Photography Gear News

"Sigma has totally reinvented its DP series of large sensor compacts with the DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill. The DP Merrill models are named after Dick Merrill, inventor of the Foveon sensor and include the most recent version of the technology - the 15x3MP APS-C sensor first seen in Sigma's SD1. Because the Merrill cameras feature full APS-C sensors, they also feature totally redesigned lenses, with the DP1M including a 19mm F2.8 lens to offer a 28mm equivalent field of view and the DP2M having a 30mm F2.8 lens to give a 45mm equivalent field-of-view.

Both camera's lenses (which may sound familiar in the light of the company's Digital Neo announcements) include Sigma's Fluorite-like 'FLD' glass elements. They also both include substantially redesigned bodies that incorporate high-resolution 920k dot LCDs. The controls have also been updated and the cameras look smarter as a result. Having been first-to-market with a large sensor, prime lens compact, it must have been hard for Sigma to watch the success of Fujifilm's X100. We haven't had a chance to see the Merrills in-person yet but we hold out hope that the high-res sensor and updates will make the DP series competitive again. There is also no detail on pricing yet."

The Sigma SD1 is that company's long-awaited APS-C sized camera using a Foveon X3 sensor. The camera was first shown at Photokina in late 2010 and started to ship in June, 2011. Its launch created something of a furor because the company had telegraphed that it would come in at under $2,000, yet when launched the list price was USD $9,700. This quickly slipped to a street price of $6,899, but still much more than anyone had expected or wanted it to cost. I wrote about this at the time in an essay titled Rationalizing The Irrational. I'll have more to say about the camera's pricing later in this report.