Sigma DP1 ? at last a digital Minilux ?

I own a minilux since 7 years now, and since then no other camera has replaced

the pleasure I have to look at the print from this little gem. The main

complain is only for the viewfinder which is definitely to small and some user

interface that the CM has apparently solved.

 

 

Since then I bought a Ricoh GRD which I hoped could replace the Minilux. The

user interface is great, the lens seems great, the grain in low light is, ok,

very film-like, but let be honest, the sensor is not a full-frame neither an

APS size and this limits the camera in term of sharpness, high ISO and dynamic

range. A the end the GRD is a very good camera which I carry everywhere but It

hasn't yet replace my Minilux in term of image quality in particular in low

light (at 400 iso the Minilux is still faster than the Ricoh at the same ISO

thanks to the exceptional 40mm lens)

 

 

So then I'm still waiting today that Leica produces a digital Minilux (or CM)

with a good sensor, they prove that for 30% more than an M7 they could produce

a M8, I hope that for, lets say $1500, they should be able to produce a

Minilux/CM with a proper sensor. So far they just stick to rebadged Panasonic

camera which, yes, are pretty good but suffer of the same problem of Ricoh: a

not so good sensor. Lot of mega pixel but that's it.

 

 

And what is the last new from Photokina? Sigma, yes sigma, launchs what all the

aficionados of Minilux, Ricoh GR, Contax T2 (rip), Olympus Mju... were waiting

for years, a compact camera which carry the same captor has its big brother

DSLR.

 

 

Yes in two years this captor will be obsolete, the prints won't be probably as

good as from a Minilux but they will be comparable to what takes the today's

DSLR which is exactly the reason why the owner of those small cameras spent

almost $1000 in a compact : considering print quality, it is comparable in a

small size to what you have for a bigger size.

 

 

Leica, Ricoh, Olympus wake up! You are so much concentrated on the mass market

that you forget the niche markets which are profitable and contributed in the

past on your success!!!

For B&W I don't have any problem with the Ricoh GR-D in terms of "term of sharpness, high

ISO and dynamic range" because I get a film-like (even Tri-X-like) look, as you can see

 

<a href="

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/"><u>here.</u></a>

<p>

--Mitch/Potomac, MD

Unfortunately it is totally crippled by not having a viewfinder or even a hot shoe that would allow one to mount a viewfinder on it. And with a big sensor like that one should be able to get more than 5 (true) megapixels out of it. As it is, Ricoh is still the better camera. But I am sure there will be others soon.

i wish it was faster than f4 but looks good doesn't it?

Well at least things are starting to move in the right direction at last.

If it had an f2 lens, now that would be something. But f4??????

<i>I get a film-like (even Tri-X-like) look, as you can see here.</i><p>

Underexposed, overdeveloped. But that seems to be the norm around here.

The f/4 is the disappointment. It's also a smidgen too wide for me. A 35mm f/2.8 would be

more than enough.

 

I'm also quite surprised at the absence of an accessory shoe - quite a peculiar omission.

very plasticky looking. Looks exactly my 10 year old toys camera. Can't help it sorry.

"very plasticky looking. Looks exactly my 10 year old toys camera. Can't help it sorry."

 

My EOS 1n is "very plasticky looking" but tough as nails.

 

I think that this camera has potential especially if high ISO performance is good. It seems

relatively compact for having such a large lens and sensor system as well.

 

At what looks to be half the size of a typical rangefinder camera, it would fit right into the

same category that other fixed length cameras such as the Minolta TC-1 (which

incidentally has an only slightly brighter 28mm lens), Nikon 28Ti, etc.

 

It's too bad it doesn't have a shoe on it though.

>It's too bad it doesn't have a shoe on it though.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but it probaby wouldn't be too difficult to epoxy a hotshoe

Rube Goldberg style to the top of it and use a Voigtlander 28mm finder...

 

But what is a shame is the f4 lens.

F/4.0 pretty much killed this for me.

The important thing is not whether you would buy it (of course you won't! It is a Sigma and plastic and f/4 and has no VF) BUT the direction this indicates. (as someone already pointed out)

 

Wait until next time.

 

First Ricoh resurrect the GR1 in the form of the GR Digital and now Sigma with a fixed focal length and much larger sensor.

 

Remember there was always a market for the CM/Minilux/T2/T3/GR1/35ti/Hexar-AF/Rollei-35s type of quality build, quality lensed P&S with some manual controls.

 

Sigma may have produced an ugly, plastic, slow lensed camera with no optical VF or hotshoe but in its own little way it is quite a radical departure for a mainstream Japanese company.

 

Lets hope when the version with a good 35/2 lens, hotshoe, optical VF, quality build and filter thread and APS-C CMOS arrives it has a Leica badge and not Canon or Nikon or Zeiss or Olympus :-)

QUOTE - Unfortunately it is totally crippled by not having a viewfinder or even a hot shoe that would allow one to mount a viewfinder on it. And with a big sensor like that one should be able to get more than 5 (true) megapixels out of it. As it is, Ricoh is still the better camera. But I am sure there will be others soon.

 

 

Fantastic reply! Condemned to death without even seeing a single shot fired in anger.

I am just back from a Caribbean cruise. When I went ashore, I took my LX-with me. I would

have liked having a viewfinder. Wearing polarized sun glasses made some shooting tough.

Indoors, the lack of view finder slowed me down.

 

I myself would love having a compact with a 28-100 FOV, and a 2.8-4.0 aperture - and an

APS-C sensor, with RAW format capability.