Help please regarding 1st Sigma Merrill camera

idomybest wrote:

I would only be shooting at F8 or F11 whichever give the best sharpness so that might be OK.

The peak resolution and contrast for Merrills is f4-5.6 depending on the lens. f8 is also fine as little diffraction is noticeable, but by f11 it is and is not recommended for best IQ.

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

The Merrills and Quattros have different qualities and after some years i want to stay with both. The Merrills have less resolution for technical details but for nature i prefer them. Also the tonalality of red is significant different for the Merrills and the older, lower resolution sensors. The Quattro are surprisingly closer to the Bayers but i think it is because of the X3F color processing is different. I am unhappy that there is less control than in other RAW converters. With SPP i am not able to match Merrill and Quattro as with Nikon to Sony for instance.

The SD1M AF is unrealible. The AF modul below the mirror box is simply not performing good enough for the high resolution APS-C Merrils sensor. If you adjust, first time possible in a Sigma DSLR, you match for close but not for far with some lenses. Some other lenses ar ok with a single adjust. The built quality of the SD1M is the best of all DSLRs i got in my hand. But the functionality is basic, simply and useable.

The DP0 Quattro have the smallest and sharpest 21mm-FF-equivalent lens. At the corners it is better than the

Tokina Firin 2.0/20mm @ Sony A7M2

Sigma 4.0-5.6/12-24mm (last nonArt) @ Sony A7M2

Sigma 4.0-5.6/8-16mm @ SD Quattro

Samyang 2.0/12mm @ Sony Nex-6

To avoid a costly disappointment with Sigma cameras i suggest you to start with a SD Quattro around 500 with a cheap 1.4/30mm or a M42 lens with an adapter. If you see a quality in your result you are on a good path. If you are only in resolution and  looking also for versatility a Sony A7R2 for about 1200 is less risky to buy and sell.

idomybest wrote:

That's great thank you to everyone who has responded, the information has been really useful I appreciate all the effort that has gone in to writing such helpful posts.

It seems like there are not many of these Merrill cameras about or users are keeping hold of them as the prices appear to be rising. It's a bit hard to know what to do as they are quite old so are more likely to break (even though as tagscuderia says they are very well made) and no-one seems to fix them anymore.

As Dryce, tagscuderia and Lukacs85 has indicated the DP0 Quattro is very good but not a Merrill in its build or keepers - it is a similar(ish) price more versatile and I get one new with a 2 year guarantee.

I guess the SD Quattro is the same sensor I do like the look of it and maybe I could use some of my manual Nikon f mount lenses with it - wish it was full frame though!

It was great to get such balanced views on the cameras strengths and weaknesses and mike earussi tips on the best lenses, info on the software from xpatUSA so thanks again to everyone for your help.

When I have decided what to do "I'll be back".......................

This forum is great! So many helpful people.

I own the dp2 Merrill, dp3 Merrill and dp3 Quattro (and also a pre-Merrill dp2). I sold the Quattro because it was "Bayer Like" in its rendering, but it has its own thing going on that I like, so I bought it again.

The Merrill is the "micro-contrast" beast - and it's arguable whether or not this is an "effect" or not.

The Quattro has a smoother rendering. IMO it's a bit more "filmic" than a Bayer sensor (less interpolation, especially in areas of low contrast such as strands of hair).

I have an extensive(ish) writeup of Bayer vs Merrill vs Quattro (vs. X-Trans) here:

https://medium.com/ice-cream-geometry/an-ode-to-the-sigma-merrill-506dd0864169

IMO the "bayer blur" you get from the Quattro can be reduced considerably by also exporting a monochrome image from SPP and using it as a luminosity layer in Photoshop. Suddenly edges get sharp & it looks great in a "not Merrill microcontrast, but not Bayer blur either" way that to my eyes at least is the best of both worlds.

Personally - I'm interested in getting the sd Quattro H and a good zoom lens to use as a versatile carry around camera (the other option is to get the dp1 Merrill and carry all 3 Merrills around).

Aye, I’ve also done it in winter, battling 60mph winds; not recommended, very sketchy, the stupidity of youth!! It’s a very straightforward walk, a big day out though, as most in Scotland are.