in SPP, show much better image quality and more grain in SPP3.5.2. In SPP6.3.3, there is a fuzzy halo around the highlights, even with NR set to minimum, completely messing up these areas of the image.

I'm going to have to do a good comparison between the two versions of SPP, and put up a side-by-side image, but the two versions of SPP do far different things to the file so this might take a while.

I have two directories for these DP2 raws, one for SPP6.3.3 and one for SPP3.5.2, so the raws will not get cross-contaminated.  EDIT: both directories were loaded directly from the SD card, so I know they are pristine.  Camera firmware is 1.05 (the latest for the DP2).

At this point I really like SPP3.5.2 for high iso DP2 monochrome.

Yes, the high-iso black and white is really good in SPP 3.5.2! And it also prints very well.  Somehow I think it looks like pushed Tri-X film (not that I actually have used that

Re exposure warning - this works differently in this version of SPP compared with later ones. In order to see the clipping in the indidual channels you need to explicitly select the respective color, e.g. red. Otherwise you only get the warning for the overall intensity.

Here are a couple of comparisons.

These are 100% crops, without resizing.

The color shot at ISO 50 turned out just about identical, but I had to slightly tweak SPP 6.3.3 contrast and exposure to brighten it up slightly to match SPP 3.5.2.  In SPP 6.3.3 the settings for noise reduction were grayed out, and of course SPP 3.5.2 has no noise reduction sliders to adjust.

The monochrome shot at ISO 1600 has all SPP settings at zero, and neutral color, with white balance set to Monochrome.  In SPP 6.3.3 I set noise reduction to minimum.  Again, SPP 3.5.2 has no noise reduction sliders to adjust.  To me, grain looks better in SPP 3.5.2.

In my gallery you can download full res as posted.