With Sigma’s recent announcement of the DP2 and having used the DP1 for the last 5 months, I feel now would be a good time to discuss my findings. In the last 5 months, I have shot this camera in a variety of locations, with a variety of subjects and have had sufficient time with the camera to discuss its merits and shortcomings.

Plus Points

1. Size and Handling. The camera is the ideal size for carrying in your pocket. It is perfect for traveling and makes the ideal street camera. It is unobtrusive and discreet.

2. The lens. Albeit f4, the lens is a great piece of glass and probably as good as any lens Sigma produce. Images come out of the camera with corner to corner sharpness and very little aberrations.

3. The Foveon sensor. This sensor is fantastic at capturing images in good light. Sigma have obviously tweaked the processing pipeline which allows the camera to produce fantastically usable image right up to ISO 800.

4. The field of view. The 16.6 mm lens is perfect for capturing street scenes, landscapes and architecture shots.

Improvements.

The camera excels in being able to capture DSLR quality images in places and situations where it is not possible to use a DSLR. Having said that, it is the first incarnation of this technology and I would like to see a number of developments in the DP2. For example, the autofocus is slow and sometimes cannot lock in low light. The system seems a little out of date and should be revamped in the DP2. Secondly, the battery life is not quite perhaps what it should be. Maybe the Foveon sensor is particularly power hungry. This needs to be improved in future incarnations.

Overall, my impressions of the camera are extremely positive. Would I buy it again? Most definitely. Does it produce outstanding images. See the samples attached.