Cameraderie, a friendly photography forum, join now for free!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="ggibson" data-source="post: 190821" data-attributes="member: 1292">My test shoot <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1030324-REG/sigma_dp2_quattro_digital_camera.html">DP2 Quattro</a> arrived the other day and I've played around with it and grabbed some shots--enough to give a first-look impression of the camera and the images it can produce.The camera itself is a strange, modern design, that much is plainly obvious from just looking at it. I think Sigma wanted this camera to look as different on the outside as they feel it is on the inside! Ergonomically, the design is pretty poor, in my opinion. The "grip" does not really fit the hand well, and is shorter than I would really like it to be to get a firm hold on it. It's usable enough, but don't imagine that it conforms to your hand in some unforseen way. On the plus side, the dials are relatively accessible with one hand (more the front dial than the rear) and operate with nice clicks. In fact, despite the awkward shape, the camera feels extremely well-made. The material has a coarse, but high-quality feel to it, and the camera has a nice heft to it. Unfortunately, the weight of the Quattro combined with the unstable grip means it's pretty difficult to operate one-handed. That's fine though, since this is not a run & gun camera...So what's it like in use? Pretty much like all Sigma cameras have been, in my experience (I had a DP1X at one time). Slow to focus and slow to take the shot, and slow to take the next one. In practice just for walking around, the shot-to-shot is fine, but compared to anything else on the market this camera doesn't know what "burst rate" is. Make no mistake, this camera will dissappoint you many times if your subject is moving around at all. Like all Sigma cameras, this camera asks if you would please slow down and just take your time?If you do move at Sigma's pace however, the camera will reward you with what can only be described as stunning image quality. Rich colors, amazing details, and creamy "bokeh"! The 30mm f2.8 lens on this camera is incredibly sharp and provides nice opportunities for close-focus. The foveon sensor is where the real magic happens, however, and I do believe that the Quattro is Sigma's best yet. The color tones are accurate and capture the feeling of the scene well. Some have complained that the Quattro sensor can't match the Merrill in micro-contrast, but I find no shortage of details in the images that I'm reviewing. All-in-all, if there's a tradeoff in micro-contrast, I think it may be worth the improvements in color, resolution, and ISO performance.I do have a Sony A7 that I'll be comparing with the Quattro shortly, but I'll save that for later. So enough of my first impressions, here are some images of what the Sigma can do!More here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamgibson/sets/72157645675562273/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamgibson/sets/72157645675562273/</a>[ATTACH=full]95129[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]95130[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]95131[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]95132[/ATTACH]</blockquote>

Verification