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| Brand: Sigma
Category: Photography
List Price: $899.99
Buy New: $671.83
You Save: $228.16 (25%)
New (8) from $659.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Monitor Size: 250
Optical Zoom: 1
Digital Zoom: 3
Connectivity: AV
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 16.6
Minimum Focal Length: 16.6
Maximum Resolution: 14
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 5.4 x 3.5
MPN: DP1
Model: DP1
UPC: 085126924997
EAN: 0085126924997
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 ALMOST a perfect compact April 14, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have had this camera for 3 weeks now and have taken it on flights all over the Asia region - the form factor means it slips into my briefcase easily and is truly portable. The images taken in bright sunlight are truly STUNNING - clear, sharp and with fantastic color. The lens is especially good showing sharpness from edge to edge. The sensor obviously delivers smoothly graduated and vibrant color - the results speak for themselves. However it is not all good. The fixed lens while good is a little too wide for general use IMHO, so it forces some real discipline onto your photos. Maybe a 50mm would have been better. It is a little slow to focus and sometimes just seems to get confused into doing nothing - which is strange. The low light results actually seem quite pedestrian compared to the truly spectacular bright light results. Added to all of this, it seems that the "non-Bayer" sensor means that few RAW converters (in my case Apple Aperture)can work with the RAW files it makes - so you need to use the very odd SPP software that comes with the camera. So in summary I will use this when the light is good and the colors work well, and just work around it's limitations. I recommend this as an alternative to an SLR. The results is produces can be and are amazing, once you work within its capabilities.
Fantastic image! April 25, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
This camera has the best image quality in a compact body out of all the compact cameras in the market today. Yes, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the other small cameras but for people who are serious about photography, image quality comes first.
Would I like it to be faster, have face recognition, better button layout, higher resolution screen, etc? Sure, but I sure wouldn't be willing to sacrifice image quality in order to get it. I know many point & shoot users would. This is NOT a camera for those folks.
This is a thinking person's camera. You have to use your brain to figure out what aperture, speed, ISO, DOF, etc. to get professional photos out of it. Of course the camera can also help but it's not the quickest in focusing. Hopefully, future updates to the firmware will address some of the shortcomings.
For those of you who want to learn about photography, this is the perfect camera for you also. It's the perfect camera to learn since it gets you to think about the settings before you take the shot.
One other comment I would like to make is on the Foveon sensor. It does have a unique image signature that's very different from the Bayer sensor cameras. Just as Leicas had a different film signature in the old days with film. The DP1 has a 3 dimensional accurate color reproduction that's hard to describe. You'll have to see the samples for yourself.
Sigma creates a winner! June 2, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
After 3 weeks of using this camera (and tons of research), I am very impressed. The image quality is far superior than any other point & shoot camera, and IMO better than most DLSRs. I've even seen the DP1 create better photos than a $4500 Canon setup and a $2500 Olympus set up.
But even if other companies started putting larger sensors into small bodies, I would still buy another Sigma. Why? Because of the Foveon sensor!
I was almost discouraged from buying this camera due to many of the negative comments about poor speed and lack of features. Now I am very happy that I went ahead and bought the Sigma DP1.
I understand some customer disastisfaction with the slower in-camera image processing speed, limit of rapid fire shots, and lack of face/smile recognition. Yes, this camera is lacking some of the modern bells and whistles of the digital camera age. Rather than a major con, however, I see it as something positive.
This camera forces the photographer to slow his itchy trigger finger and be present with the subject. Being forced to slow down returns the photographer to the simple beauty of photography. The fine details of the subject and the camera settings become important again. The removal of "auto-everything" features restore the magic of photography and imbue the photos with individual personality.
The Foveon sensor is simply amazing. When compared to every other Bayer-sensored DSLR (Canon, Nikon, etc), the over-saturated cartoonishly fake colors become very apparent. Foveon sensors capture real color, while Bayer sensors guesstimate colors with mathematics. In this age of simulated reality (TV shows, Hollywood blockbusters, XBox 360), the DP1 may seem a bit out of place. But I prefer to capture the natural beauty of our lovely world and not some artificial reconstruction.
If you want a simple and authentic camera, then the Sigma DP1 may very well be for you. I've read a few stories of loyal film photographers finally taking the plunge to digital with the DP1, and being very pleased.
However, if you want to shoot 1,000 photos of your son's soccer game and skip the post processing, then go with another brand. You may get frustrated with the patience and peace of using such a simple camera.
But you'll miss the amazing photos!
Poor mans Leica M8 May 28, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I am a professional photographer using Nikon's D300 and D3 for portraiture and weddings. These are both super cameras that have been a boon to my business. However, like all modern SLRs they are big, heavy, noisy and the automation works for most everything. I came to photography when cameras were much simpler and actually required a knowledge of how a camera works. I am glad I did, as to use the DP1 to its full advantage you must know what you are doing.
Photography is a passion even in my off time and I wanted something light, small, and quiet for the candids of life that I would always have with me. The poor image quality, control, and responsiveness of compacts was not what I was looking for. I briefly considered the M8 but for a non-money making "fun" camera it was way too much to spend. The DP1 filled the bill for me.
Why? You will read complaints about slowness. If you are a point and shooter, that is correct, and you should avoid this camera.
However, if you are a photographer read on. During my research I read an article written by a Leica user that said he was always ready to shoot by having his camera prefocused and ready to go. That is the best way to use the DP1 also. Use manual focus and the correct aperture for your expected depth of focus needs. Unlike any other compact camera you can both turn off the lcd and the sleep mode and walk around with the camera ready to shot in an instant. Of course with the lcd off you will need the optional viewfinder.
I normally shoot in A mode and the controls allow fast changes to aperture and exposure compensation, something else no other compact camera does.
The image quality at ISO 100 is astounding and loses some quality as it goes up to ISO 800. 800 is somewhat disappointing as color saturation drops off dramatically.
Yes it is slow for point and shooters and has a lousy lcd but if that is sacrifices Sigma had to make for a superior image from a compact camera at this price point its fine with me. I am having a blast with this camera as it opens up a whole new world of image possibilities. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a photography style that suits a M8 but does not want to spend a fortune for the tool to do it with. Its not a M8 of course but a bargain in comparison.
Thoughts on the DP-1 June 15, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The DP-1 has been widely reviewed and lambasted, so I will keep my comments to my findings and experience with this camera. Upon opening the box I was impressed with the solid, yet compact, feel of the DP-1. It feels well made and constructed with high quality materials. Fits the hand nicely, though somewhat slippery.
The lens is not completely housed within the camera body, so that while it's a compact design this isn't truly a pocket camera, unless you wear cargo pants. This camera really wants to be carried in a pouch, a small waist bag or a purse or backpack.
Once you turn it on your greeted by a fairly bright and large LCD, some have complained of loss of detail in bright light. I find that the LCD is about what you'd expect from most cameras, it's utility is degraded in bright light. The Sub-menu structure is somewhat involved, with different options presented depending on the setting the main dial is on. This can make on the fly changes somewhat difficult, and requires that you experiment, practice and set the camera to one major setting (Program, Aperture priority, etc) during a shoot, making small adjustments within it as you go (ISO, focus, etc).
This lens really sings, it's got wonderful IQ, the images captured are sharp, brilliant and extremely vivd. I don't miss the ability to zoom, though with this kind of lens it would be nice.
Good feedback from all the dials and buttons, though some of them require reviewing the manual to understand their use.
Overall findings
Pros:
Easy to use (with the caveats listed below)
Great lens IQ
Great, vivid image capture
Small size makes it easy to shoot daily
Full manual control of the photographic process
Cons:
Short battery life, if shooting with LCD and flash
F4.0 lens can lead to long exposure times and some difficulty in capturing images in low light
Menu layout is not intuitive and varies with settings
Unable to quickly change essential settings quickly
Image format not yet natively accepted by Aperture, requiring saving multiple file copies.
Autofocus can be very slow
Slow image write times to card
Overall impression:
This is not your typical P&S camera, nor should it be purchased by amateurs that desire quick P&S type function.
For the serious amateur or professional who wants a small format, excellent digital capture camera the DP-1 can quickly become an important piece of equipment.
The images are really beautiful and can easily match those of prosumer DSLRs.
This is a great V1 implementation of a larger sensor in a small camera. Hopefully V2 will be even better.
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