p.8 #1 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
mpmendenhall wrote:
When you add the DP2M to your cart, Adorama still shows a "*Note: This item is currently back ordered from the Mfr. We have no estimated time of a..." notice.
It changed this morning into
*Note: Please Note! This Item is on the way to our warehouse and is expected in a few days.
Free shipping!
p.8 #6 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Impressive resolution, thats sure.
My only "problems" with Sigma are following (thought about buying SD1M):
1) APS-C
2) noise/banding (and bit of color shift)
3) colors do not work without PP
4) very bad SW
From what I saw, DPs do not have some problems, but colors and SW is same. Its still APS-C (which isnt that much handicap for mirrorless, rather norm). Problem is that its fixed lens (even tho great lens apparently).
Its not bad, just Im not sure that I would like to shoot BW pics on base ISO only. Not mentioning that if you want BW, there are other choices, either more or less expensive..
To put it simply, I would say that resolution is main advantage of current Sigma product and downside is everything else. Seems as not exactly good trade and certainly its not something Sigma couldnt change in future.
Bw. Sigma Pro Photo can crash on PC too. Seems its not much fond of x64 OS (or simply doesnt like my PC setup who knows..). And its incredibly slow...
p.8 #9 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Herb1911 wrote:
And the 100% crops...
100%, no sharpening
Nice photos; thanks for sharing.
One should note, however, that "no sharpening" here means "Sigma's choice of default sharpening," which is apparently considerably more than "none" (i.e. determining the color value at each pixel completely independently of values at surrounding pixels). I see the characteristic single-pixel dark sharpening halos around, e.g., some of the sheep. This doesn't mean the camera/sensor isn't sharp --- that the images can consistently support such detail after sharpening shows that the underlying data is awfully good. In fact, it might look even better with the DPP sharpening turned down and re-sharpened more carefully in other software. Can you post any crops with the DPP sharpening turned down?
p.8 #10 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
All previous images Sigma DP2 Merrill at ISO 100 shot from tripod in raw format.
Converted to 16 bit tiffs in Sigma raw converter without any adjustments.
Imported in Lightroom and processed without any sharpening.
I have not seen any raw files of this quality of any camera / lens combination I have used sofar.
The only drawback for my way of shooting is the very poor battery performance. I am doing around 40 shots
with one fully charged battery. With the most dim screen and all eco settings. Just composing, manual focussing and a short review of correct exposure. My Canon and Sony Nex gear with L, Zeiss and Leica glass is collecting dust.
p.8 #11 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Nice work Herb!
Just got mine today.
Before I was finished fiddling with all the menu settings I had only room to take 16 shots of which half was still in Jpeg mode. I will need a lot of batterys. I am going to buy two more batterys.
But when I got it right, it is right! What an astonishing detail!
I can literally count the bricks of the Rijksmuseum from that distance. (not that I am going to )
Nothing very special yet, but I want you to know the little wonder arrived
p.8 #14 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Herb1911 wrote:
The only drawback for my way of shooting is the very poor battery performance. I am doing around 40 shots
with one fully charged battery. With the most dim screen and all eco settings. Just composing, manual focussing and a short review of correct exposure.
Like going back to 36 film rolls :-)
Good thing with film is that it forces you to think.
p.8 #15 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
wfrank wrote:
Like going back to 36 film rolls :-)
Good thing with film is that it forces you to think.
Very nice b/w.
Exactly what I was thinking after that 16 shots; that I have to be really careful what I photograph. No room for fooling around and wasting shots. You get two batterys but I think you need four.
p.8 #16 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Herb1911 wrote:
Now image raw processed from Sigma raw converter with sharpening at -2.0 (=minimum), the rest as default.
Processed image in Lightroom with sharpening adjusted 45 - 0,7 - 25 - 25.
See what you think.
The LR sharpening certainly emphasizes very fine detail even more than the DPP default. Does it also improve the sharpening halos around the sheep? If so, it should ease the concerns that several posters have expressed over the odd edge artifacts visible in many posted examples.
My only "problems" with Sigma are following :
1) APS-C
2) noise/banding (and bit of color shift)
3) colors do not work without PP
4) very bad SW
a-APS-C with 46mb or more RAW is more than enough.Foveon FF will be about 60mb .
b-With newest SPP 5.3.2 and shoot Raw you can avoid that fenomenon even at iso 100 .With Fine mode be carefull when take Hi-Res while doing landscape with vast horizon, better take Nor or Low -Res.
c-Color with Foveon ,usally not need PP, as well sharpness and contrast if you do the right camera setting and shooting .
d-New SPP 5.3.2 no more crash, it's really improved.
The big shortage when shoot with SD1 Merrill is that very scarce lens to adap with. It now can go along with converted 80mm and up, some normal and wide angle lens may cause vignatting ( angle color shift).Foveon might become a digital sensor of future, it is waiting a deserved optics and digital softwares for camera and PP as well....Show more →
p.8 #20 · Sigma DP2 Merrill: Have any of you tried it?
Thanks Michiel!,
Please note that my posted images sofar are not stitched, just cropped single shots. But I intend to use it soon for stitching three or four vertical shots. I will post here my trials.
mpmendenhall,
I am in the process to find a way to squeeze out the most of the Sigma raw files. It will take some time, but at default
it looks already at least as good as anything else I have used in the past.
The camera works as a fine tool for my needs, with the exception of the really poor battery life. Then again I would not trade it for a camera with lesser quality files and better battery life.
This camera made me realize it will be very difficult for me to go back to sensors with AA filters and even Bayer interpolated files. These Sigma files just look more real, and that is what I like.
One other thing that made this Sigma very clear is that the very good lens is perfectly matched to the sensor.
Now this is a real weak point of almost all other camera / lens combinations that I tried when high resolving power and corner to corner sharpness are important.
)
