Sigma DP1 - First Impressions

I was in Japan last week and tried out two examples of the Sigma DP-1 in two

different camera stores. Why two? I could not believe my eyes when I tried the

first one, so I went to another shop to check a second example. I have been

waiting for this camera, or something like it, for a long time. A small

digital camera with a large sensor and high quality fixed focal length wide

angle lens would be a perfect travel camera for times when a DSLR is just too

big and heavy to take along. I used to carry a Fuji GA645 fixed lens auto

focus medium format camera for this type of use and now have a Ricoh GRD,

which is good, responsive and user friendly, but has a small sensor and thus

suffers from noise. I had high expectations for the DP-1 and I had set aside

the money to buy it (about 90,000 yen or a bit less than USD900). But I didn?t

buy it. Here are my first impressions of the camera and explanations why I at

least will continue to wait for something else.

 

The camera is housed in a hefty metal body, it feels solid and well made. It

is a bit ?square? with no rounded edges, no handgrip and no rubbery surfaces

either. There are some knurled metal parts that help with a more secure grip,

but this could be a bit slippery with sweaty hands, and cold in the winter.

The buttons and wheel at the top are similarly high quality metal-like finish.

The buttons at the rear are plastic and protrude quite far out, making it easy

to press some by accident. There is one control wheel at the top rear of the

camera. It turns very easily with no detents and very little resistance. It

seems to be dedicated to manual focus only. How often one needs to set focus

manually in a camera like this? And since the wheel turns almost by itself, it

cannot be used to preset a 3-5m ?hyperfocal? distance and then forgetting

about it. As it is, I find this control wheel next to useless. Aperture needs

to be set with the L-R buttons at the rear of the camera, but they are not

easily accessible with the same hand when the camera is held in right hand. In

manual mode, after setting the aperture, one needs to press another button

first to dedicate the L-R buttons to shutter speed. There are not many

dedicated buttons for other settings either. ISO needs to be set from a menu.

White balance also. There is a button for selecting manual focus, another for

AE lock and that is just about it. Ricoh GRD has two wheels, one for aperture

and one for shutter speed. The rear wheel can also be programmed to bring up

with one press a quick selection of ISO, white balance, focus, exposure

compensation, image size etc. adjustment. Very convenient.

 

This is not a very small camera. The lens protrudes more than half an inch

(2cm) even when retracted, and comes out about 2 inches (5cm) when in use. The

lens is not self-capping and has no threads for filter or lens hood. The front

lens element extends all the way to the front of the lens barrel making it

quite scratch prone. Ricoh GRD has an automatic ?shutter cap? in front of the

lens that also acts as a narrow lens hood as the lens barrel extends couple of

millimeters forward from the front element. Separate accessory is available to

fit a lens hood on the DP-1, similar to the one on offer for GRD and what is

available also for the Canon G9 from a third party manufacturer. Of course,

this makes the camera much bigger. I like a small camera to stay small, so I

basically hate these large bulging accessories. But for the DP-1, I would

consider it an essential accessory to protect the lens from both stray light

and physical damage.

 

The DP1 has a hot shoe in the top, very similarly placed as in GRD. Same

separate viewfinder can be used and Sigma has its own version, slightly larger

than the new small Ricoh one and a bit cheaper. I did not try the Sigma

viewfinder since I already have one for the GRD. The camera has two strap

lugs, one at each end. Ricoh has three, which gives more options on how to

carry it, vertically, horizontally, or with a wrist strap at the bottom right

corner of the camera. DP1 has a tripod screw that is in the optical line of

the lens, an improvement over the GRD?s corner placed tripod fitting.

 

But how does it take pictures? Very slowly, unfortunately. All these small

digicams are slow, but I found the DP-1 to be the most unresponsive camera I

have ever handled. When you half-press the shutter button, it locks the focus.

Unfortunately, it also locks the screen for about a second when focusing. A

person can move right across the screen while the camera is focusing and the

screen shows a still image for all that time! A second or so later, the image

becomes ?live? again and a small rectangle shows the focusing point. It may

work faster in manual focus, but this is pathetic. Like I said, I have never

seen a camera that operates so slowly and in such irritating manner. It would

be okay for still life and landscapes, I suppose, but nothing else. To make

matters worse, the speed does not increase at all when you fully press the

shutter button to capture an image. I set the camera to record best quality

jpegs and it took about 3-4 seconds to write each JPG image file on the card!

The camera was locked up until it had finished writing. It seems to shoot RAW

and jpeg images at more or less the same slow rate. Ricoh, and all other small

digicams, are slow when writing RAW files, but very fast with jpegs. I have

not seen a camera that is this slow in writing jpegs, at least not in the past

ten years. It is supposed to shoot faster in continuous mode, but I never use

continuous mode so I did not even think of trying it. Slow speed can be okay

for landscapes, but even then there is sometimes a need to shoot a few frames

in quick succession, a boat moving across an image of a lake for example, a

person walking or standing in a certain position. Often a better image

presents itself a second later. With this camera you are out of luck. It is a

bit like a view camera. But not with the same image quality.

 

With an F/4 lens this camera would not be a speed demon even if the large

sensor allowed for fast ISO speeds. The highest speed I could set it was

ISO800. Strange, even Ricoh GRD goes to 1600 with its diminutive sensor. I

took some reference images. On hindsight, I should have saved them on my own

card to compare them on big screen or in prints. Didn?t think of it at the

time. What I did was to set both cameras on ISO800 and take the same image on

my GRD and the DP1 and then compare under exposed areas of the images side by

side on the rear screens under same, maximum enlargement. There was very

little to differentiate the images. If anything, the DP-1 files seemed to have

more noise than the GRD images, especially blue blotches here and there. Both

were not pretty. I was very surprised to see this much noise from a

significantly larger sensor. I am sure the noise can be reduced in software. I

am sure it is better at low ISOs. Maybe it is not really as bad as it seemed

in my simple comparison. The GRD makes good clean low ISO images with its tiny

sensor and is usable, at least in b/w, at all ISO speeds.

 

As I said in the beginning, I really wanted to like this camera. When I walked

into the shop, I had set my mind to buy it, even with some limitations. But I

did not expect such an unresponsive, user unfriendly camera. I might still

have bought it if I had seen a clear improvement over the GRD in high ISO

speed noise. But alas, it was not there, at least not in my test images.

I just heard the news that Olympus has introduced a small 2.8/25mm pancake

lens for the 4/3 system. I will buy it, while hoping that Olympus or

Panasonic/Leica will make a small, non-SLR body to use it with. Until then, I

will use it as my light travel lens on my E-500. I only wish it was wider than

the 50 equivalent, but life is full of compromises. In case of DP-1, I found

the compromises to be too much for me to accept.

 

DISCLAIMER: This was just a very simple, quick review, not a test. I merely

wanted to try it before I buy it. I did not read the manual. I did not go

through all the menu options in detail. Maybe the rear wheel can be used for

other purposes. Maybe there are some settings in the camera that make it more

responsive or give better image quality. For all I know, the sample cameras I

tried may have been set up all wrong by previous users. I may still buy it if

this turns out to be the case. This is a new camera that many people have

waited. It may not be easy for some people to see and try before buying. That

is why I post this short review that only tells my own experience and

conclusions. My advice: Do try it before you buy and make up your own mind.

 

It is always interesting to read other's experiences. I am also interested in the DP1, and so far I have read many different opinions. For example, one user says he likes the manual focus interface, using the rear wheel, so experiences differ.

 

Regarding noise, I also read that you should not evaluate the images on screen, because the screen makes them look "coarser" then what they really are. So if you analyse the images in your PC, or printed, I think the results would be better. I have used a GRD and GX100 in the past, and at ISO 800, the images have a not very nice aspect, to put it mildly. As for RAW speeds, the fastest digicam I have used is the G9, it writes a RAW file in under 1 second, with no freezes whatsoever. Very nice.

 

It will be interesting to see more users opinions, but I agree with you when you say that the GRD interface is basically perfect for a small digicam. Actually, the two-wheel approach is inherited from the film GR1 series, and is very nice to use.

I am sure the image quality is better than my very simple comparison suggests. Sometimes the image that is shown on the screen is not even the actual captured image but a small thumb file. And I am not really that interested in high ISO performance. For film, the alternatives would be ISO50 or ISO100 Velvia od Provia, or maybe 400CN or Tri-X black and white.

 

The rear wheel would not be so bad if it really could be used for setting other things than just distance, and if it had a bit more tactile feel. In the two examples I tried, it was either very loose or just loose. In both cases, much worse than either of the two wheels in my GRD.

I had the chance to use the DP-1 for some time (Disclaimer: I took some sample images

that Sigma used but do not work for Sigma), and I found the manual focus to be one of

the best features of the camera. The focus wheel allows for the same degree of control

you have in a lens - which is why it has no indents, and travels only as far as the focal

range (just like a lens focus ring), and thus cannot be used for any other controls. In

manual mode you can also magnify the portion of the screen where your focal point is set

by pressing the bottom right button, which allows for fine focus adjustment and makes

using manual focus actually quite practical and easy, an experience I've not had in any

other compact camera where the LCD makes it just a bit hard to judge the exact point of

focus.

<p>

As noted at higher ISO the screen should not be used to evaluate final quality if you are

using RAW. The images at high ISO are much cleaner. Also, as to the lack of ISO 1600 you

can get essentially the same experience by pushing the exposure just like you would with

film, and bringing it back in the RAW converter, explored somewhat in these sample

images:

<p>

<a href="http://www.rytterfalk.com/2008/03/01/sigma-dp1-first-

impressions/">http://www.rytterfalk.com/2008/03/01/sigma-dp1-first-

impressions/</a>

<p>

In Continuous mode, you can take three images in a second with no delay between them,

and then about 12 seconds for them all to finish writing.

<p>

There is a 46mm thread on the base of the lens hood, so you can attach filters or

adaptors.

<p>

Also, a slightly better description of manual mode is that the exposure button toggles

between having the arrow keys adjust either shutter or aperture speeds, I found this

combination very quick to work with in practice. I know GRD users in general seem to

dislike not having a wheel for this in general, but I have a wheel for shutter/aperture on

my DSLR and did not miss this when using the DP-1 as it's just as fast to adjust the

exposure right or left by buttons as it is a wheel (especially so if you are mostly shooting

Aperture Priority anyway where you just use the arrows and the exposure compensation

just lets you tweak the exposure up or down). You note using the arrows requires two

hands but I could use one hand pretty easily just by tilting the camera downward a bit and

resting it more in the palm of my hand with fingers around the lens. An additional control

present is that you can use the down button to adjust flash mode and select flash

compensation when the flash is raised.

<p>

Also you can adjust the AEO button to either act just as an AEL, or also focal lock, or both

so you can use it to pre-focus on a point using AF and avoid any delay in focus or screen

lock if that is important to you and you do not wish to use MF (which also of course does

not lock the screen up).

<p>

If you look at sample images around the net, you'll find that the somewhat slower writing

speeds (only slower for JPG, about equal or faster than other cameras using RAW) make

using the camera worth while for the results.

"The focus wheel allows for the same degree of control you have in a lens - which is why it has no indents"

 

Then why not put it around the lens where it would be better protected from accidental turning? I would want detents or stiffer ring just so that it does not move by itself when putting the camera in a bag or carrying it. Now the ring is just too loose, much worse than the focus rings on Sigma autofocus lenses, for example.

 

And since the wheel only works when the camera is in manual focus mode, the wheel is essentially useless for all users who prefer autofocus. Why not let it do double duty for some other adjustments? Though, as I found out, the AF speed is so slow that most people probably do prefer manual focus afterall.

 

"as to the lack of ISO 1600 you can get essentially the same experience by pushing the exposure"

 

Sure, any camera can be used to underexpose and then recover as much detail as possible. Often not much. But the main benefit of larger sensor is its better high ISO noise behaviour. So why only 800? I would not have been surprised at 6400.

 

"In Continuous mode, you can take three images in a second with no delay between them, and then about 12 seconds for them all to finish writing."

 

As I said, this is not a sports camera that needs fast continuous shooting speed. I often need to shoot a follow-up image quickly, but not immediately and not every time. I think this is a major failure for this camera. Especially since it is just as slow with jpegs.

 

"There is a 46mm thread on the base of the lens hood, so you can attach filters or adaptors."

 

I am sure there is. But why not around the lens so that a lens hood can be permannently attached to protect the lens even when the camera is off and lens is retracted? As it is, this lens will get scratches in no time, and they will reduce its image quality. Poor design, plain and simple.

 

"it's just as fast to adjust the exposure right or left by buttons as it is a wheel"

 

The benefit of a wheel is that it can be easily accessible with a thumb and/or first finger in shooting position, without lowering the camera. Large adjustments are sometimes needed and are much faster with a wheel than with several presses of button. Eg. to go from 1 second that was used the night before to 1/125s the next morning, or vice versa.

 

In general, buttons are fine, but for critical controls their placement should be such that only one hand is needed and camera does not need to be lowered from shooting position to make adjustments. This is not the case with the DP-1. It is sad because the camera was so long in development. It is as if a total newcomer had quickly put together a camera without trying it out at all.

 

The image quality would have to be really stellar to overcome the severe usability limitations in this camera. I will wait for independent tests and comparisons to confirm this.

<i>Then why not put it around the lens where it would be better protected from

accidental turning? </i>

<p>

Because the lens extends, so there is no good location to put a focus ring that would be as

usable.

<p>

<i>And since the wheel only works when the camera is in manual focus mode, the wheel

is essentially useless for all users who prefer autofocus. Why not let it do double duty for

some other adjustments?</i>

<p>

Because then it would not work as well for manually focusing. As you noted wheels for

things like aperture and shutter adjustments have detents that stop the wheel turning at

regular intervals. Have you ever used a lens like that? It would be terrible to use, because

a focus wheel must be smooth and continuous to allow precise focus. It should stop at

the focal ranges so that you can be feel quickly adjust the focus either to infinity or to the

closest point without looking. A wheel that turns forever would do no good. This is a

camera meant for serious photography and part of that is having a manual focus system

that works. As I said, I found using the buttons to control aperture and shutter speed to

work just as well as any wheel I have ever used, in fact I really think they are slightly better

to use just because of the way hands naturally hold a smaller camera. Things that make

sense on a DSLR may not make as much sense on a smaller camera, and that I think is one

of them..

<p>

<i>Though, as I found out, the AF speed is so slow that most people probably do prefer

manual focus after all.</i>

<p>

This is your opinion and was probably based on using the camera inside in lower light,

where it does take longer. I found the AF not stellar but fast enough outside. And as I

noted, you have many options for pre-focus if that bothers you.

<p>

<i>Sure, any camera can be used to underexpose and then recover as much detail as

possible. Often not much. But the main benefit of larger sensor is its better high ISO noise

behavior. So why only 800? I would not have been surprised at 6400.</i>

<p>

The link I provided showed B&W examples up to 3200, that looked far better than the ISO

1600 GRD II samples I saw posted here recently. Why Sigma is not offering 1600 now I do

not know, but with other cameras they have offered ISO range enlargements in the past so

they may do that sometime after launch. As for the exposure method, you can recover a

huge amount of detail because as I said the camera has a wide dynamic range. That

makes the technique much more practical to use, and so setting the exposure to -1ev at

ISO 800 to get a decent 1600 works well enough to still deliver much better results than

any other small camera at ISO 1600.

<p>

<i>As I said, this is not a sports camera that needs fast continuous shooting speed. I

often need to shoot a follow-up image quickly, but not immediately and not every time. I

think this is a major failure for this camera. Especially since it is just as slow with

jpegs.</i>

<p>

I will grant this is more of a limitation, but I think calling it a "major" failure is a little

much. I only shoot RAW and did not find the shot to shot speed to be that limiting in

practical use.

<p>

<i>I am sure there is. But why not around the lens so that a lens hood can be

permannently attached to protect the lens even when the camera is off and lens is

retracted?</i>

<p>

Because of the wide angle lens of course. If you attached a filter diretly to the lens

opening the smaller size would certainly cause it to vignette. By offering a larger filter

size you can be sure that filters and TC's you may you use will not vigette. With a longer

focal length that might not have been necessary, but then a lot of people would not want

the camera if it were not wide.

<p>

<i>The benefit of a wheel is that it can be easily accessible with a thumb and/or first

finger in shooting position</i>

<p>

Not so easy on a smaller camera, I have tried playing around with using my thumb even for

the focus wheel and that simply does not work. Why add a second wheel that wouldn't

work well either? And like I said in practice I have not found it any slower than the wheels

on my DSLR which I use in exactly that way. It's obvious you prefer wheels but that is

because it's what you are used to.

<p>

<i>Eg. to go from 1 second that was used the night before to 1/125s the next morning,

or vice versa.</i>

<p>

But the reason that's fast on a wheel is that you feel the indents as you turn, so you are

essentially doing the same thing as pressing the button a fixed number of times. That's

whey the buttons end up being just as fast, because you are relying on the same memory

of how many clicks it takes to jump from one shutter setting to another. And the example

you gave (wide changes in exposure settings) you'd only do a few times a day, in real use

you are mostly slightly adjusting either shutter or aperture speed to account for changing

conditions.

<p>

<i>In general, buttons are fine, but for critical controls their placement should be such

that only one hand is needed</i>

<p>

That is your opinion but on a smaller camera as I said some things are better done

differently because everything is closer together.

<p>

Anyone out there wondering, hold your small compact camera with one hand and then try

to turn an imaginary wheel at the top right with only one hand. Does that feel natural? Is

it really practical with one hand or do you find yourself bringing the other hand up to keep

the camera steady? What if you were left handed? Would that really be a more usable

solution?

<p>

<i>The image quality would have to be really stellar to overcome the severe usability

limitations in this camera.</i>

<p>

The limitations are not as severe as you make out, in fact the only thing you raise that

really ends up being as issue for some people would be average AF speed. The image

quality is as stellar as people were expecting (even at f/4 corner to corner the DP-1 lens

is pretty amazing), there are plenty of sample images around now that demonstrate this.

I feel sorry when I read this review - I'm sorry that no photographer was with you in the store, talking a little about why the DP1 is so different from others. You missed the point so to speak.

 

I had my DP1 since about a week and my view of the camera is VERY different from yours in many ways.

 

First, Not sure you fully understand how small this camera really is compared to what it could have been. A quick comparison: the Sigma 10-20 lens that Sigma has is 500g heavy and about 9cm long. Very new and starts at F4. Lots of people love it and it has gotten great reviews. The DP1 16.5mm lens is coming out 3-4cm and weight a total of 280g together with the camera. And you're VERY welcome to visit my site for some full resolution shots - I know that they look very different from what the GRD gives.

 

The focus "control wheel" that you disliked so much - When you fully understand how OOF on a F4 lens is when in front of such a huge sensor - then you will also understand the importance of control. Thanks to the "control wheel" this camera has amazing manual focus - the easy to change part is wonderful when you quickly and with precision want to find that exact focus. (of course with magnified view for perfect control). But with more time you would have seen this. :) - side point: camera feels much faster when using manual focus. No lag.

 

The in-camera Jpeg works great - but I agree. using high ISO - then RAW is very important and you can't really know what the picture looks like before you entered the raw conversion software. All my images on my site are taken in RAW - And lucky for us, taking photos in RAW is about the same speed as with JPEGs. (at least not a big difference). And you're interested in IQ right? So RAW is the only way to go. ;)

 

BUT - you do have some points that do matter and that is with control wheels that could have been there. For easier control etc. I'd like a aperture / shutter speed wheel too. But I also enjoy the clean design. I also want to be able to change exposure etc while saving a picture. But I can wait 4s. And with the continues RAW taking - three RAW in less than a second. (much less I think) and 12s later buffer is empty and you can take another three. That's speed! You should have tried that. Perfect for HDR photography (it supports that too!)

 

Hopefully one day you can return to that store and play a little more. Take it for a ride. :) I'm sure you will eventually fall in love.

 

(Btw, where did you find those sharp edges?)

http://borgemeister.com/DP1.mov

"I feel sorry when I read this review - I'm sorry that no photographer was with you in the store, talking a little about why the DP1 is so different from others. You missed the point so to speak."

 

I am a photographer. Have been for some 25 years. What point, exactly, did I miss? I agree the DP1 is different. It is slower and less user friendly than any other compact camera I have used in the past 25 years. That includes cameras like the Minox 35, Olympus XA and Leica M6. With its compulsory lens hood in place, it is not much smaller than a small DSLR. I have used quite extensively a medium format AF compact with a fixed 4/60mm lens. It has auto focus that works and manual focus that is set in steps, because that is all that is needed for a wide angle lens. The DP1 lens is 16mm. I have more than one 16mm lenses and they have quite extensive DOF even at F/4. Manual focus is good, but I would like the camera to stay in the setting I choose. The protruding, freely moving rear wheel in the DP1 will change the distance setting with the smallest brush against your finger, chest, or side of a bag. You have to check and adjust the setting every time.

 

"Because the lens extends...there is no good location to put a focus ring that would be as usable."

 

The base of the lens does not extend and is always couple of cms out. That would be a good location for a distance wheel. Around the lens where it has been since Leica first put it there in 1913, and is still in every manual focus lens and in every SLR auto focus lens. Have you ever used a camera like that?

 

"wheels for things like aperture and shutter adjustments have detents that stop the wheel turning at regular intervals."

 

The detents just make it easier to find a specific setting. I have lenses that have no detents for aperture (all large format lenses are like that). I have also used cameras that have one or two detents for the distance setting. It makes it easy to find a specific distance, for example 3m for street snaps.

 

"If you attached a filter diretly to the lens opening the smaller size would certainly cause it to vignette."

 

The wide angle version of Fuji GA has a 24 mm equivalent lens with a 52mm filter thread for lens hood. The benefit of this design is that one can take off the lens cap and permanently attach the lens hood and then use the camera quickly without worrying about stray light or scratches to the front element. It should have been easy enough to provide at least a bit of stray light and lens protection by extending the lens barrel just 2-3 mm forward of the front element. Ricoh GRD has a built in lens cap. As the cap is located in front of the lens, when retracted, it also acts as a very small lens hood. An additional lens hood is also available that has a 37mm filter thread. The lens has the same field of view as DP1.

 

"Anyone out there wondering, hold your small compact camera with one hand and then try to turn an imaginary wheel at the top right with only one hand. Does that feel natural?"

 

Sorry, but you lose 3:1 on this one so far on this one posting.

 

"I agree with you when you say that the GRD interface is basically perfect for a small digicam. Actually, the two-wheel approach is inherited from the film GR1 series, and is very nice to use." -Paulo Bizarro

 

"For easier control etc. I'd like a aperture / shutter speed wheel too."-Carl Rytterfalk

 

"Ricoh GRD has two wheels, one for aperture and one for shutter speed. The rear wheel can also be programmed to bring up with one press a quick selection of ISO, white balance, focus, exposure compensation, image size etc. adjustment. Very convenient." That is my opinion

 

 

I sort of expected this. Diehard fans trying to find positive aspects in a camera that has few of them and even trying to turn negatives into positives in desperation. I tend to agree with the comments on image quality. I am sure it is better than in my poor experiment. But as a user of cameras for the past 25 years, and a user of some very user friendly digital cameras over the past few years, such as Olympus E-500, Minolta 7D and Ricoh GRD, I really did not like the way the DP1 behaved, at all. I wanted to buy it. If it had been even half as good as it could have been, I would have bought it. I will eagerly wait and see what DPreview and other authoritative reviewers say about it. If there really were some functional aspects that I understood incorrectly, then I will adjust my opinion accordingly.

 

My advice to potential buyers remains: Do try this camera out before buying to ensure you can live with the several limitations and design concepts it has. It is not a small amount of money. When people do pay that much money and then rise to the walls to fiercely defend it, I always get the feeling that many of them feel obligated to do so because of their capital outlay. That is why it is even more important to try it and form your own opinion.

 

Thanks, Ilkka,

 

I appreciate your thoughts on this camera, as well as those expressed by others. It's an interesting camera, to be sure, but from everything I've read both here and elsewhere, I think I'd want to carry more camera with me, even if it's bigger. But it's a step in the right direction!

 

Peace,

Sarah

Nice preliminary review, with the obvious limitations. BTW, the G9 has an available LA-DC58H conversion lens adapter that is made by Canon (NOT third party) and used to mount conversion lenses and filter. I keep one mounted all the time for filter, lens barrel protection, and ergonomics. Just FYI.

"I feel sorry when I read this review - I'm sorry that no photographer was with you in the store, talking a little about why the DP1 is so different from others. You missed the point so to speak."

 

This from a man who is such a sigma fanboy that he made a Youtube video of himself with the camera (and his SD14), walking around and gushing at how small and cute it looked hanging from his neck, taking a snap of some joggers passing by and immediately exclaiming how brilliant the results were after a cursory glance at the LCD.

 

Puh-lease.

It was fun making those videos. I'm glad you liked them. :D

 

After one week the DP1 is really easy to use. ;) And I'm sure you can, by just glancing at your pictures, get a good feel for focus and exposure. With the histogram and quick zoom it's really easy. But you knew that already. Didn't you? :)

<i>It is slower and less user friendly than any other compact camera I have used in the

past 25 years.</i>

<p>

This is obviously an exaggeration as I have used plenty of compact camera far less friendly

and quick, both in terms of AF speed and also usability for things like Aperture Priority

mode (and of course far lacking in image quality by comparison). Heck, I used to have a

Minolta SLR camera that was far slower in AF than the DP-1! Note here, you are talking

seemingly about compact medium format cameras which is quite a different ball of wax!

How many compact DIGITAL cameras have you used in that time apart from the GRD? I

have used several, including some more dedicated to manual operation and quite a lot of

brief trials at places like PMA. You may have 25 years of experience, but I have well over

fifteen myself and when talking digital photography that is quite long enough for both of

us to have had equal opportunity for using different cameras.

<p>

<i>Manual focus is good, but I would like the camera to stay in the setting I choose.</i>

<p>

I told you already how to resolve that, a small bit of electrical tape to keep the wheel fixed

- though in truth I do not use it myself as when hanging around my neck or on my wrist I

have never had it slip. The tape is only if you are really worried about it, or wanted it to

stay coming in and out of a pocket (where I do feel it could probably slip a little).

<p>

<i>The base of the lens does not extend and is always couple of cms out. That would be a

good location for a distance wheel.</i>

<p>

Only if you like a focus ring that is far too close to the body to be comfortable to use. You

also are forgetting that fundamentally a compact digital camera is about changing settings

on the BACK of the camera, because that is where you are looking for everything, not at

the top or front. That's why putting the wheel on the back makes more sense even if you

could shoehorn it on the front. Again you are thinking of usability in terms only of DSLRs

or film cameras, and not adjusting for the differences that digital sensors bring to a

camera.

<p>

<i>The detents just make it easier to find a specific setting</i>

<p>

No, they are crucial for use in setting Aperture or Shutter - otherwise you could never

adjust down 0.7 a stop without looking at the camera, because you'd never be exactly

sure how far to turn for a specific jump in stops and always be slipping to one side or

another. Also of course, detents keep a wheel fixed on a value more easily and thus you

don't have your Aperture or shutter speed drifting when you brush the wheel...

<p>

That is why any camera that uses a wheel for control has detents. An analog wheel is a

totally different beast from a detent wheel used for setting discrete values.

<p>

<i>The wide angle version of Fuji GA has a 24 mm equivalent lens with a 52mm filter

thread for lens hood</i>

<p>

First, you are talking about a medium format film camera - so the lens is much larger

already, and you do not have to worry about light hitting film nearly as straight on with a

digital camera. Secondly, when you have an already bulky camera adding more bulk

doesn't matter, so they were free to make the opening of the lens large enough to

accommodate the filter without vignetting.. Consider the size of that camera compared to

the DP-1!

<p>

<i>It should have been easy enough to provide at least a bit of stray light and lens

protection by extending the lens barrel just 2-3 mm forward of the front element. </i>

<p>

But the opening would still be far smaller, ad thus prone to vignetting. It you expand the

lens out any further when retracted it becomes harder to pocket, making it less useful. If

you increase the opening size of the lens then the whole base of the lens becomes larger

in turn - making the body taller, and thus again less pocketable. All changes you desire

would turn the camera into the kind of hulking thing that the market has already rejected

in cameras like the Epson R1. Once you get beyond a certain size the truth is that you

might as well have a DSLR and be done with it. The whole point of the DP-1 is a truly

compact camera that you can easily have with you when a DSLR is less practical and yet

offers the same image quality as you would have with a DSLR.

<p>

<i>Sorry, but you lose 3:1 on this one so far on this one posting.</i>

<p>

That is up for the reader to decide, not you or the people you quote or even myself. Again

I invite everyone to take a small camera and imagine turning a wheel using only one hand.

I found this very unpleasant myself. I disagree with Carl on this point, as it's easy to say

you want something (as you have been doing) but a lot harder to built something that

actually works well in practice. Again I state, that I can set Aperture or Shutter values just

as quickly with buttons on the back as I can with a wheel on a DSLR, which I have used

extensively and can operate very quickly as well.

<p>

<i>I sort of expected this. Diehard fans trying to find positive aspects in a camera </i>

<p>

I'm sorry, were you talking about Diehard GRD users here? Because they seem to be the

only ones complaining extensively about many of the points you raise, here and in other

forums or in reviews. Other people so far seem to love the camera. I also have to

mention that myself and Carl have used the camera extensively, why is that not a good

point to take into consideration compared to your brief handling in a single environment?

<p>

<i>My advice to potential buyers remains: Do try this camera out before buying to ensure

you can live with the several limitations and design concepts it has.</i>

<p>

Now see, that's the first thing you've said I can agree with. It would be good to make sure

buyers can live with the focal length offered (one way is to shoot at a 28mm equivalent on

a camera you already own and get a feel for that FOV), and "several" limitations is far more

reasonable a thing to say than to claim the camera is "severely unusable" as you had

previously stated. I agree there are limitations and the camera is absolutely not for

everyone. But I do think there are a lot of people the camera is great for, and so I am

happy to provide counterpoints based on extensive experience shooting it. Over time,

you'll see more people and more opinions come out as well, but until then there aren't

many experiences to draw from and so I feel like your overly negative opinion is offering a

view of using the camera not in line with actual experience.

<p>

I leave everyone with one of those experiences from someone else, some fun street work

in Tokyo:

<p>

<a

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/saidk/sets/72157604092021476/">http://www.flic

kr.com/photos/saidk/sets/72157604092021476/</a>

Some varied but interesting remarks posted here. I do not care much about bells & whistles, whether there are thumb wheels or buttons or a manual focus ring or not. One gets used to any type of lay-out pretty quickly.

 

What interests me more is actual photo quality. And having just bought a Canon G9, I am really upset with myself when I have a look at the results of the DP-1! The samples I have seen (full size) are really blowing me away. Dynamic range is unsurpassed and colour fidelity excellent. The high ISO samples are very good IMHO. Judging from the samples, it really has an excellent lens as well.

 

Sorry to say, but NO compact camera with a tiny sensor can match it and my G9 would have to go! It's like chalk & cheese. And I am pretty sure that this would apply to ANY compact camera with a tiny sensor.

 

I am dying to see really large prints which would be the final proof that this is really a revolutionary little camera!

"This is obviously an exaggeration as I have used plenty of compact camera far less friendly and quick"

 

Nowhere did I compare it to compact cameras you have used. I said it is the slowest I have used. The first AF SLR I owned was a Minolta Dynax 7. I have used three digicams over the years, a Canon S500, Minolta A2 and Ricoh GRD. All are faster and more user friendly than the DP-1. I have occasionally tried a few others.

 

"That is why any camera that uses a wheel for control has detents."

 

Thank you. I wish you would tell Sigma that so they could add some detents to their wheel. By the way, do they provide a roll of electrical tape in the sales package? Seems to be important accessory since you have already at least thought about using it.

 

I don't have anything against using a wheel at the rear for manual focus. I only wish the wheel did not turn quite as freely as it does, and would do double duty for the times when it is not used for

manual focusing. I still think a wheel around the lens would work just as well for focusing, but would certainly require two hands.

 

"All changes you desire would turn the camera into the kind of hulking thing"

 

There are many ways to protect the lens. I just suggested two, as used in a compact medium format camera which is bigger and heavier, and as used in GRD which is much smaller and lighter, but both having fixed wide angle lenses. If it can be done in both these cases, I am sure it could have been done for the DP-1. I think this is a serious problem. You will find out over time when either your front lens gets scratches, or you hate fumbling with the lens cap and lens hood every time you want to take the camera out.

 

"I can set Aperture or Shutter values just as quickly with buttons on the back as I can with a wheel on a DSLR"

 

If buttons really were so good, then why do all DSLRs have wheels? And pro DSLRs have two wheels? Wake up and accept the reality. Wheel is much better for these settings. It has been proven so many times over the years with many different types of cameras.

 

"myself and Carl have used the camera extensively"

 

I wonder how is it possible that you have used extensively a camera that has only just been introduced. It was introduced in Japan early last week. Did you get the camera from Sigma before the general public? Have you been involved in its development? Are you working for Sigma?

 

The Ricoh GRD and GX100 are expensive compact cameras meant for serious users. That is why they have a better build quality and ergonomics than normal dime a dozen digicams. They are meant for users who know what they are doing and want to adjust settings manually and quickly. The DP-1 is clearly aimed at the same market.

I like the GRD because it is a well designed, user friendly camera. I would very much prefer it to have a larger sensor. The DP-1 has that and it may atcually have the image quality to match the sensor size. Unfortunately, the other design aspects of the camera limit its use in many situations, and make its use, at least for me, unpleasant and irritating. This is unfortunate. I am sure some people like it, coming from a similar environment, simple, small sensor digicams with buttons and menus for every setting and slow operation. I hope it will at least cause a stir so that other manufacturers, Canon and Olympus for example, will build similar compact cameras with APS or 4/3 size sensors. After Sony came up with the 828 a few years ago, all other manufactureres quickly jumped in to make their own versions. Some were good, even better than the Sony, some were not so good. Some had a good lens but other aspects were bad or slow. Sony tried to further improve it by adding a bigger sensor, but it was too late. Now time has passed them since one can get a small DSLR for the same price and in roughly the same size.

<i>Thank you. I wish you would tell Sigma that so they could add some detents to their

wheel.</i>

<p>

And then it would ruin manual focus, because focus movement would be too coarse. Can

you think of any DSLR lens you would add this "feature" to willingly?

<p>

Since Aperture control works speedily as is by buttons, there would be no point in

crippling the camera for manual users to gain no real advantage in operation elsewhere.

<p>

I can tell you one thing, in a message from someone working much closer to the actual

development of the camera, focus rings around the actual lens were tried in a variety of

ways but nothing worked nearly as well as the wheel we have now.

<p>

<i>By the way, do they provide a roll of electrical tape....I don't have anything against

using a wheel at the rear for manual focus. I only wish the wheel did not turn quite as

freely as it does</i>

<p>

I still think carrying it outside of a pocket there is no real danger of it shifting, as I have

done so and it has not. Electrical tape was a suggestion to cure a problem you claimed it

had - as I said, I did not use it myself because I did not find that a problem. I am cursed

with a nature that seeks to solve problems as people have laid them out, even if I do not

understand why the person thinks the problem is really a problem. So I offered electrical

tape as one easy possibility, knowing people had also used things like that in the past with

things like creeping telephoto lenses (I guess I should have suggested gaffer tape instead,

much cleaner on the body).

<p>

<i>There are many ways to protect the lens. I just suggested two, as used in a compact

medium format camera which is bigger and heavier, and as used in GRD which is much

smaller and lighter, but both having fixed wide angle lenses. If it can be done in both

these cases, I am sure it could have been done for the DP-1</i>

<p>

You have suggested two ways, but neither works for different reasons.

<p>

The medium format camera as you say is heavier and bulky. You make the DP-1 as big as

the Oly e420 and what's the point? You might as well just use an SLR then.

<p>

The GRD of course has a tiny, tiny sensor which is why everything can be so small. I'm not

sure why people have such a hard time understanding that a much larger sensor (approx

7x the size of the GRD sensor) takes way more lens to work with. It's amazing the lens

they have is as small as it is, which I'm sure engineers at other camera companies are

discovering to their great dismay.

<p>

<i>You will find out over time when either your front lens gets scratches, or you hate

fumbling with the lens cap and lens hood every time you want to take the camera

out.</i>

<p>

Actually I thought I would dislike the lens cap myself and it put me off at first, but in

actual use it's so easy to take off and put back on I don't mind. In retrospect I realized I

don't mind using lens caps for DSLR's, so why should I mind using a lens cap on a camera

where the lens is fixed? Integrated lens cover would have been nice but I think that would

have added space and/or cost, and as I said this works well enough that I was happy with

it. In fact the DP-1 lens cap is easier to use and less prone to coming off than most lens

caps I have encountered in my life.

<p>

Now the lens hood is a different matter. When you put that on, and the lens is out it does

provide a degree of protection just because the lens is recessed, but really if you leave the lens out all the time (turn off camera sleep and turn on LCD sleep for quick wakeup) it's a

little vulnerable (to dust if nothing else). There probably a UV filter would be good to

leave on the hood base but honestly I just can't stand to put needless glass in the way, so

instead I used a hood cap that went over the lens hood that someone kindly provided me.

It would be great if Sigma or someone else would actually produce something like that for

retail, as I found that very handy - but a UV filter would work as well for the hood to

provide effective protection of the lens with the hood in use. The great thing about the

hood is there you can take off the filter, hood, and base all as one assembly very quickly

so it's practical to take it on and off often (it just twists on with a quick motion and locks in

place very firmly). No fumbling there, believe me.

<p>

<i>If buttons really were so good, then why do all DSLRs have wheels?</i>

<p>

Obviously, because a wheel makes a lot more sense when you are adjusting values while

looking through a viewfinder. You'd otherwise be fumbling for buttons you could not see,

whereas the wheel is distinct enough from other buttons operation without visibility is

easy. Wheels are also easier to operate when the camera is larger. Shrink down the

camera, start using the back screen to focus and frame and adjust settings - and suddenly

buttons become just as useful, and wheels more awkward. And because control wheels

for adjustment or aperture or shutter values are just glorified buttons anyway (you adjust

by feeling how many detents you pass, just as you can adjust quickly by pressing the

button a certain number of times) you do not lose anything in the use of them. Again you

are trapped into thinking like a DSLR designer when what you have before you is a

compact digital camera. Different usability factors apply, people hold and view them

differently.

<p>

To reverse your question, how come most cameras do not use only wheels and instead

have buttons for things like scrolling through menus or zooming and panning? Obviously

if a wheel is superior in all regards then no button elements make sense to offer when a

wheel would do.

<p>

The world has had many years to refine the SLR interface and that has carried well into

DSLR's since they essentially work the same way. But the world has not had nearly so

many years to refine exactly the operation of the all-digital camera with no analog path,

and it is by necessity a divergent design from the traditional compact film camera.

<p>

<i>I wonder how is it possible that you have used extensively a camera that has only just

been introduced. It was introduced in Japan early last week. Did you get the camera from

Sigma before the general public? Have you been involved in its development? Are you

working for Sigma?</i>

<p>

You seem to think here you have tripped me up. But all in fact this shows is that you do

not seem to be reading my posts very carefully - for right at the top of my first message

in this thread I posted "Disclaimer: I took some sample images that Sigma used but do not

work for Sigma". That remains true. Sigma makes use of some members of an

international "Sigma User Group" composed of ordinary users of Sigma cameras to do

some testing of new equipment and get feedback, and in return Sigma makes use of the

advise they give along with images they provide for things like the online DP-1 sample

gallery and booth galleries at shows like PMA and Photokina (they have also done similar

things in the past with the other cameras they make). The fact I said I provided sample

images to them I figured implied I did in fact have access to a camera for an extended

period of time before release, but I will state that more explicitly now so it is clear. Carl I

know casually, and I also know he does not work for Sigma. How exactly he got his

camera I do not know but I do know it was very shortly after the Japanese launch (which

has already occurred near the start of the month).

<p>

<i>The DP-1 is clearly aimed at the same market. I like the GRD because it is a well

designed, user friendly camera.</i>

<p>

And the same is true of the DP-1. You are just so into the GRD control scheme you are

unable to see that as of yet. New (previously non-Sigma) users who have got the camera

seem pretty happy with it so far overall.

<p>

<i>I am sure some people like it, coming from a similar environment, simple, small sensor

digicams with buttons and menus for every setting and slow operation.</i>

<p>

Well I've always hated small cameras for just the reasons you say, dragging my DSLR

almost everywhere as a result (even some places it really did not belong) and hating that necessity too. As I've said, in my experience mostly operating the DP-1 is just as pleasant

as using a DSLR because almost all of the adjustments I use most of the time are on

buttons accessed quickly and directly as fast as a DSLR. The one thing I would have really

liked to see more direct access to is the metering mode, but even that is not too bad as it's

on the primary menu page. Having ISO in the menu is also forgivable as it is the first

menu item you arrive at when you trigger the menu, meaning the menu button really

doubles as a dedicated ISO switch (anything less would have been unforgivable to me as I

find ISO changes need to be rapidly altered).

<p>

That's just the kind of thing you learn with extended use. Holding the camera for a few

moments, you only see something like the fact ISO is in a menu, and only understand after

many pictures why that is not actually a problem in operation as it would seem otherwise.

Anton - There were a number of really nice A0 (~33"x46") sized prints from the DP-1 at

PMA, and the Focus On Imaging show in Birmingham.

 

One thing you might consider is downloading some of the full-size images around the

net, and print some crops from those rather large, That would give you an indication of

what you could do, though working from JPG would limit large print quality more than you

could really get using RAW.

 

I think over time as we see more and more images posted and printed from the DP-1 by

new users, the image quality will really speak for the camera more than any other facet.

Out of curiosity, I took out my old Canon S500 and tried how it focuses in low light. It is slow, maybe even as slow as the DP-1, but the LCD stays live all the time, it does not freeze for one second while the camera is trying to focus. That camera still uses compact flash cards and must be some 5 years old by now. GRD is 2 1/2 years old and also focuses much faster, and without freezing the display for a second. One would think that AF technology has advanced a bit further in these 2-5 years. But not in the case of DP-1. There are more things wrong with this camera than just slow lens and poor interface.

 

There are a few settings that need to be regularly applied on a digital camera. In M mode you need to adjust aperture and shutter speed. In A and S modes you need to adjust either aperture or shutter speed. In P mode you can do "program shift" and move the combined aperture/speed to either direction. Normally, these settings are done in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments. That leads to a lot of button presses when going from F/4 to F/11 for example and even more if you need to go from 1/500s to 1/15s at the same time.

The other important adjustment is ISO speed, the third control variable in digital cameras (on top of aperture and shutter speed).

Exposure compensation is the final very important setting that needs to be accessed quite often.

 

These should be fast and easy to adjust. I made a simple comparison to see how easy these are to adjust in DP-1 compared with the GRD.

 

Apart from that, I do occasionally switch the image quality between RAW and JPEG in the GRD, since the RAW writing speed is much slower than jpg speed. When using jpg, it is useful to also be able to adjust white balance (for raw it of course does not make a difference since that can be selected in conversion). I suppose in DP-1 there is little need for this since jpeg writing speed is just as slow as raw speed.

 

Finally, manual focusing is sometimes needed in exceptional circumstances where autofocus for some reason does not work, or slows down the operation. In these cases, I find that either infinity or about 3m are just about the only settings that I have really used. On the GRD, that is.

 

I don't really care what other people decide to do. I just stated my experience because this is a new camera and I know many people are interested in it, as I was, and it may be hard to get objective opinions so soon after its release. In my case, it was my money and I chose not to buy it for the reasons I have stated. I had the money in hand when I went to the shop and was eager to buy it. I have stated my opinion and I find it pointless to continue this endless discussion. I hope you enjoy your camera. I will wait for something better.

I appreciate your comments, Ilkka. You approached the camera with the right questions.

 

Regards,

I've used the camera for almost a week now, and i do not agree with the above observations on image quality.

The screen will not give you a proper impression of the images, since they look very dull and grainy before processed in SPP.

I own both the DP1 and the Ricoh GX100, and my opinion is that you cant even compare the results from the two cameras. I work as a professional photographer, and until now, i've seen digital compact cameras as fun for snapshots, but not capable of producing results that are commercially usable. The DP1 however, has finally changed that.

 

It is however not the fastest camera on earth, but it's faster than the GX100 when shooting Raw. (Raw is however something you have to use with the DP1, the jpegs from it are unusuable imo.)

 

For a more detailed review of the camera, including plenty of sample photos, feel free to visit my homepage: http://saidkarlsson.com/blog/?page_id=179

Those look great. Great noir feel to the images. Awesome performance for a point and shoot.

Said,

These are very beautiful images.

You tempt me to want one ;)

<i>Out of curiosity, I took out my old Canon S500 and tried how it focuses in low light. It

is slow, maybe even as slow as the DP-1, but the LCD stays live all the time, it does not

freeze for one second while the camera is trying to focus. </i>

<p>

Actually I'm at a loss to understand why this even matters. Taking pictures of fast moving

subjects you usually pre-focus anyway. Taking pictures of slower subjects it does not

matter if the screen freezes for a moment. If it improves AF accuracy, then I am all for it.

<p>

<i>That leads to a lot of button presses when going from F/4 to F/11 for example and

even more if you need to go from 1/500s to 1/15s at the same time.</i>

<p>

A lot of presses but accomplished just as quickly as a wheel.

<p>

<i>The other important adjustment is ISO speed</i>

<p>

As I said the Menu button is essentially an ISO button as it goes directly there.

<p>

<i>Exposure compensation is the final very important setting that needs to be accessed

quite often.</i>

<p>

Which is why there's a dedicated button for that as well.

<p>

<i>These should be fast and easy to adjust. I made a simple comparison to see how easy

these are to adjust in DP-1 compared with the GRD.</i>

<p>

As I have repeatedly explained, they are fast and easy to adjust. You made a "simple

comparison" of a camera you were very used to, with a camera you had only used for a

moment. It may be simple, but is it wholly fair? The first time I picked up a D70 I couldn't

figure out how to change the aperture setting right away, but that does not mean the

system thy have in place is not effective. Of course it's interesting to see your

observations but you should always temper your opinions with an understanding that

people who have more experience with the camera than yourself, may just know more

about the extended handling of the camera than you do.

<p>

<i>Finally, manual focusing is sometimes needed in exceptional circumstances where

autofocus for some reason does not work, or slows down the operation. In these cases, I

find that either infinity or about 3m are just about the only settings that I have really used.

On the GRD, that is.</i>

<p>

I've found where manual focus does not work well in a camera I don't use it much either.

But manually focusing is a time honored tradition and can still work very well in this

modern age, when appropriately implemented.

<p>

<i>I don't really care what other people decide to do.</i>

<p>

If that were true you would have posted your initial observation and not proceeded to

argue extensively with every followup observation I had. You obviously care very much.

<p>

<i>I have stated my opinion and I find it pointless to continue this endless discussion.

</i>

<p>

And I have stated mine, that people should consider comments from someone who has

used the camera for a longer period of time (not just myself, I'm talking about people like

Said and Carl here) over opinions from someone who has had the camera for only a few

moments and is very used to how the GRD handles. I know the camera disappointed you,

but honestly it's not a camera for everyone and to you the things that make the DP-1

special do not seem very important.

<p>

<i>I hope you enjoy your camera. I will wait for something better.</i>

<p>

I will, very much - and as much as it may seem I am unhappy with you from my stern

demeanor in these long discussion, I merely disagree strongly with some conclusions you

have reached. Beyond that I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy your GRD and produce

many fine images, and someday you find the camera you are looking for.

I've been using my DP-1 since last Friday and quickly came to have very mixed feelings about it.

 

The positive is its image quality ... truly stunning coming from a P&S camera and IMO, fully the equal of most entry-level DSLRs and in some respects (color, dynamic range), it gives even mid-level DSLRs a run for their money. Seriously! (This is my first experience with a Foveon sensor and although I need yet another camera like I need yet another hole in my head, I've found myself wondering how the DP-1's big-brother, the SD-14, performs, especially as new bodies can be purchased on www.amazon.com right now for just $549!)

 

The negative has to do with some of its operating quirks. I don't mind the manual focusing wheel being located where it is, but I do mind not being able to turn off the icons on the LCD when using manual focus ... ditto for having to either half-push the shutter button and wait a long second or two for the non-magnified image to return after focusing or turn the LCD off and then on again by pushing the display button in the lower right corner twice in succession. (That said, it seems there's a workaround for this, as the manual focus point doesn't change when you switch from back to auto focus, so you can just lock it into place using the auto-lock button and then turn off all of the LCD icons but for the focus bars ... a nuisance, to be sure, but better than the alternative.)

 

The other negative (for me) is its slowness. Sure, there isn't much shutter lag, but there's considerable processing lag. Perhaps no worse than many other cameras (although I haven't timed it, it seems slightly slower than my 2005-vintage Panasonic LX1) but the oft-heard comment that you can take three shots in one second doesn't mean you can take three shots one second apart. Once you lift our finger off the shutter, you have to wait for the image(s) to finish processing before you can do anything more with the camera, something I found frustrating at times and which (IMO) doesn't lend itself to the sort of photography I anticipate doing with this camera. Also, contrary to comments I've read in other forums, I can't sense any difference in the DP-1's processing speed whether I used a 66X (SanDisk Ultra II) or 133X (SanDisk Extreme III) SD card.

 

Honestly, if the image quality wasn't as good as it is, I think I may well have returned the camera by now. As it is, though, I'm anxiously awaiting Sigma's just-announced firmware update to see if some of the quirks I (and others) have noted are addressed and resolved. This camera has considerable potential and if Sigma can refine the design quickly and address even just a few of its shortcomings, then I will happily learn to adjust my shooting style to accommodate the remainder. :-)<div></div>