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A First Look at the Sigma DP1s

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Posted by Patrick on Dec 13, 2009 in Cameras, Featured Content, Reviews

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Regular readers of Neutralday will inevitably be quite familiar with our editor’s (ahem, me) infatuation with all things Foveon. Earlier this year we tested and reviewed the Sigma DP2, and honestly we’ve been quite heartbroken since it’s left the studio. I suppose most folks will now be well aware of the DP2’s shortcomings, but for those who don’t, a quick recap:

Low res, and misleading, LCD display
AF is slower than most, and struggles in lower light
Interface a bit dated
Lack of bells and whistles. No auto, image stabilization, “fireworks” mode, face detection, etc.
Smallish file sizes

On the plus side:

Razor sharp lens
Incredible image quality
Compact size

So that’s the DP2. What about the DP1s? Ok, the DP1s basically brings the DP2’s “Quick Set” function to the DP1, by assigning it to the zoom button on the back of the camera. In addition it adds the ability to shoot separate RAW and JPEGs, and Sigma claims the DP1s has “improved performance when shooting backlit subjects”. If you have a DP1, I don’t see a pressing need to get a DP1s, if you don’t have one, deciding between a DP2 and DP1s comes down to focal length preference. The DP1s offers a 28mm equivalent f/4 lens, while the DP2 offers a 41mm lens at f/2.8. Both cameras work near identically, and more importantly, both provide seriously satisfying image quality.

Getting a Sigma DP1s

You can order the DP1s from Amazon. If 28mm isn’t your type of focal range, the DP2’s 41mm is also available, and in stock at both B&H Photo and Amazon. I order or walk into B&H Photo for all my gear so of course I recommend them. They’ve got great prices and a lot of their inventory ships for free. Additionally by purchasing your gear through our links and ads, you also support our site at the same time, and that means I get to review more gear!

Quick Take

So we’ve been using the DP1s for a couple of weeks now, and everything we’ve said about the DP2 applies here. If you’re comfortable with manual controls (DSLR users), then the DP1s will be no problem. The AF is still on the slow side, but it’s predictable, and for landscape type work, it isn’t a problem at all. My least favorite aspect remains the LCD. It’s low in resolution, so seeing focus isn’t easy, and it doesn’t do a great job at showing the scene ahead of you, or display the best looking capture. This is driven home when you open the files in Sigma Photo Pro, and recover from the shock of how good the captures look, (in small part because of how they looked on the LCD). But the images look really good, loads of sharpness and edge detail, especially in the front of the picture plane. You’ve got some wide-angle distortion, but nothing major unless you’re shooting brick walls, which of course, I did. Overall though, the image quality is up to the same level as the DP2, and likely identical to the DP1. For most enthusiasts this will mean some very enjoyable time pouring over your results full screen on a large monitor.

We’ll have more on the DP1s once we’re done testing, but to tide you over, I’ve included a few image samples. The DP1s lends itself quite well to black and white conversions, so I’ve include some of those. The unedited originals can be had here.