Eight months ago, Sigma announced the development of new Sigma DP camera, now Sigma DP2 at last hits the store. This compact camera is not an usual compact camera. In a nutshell, there are two major differences:
- Both DP1 and DP2 cameras use Foveon’s 14.1-megapixel sensor that outputs a 4.64-megapixel image. Foveon is now part of Sigma corp. Each of those pixels is created by three photosites that are stacked in layers, recording full color information at every pixel location. The image quality is comparable to DSLR camera.
- They also employs fixed lens. DP1 has wide angle lens, 24mm in 35mm format, and DP2 has standard lens equivalent to 41mm.
The camera body size, weight, and form are identical. LCD screen remain the same at 2.5 inches. The main difference between the two camera is the lens focal length and processor. DP2 has new processor (True II) that improve the write time and operation of the camera.
Despite that, couple reviewers think that the improvement is not enough. Ken Tanaka who uses Canon G series and Leica D-Lux4 compact cameras are complaining about the build-quality, AF speed and other operational issues in his blog.
Along with Tanaka, Jim Radcliffe who use Canon 5D most of the time, were disappointed with the 2.5 inches LCD screen. It is understandable because other competitors like Canon G10 and Panasonic LX3 have 3 inches LCD with higher resolution (230k vs 460k).
Despite the shortfalls, DP1 and DP2 are still champions in image quality among other advanced compact. It is great for experienced photographers who want compact camera but do not want to compromise on image quality.
While, many other will prefer Canon G10 or LX3 because these camera are more versatile and have a faster auto focus and general camera operations.
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