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Techniques: How to create your own photographic style, critically analysingphotographs, experimenting with white balance and fi nding photo destinations.

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01 Cover_Feb-March.indd 1 1/28/09 6:49:03 AM

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| sigma review

Words and PiX By John and Tina Reid

I recently purchased Sigma’s latest offering,

the Sigma DP1. What follows is a hands-

on review of what I think is a unique

and interesting camera. This is not a scientific,

conclusive review but rather an account of my

opinion of the camera after a month of regular

use.

To provide some background information:

my wife and I do the majority of our work using

Canon SLRs; more specifically, the Canon 5D.

Portraiture and weddings make up the most

of our business work and I shoot landscapes

for personal work. Over the last couple of

years shooting the same sort of subjects with

the same equipment one can easily get into a

photographic rut.

The benefit of a compact camera is being

able to keep the camera in your pocket which

in turn, enables you to shoot whenever you

feel some inspiration. I cannot tell you how

often I have seen something and though to

myself, “that would make an awesome picture”

but never had a camera to shoot it. With the

Sigma DP1, I have had the convenience of a

compact camera, without having to sacrifice

image quality.

Image QualIty

90% of the images shot with the DP1, have

been in RAW and used I Sigma Photo Pro to

convert the images into 16Bit Tiff files. I have no

test charts, but comparing the images from my

5D with those of the DP1, it is difficult to notice

any differences in resolution. The DP1 files end

up at a resolution of 4537 by 3048 which is a

little larger than the 5D’s files. The 5D creates

images that have slightly less noise than the

DP1 in shadow regions at lower ISO values. The

difference is only noticeable when viewing at

100%. Compared with Canon’s 350D, the DP1

produces significantly less noise.

HandlIng and Performance

I have read complaints about the DP1

focusing speed and admittedly, it is slow when

compared with a DSLR, but for most of the

subjects that the camera is suitable for shooting,

the auto focus is good enough. Whenever I tried

to shoot quick moving subjects, I set the camera

to manual focus and had no trouble capturing

the action.

The burst mode when shooting in RAW is

pretty much one shot, so you would not use this

camera to shoot sport or wildlife, but then again,

you would struggle shooting both those subjects

with the 28mm lens.

Most camera options are selected using the

menu, which I found to be well laid out and easy

to use. There are separate buttons on the camera

for changing shutter speed and aperture values,

which took a couple of days to get the hang of,

but now is as easy as using a DSLR.

Some comPlaIntS

At the time of shooting and processing the

example images, Adobe Bridge and Lightroom

offered no support for the Sigma RAW files.

Subsequently Adobe released updates that

contain “beta” support for the Sigma RAW

files. I’ve found that I get a better looking result

from Lightroom than I did from Sigma’s RAW

converter, so I am looking forward to when

Lightroom offers full RAW support.

This is more of an observation than a

complaint: the “famous” colours produced by

the Foveon chip do not look much different

from the colours produced by Canon’s chip. In

fact, it is very difficult to notice any difference.

Maybe someone more technical might be able

to the point out the differences, but for everyday

purposes, the difference is negligible.

In my opinion, the advantage of a Foveon

chip is that the images are not passed through

the anti-aliasing filter that the Bayer chips are

subject to, which make the images sharp straight

out of the camera without any manipulation

Some PerkS

The main reason I purchased this camera

was to own a camera that I could keep in my

pocket without sacrificing image quality, but

using this camera has had other benefits I was

unaware of.

Using pocket wizards, the DP1 will sync

with my flashes at 1/1000th of a second, which

is much better than the 1/200th of my 5D.

1/1000th of a second at F11 will dim out almost

all natural light, enabling you to shoot in the

harshest of daylight with no problem.

| sigma review

Jeep AdventurerI found the focal length of 28mm to be a useful length for showing people in their environments. this is a portrait of a Jeep sponsored kayaker, Andrew pollock.exif:• Shutter Speed: 1/250th• Aperture: F6.3• ISO: 100

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| sigma review

COnteMpLAtIOnI love having the dp1 with me wherever I go. I went for a walk on the beach on a day with very dramatic cloud formations and was able to snap this great shot which captured the feeling of the evening for me.exif:• Shutter Speed: 1/80th• Aperture: F10• ISO: 100

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Another benefit was the cost of accessories. A water housing for a DSLR

can cost in the region of 10K but I was able to get a housing for the DP1

for less then 1K. Filters for the small filter thread also cost significantly less

than for the lenses a DSLR use.

I find that I am more confident doing street photography with the DP1.

Approaching people to ask for their permission feels much better when

you have an “innocent looking” compact in your hands. People tend to

maintain a “natural” looking pose. The DP1 also looks far less valuable

than an SLR system, so I feel safer walking through the streets of South

African cities.

I went for a hike to test how the DP1 would handle landscape

photography and I experienced freedom. I was able to climb up waterfalls

without the weight of a camera body and lenses on my back (the DP1 fits

snugly in my pocket). I can imagine that extreme adventurers would find the

DP1 the ideal travel companion.

for ProfeSSIonal PHotograPHerS

Does the Sigma DP1 have a place in the professional photographer’s

camera bag? I’ve found that using the DP1 has enhanced my creativity,

enabling me to capture images that would normally go by unnoticed and

provided me with more options when I’m on a commercial shoot.

The DP1 will not replace a professional photographer’s camera gear,

rather, it will enhance the options, flexibility and creativity when creating

images.

I have taken the DP1 with me to a few commercial shoots. Once I had

the “safe” shots, I pulled out the DP1 and shot a few experimental shots.

I included the DP1 images when I gave the client their images and in every

case the client was highly impressed with the image quality. In some cases

the client ended up choosing the DP1 images over my 5D images!

dAyLIght OverpOwered I shot this image whilst trying to work out the max sync speed of the dp1. this image was shot in our friend’s back garden at 15:00, directly into the sun. the flash was fired at _ power.for me.

exif:• Shutter Speed: 1/1000th• Aperture: F10• ISO: 100

concluSIon

The Sigma DP1 is a unique, innovative camera that at present

has no equal. That said; is the Sigma DP1 a camera you should

consider buying? The DP1 is a camera that you should look

into purchasing if you want to enhance your current camera

equipment. It will provide you with more options, such as high

speed flash sync, expand your creativity and provide convenience

without sacrificing quality. <<<

| sigma review

StreAM pAtternthis image displays the dynamic range captured by the dp1. Most of this stream was in the shade, but some of it was in direct sun. the dp1 was able to capture detail in

both the shadows and highlights.exif:• Shutter Speed: 0.8seconds• Aperture: F11• ISO: 100

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InvItAtIOnI found th e dp1 to be a great camera for walking and just

shooting what I see. I’m sure it will be very useful for travel

photography.exif:

• Shutter Speed: 1/50th• Aperture: F8

• ISO: 100

nAture’S wAStehiking with the dp1 gave me the freedom to get to places I normally would have battled to get to with my normal camera gear. I found this little waterfall climbing up the river over a few other waterfalls.exif:• Shutter Speed: 3.2 seconds• Aperture: F11• ISO: 50

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