The quest for the DP1 March 26, 2008
Posted by tcbp in : Photography , trackbackAwkwardly I don’t think I’ve talked much about this camera here, but it’s been on my mind for over a year. I’ve been soul searching for a good digital camera with a fast, fixed lens and large “SLR sized” sensor for several years now.
My Olympus Stylus Epic, although probably the lowest of such film cameras, was a great tool and a lot of fun to use. As a result of that I have longed for a digital eqivalent; something compact, unassuming yet capable of excellent image quality. Even though numerous P&S digital cameras can certainly provide acceptable image quality and nothing prevents them from being a serious (whatever that means) tool, they certainly lack some things. Usually the performance of their overstuffed sensors is not very good, their lenses are average, and by virtue of their extremely short focal length lenses they cannot achieve much DOF control. All these things have given me a love-hate relationship with every P&S I’ve owned or used. They’re capable of so much, but fall short on certain things that endlessly irk me.
When I first found out a year ago about the DP1 I was excited. A 4.7mp Foveon X3 based 1.7 crop SLR sized sensor in a compact body with a fixed lens. The downsides were certain aspects of the Foveon sensor but more importantly the rather short (28mm equiv on a 35mm full frame camera) and slow f/4 lens. My experience with the Foveon sensors is rather poor high ISO performance so that doesn’t combine well with a max ISO of 800 and a max aperture of f/4. Either way, it held promise and I eagerly waited to see it released. After multiple delays and an apology from Sigma, it’s finally on its way to people, for the princely sum of $800.
On technical merit alone I don’t consider it an $800 camera. For that kind of money I could pick up a digital Rebel and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and have a whole lot more camera. The problem is that’s also a lot more camera in the volumetric sense. One key aspect of the DP1 I’m interested in, and no doubt the reason they will probably get away with charging $800, is that it offers everything it does in such a small package.
Based on what I can learn about the camera from spec sheets I’m concerned and feeling it may not be the solution I’m looking for. But I’m holding out hope that some good reviews from users and sites I trust like dpreview.com will give me a better feeling for it. I’m sitting here with money in hand, but the camera has to prove itself first.
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