Sigma DP Merrils Price Drop

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Just incase anyone who's interested hasn't seen it the Sigma DP Merrils have just dropped in price greatly, Clifton Camera's have all three of them for £340 each.

http://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/Sigma_Digital_Cameras

Just ordered the DP1 M myself this afternoon, been on the lookout for a smaller backup/alternative to my D800 for months that wouldn't compromise IQ much but wasn't willing to pay the £600+ they were going for before.
 
Wouldn't mind the dp3. Processing seems a pain. Poor battery life. Poor iso performance. Decisions decisions.
 
Yeah its a real shame the performance side of things as I would love a dp3 to complement my Fuji x100s I have on order but I don't think it will be able to cope with a wedding situation
 
I have the Sigma DP2 Merrill and it is one of the best worst cameras I have ever used. The IQ is lovely and it's almost worth having for the black and white conversions which I prefer to my D800. Be warned the battery life is abysmal and I carry about 5, the Sigma software is horrible, the write times are ridiculously slow and the processor and LCD seems like it time travelled from 1998, ISO 200 max and there is no grip on the slippy body. I almost treat the DP2M a bit like a view camera on a tripod and if you use it the way it is meant it really shines, not much can touch it. I hope Sigma do a full frame version, I'd buy it.
 
As much as I'd like it, sample portraits don't look great, perhaps to much detail and the rest sounds a nightmare. If I were into landscape I wouldn't think twice, I'd just go for it.
 
whats the difference between the 1 2 and 3? just the lens? id prefer the wider lens for a landscape camera but if the brains of it make it even "quirkier" to use than reports suggest then id skip it.
 
It's 28mm, 45mm and 75mm I think. The DP3M is generally considered the best for colour accuracy and the DP2M and 3M are probably a touch better in IQ than the 1M which is a 28mm equivalent. The IQ you could swear you were looking at something that costs £2k+. I opened a file at f/5.6 and thought it was from my D800 and it was Zeiss like sharp across the frame.
 
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I have the Sigma DP2 Merrill and it is one of the best worst cameras I have ever used. The IQ is lovely and it's almost worth having for the black and white conversions which I prefer to my D800. Be warned the battery life is abysmal and I carry about 5, the Sigma software is horrible, the write times are ridiculously slow and the processor and LCD seems like it time travelled from 1998, ISO 200 max and there is no grip on the slippy body. I almost treat the DP2M a bit like a view camera on a tripod and if you use it the way it is meant it really shines, not much can touch it. I hope Sigma do a full frame version, I'd buy it.

Pretty much what I'v heard and am expecting, I'm basically buying the DP1M it as fall back landscape camera for when I don't have my D800 with me and perhaps a bit of street use so its not likely to get lots of extended use testing the battery.

I did consider the DP2M as well but besides the focal length being less suitable for my shooting style as you say the lack of performance above base ISO seem like it would make it a camera that's going to need a tripod a bit too often when stopped down for landscape defeating the purpose of having a smaller alternative.
 
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IQ from my DP2M was stunning - incredible detail for the money even at the price I paid - and I found he camera quite okay to use except for the horrendous battery life. The processing workflow is annoying as Lightroom doesn't support the files so you have to go through Sigma Photo Pro first. I could live with that but not the battery life. I use a Ricoh GR now which is a joy to use. Very temped to get a DP3M at the current price.
 
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Yeah its a real shame the performance side of things as I would love a dp3 to complement my Fuji x100s I have on order but I don't think it will be able to cope with a wedding situation

It wouldn't make sense for low-light stuff (BW may be okay) but for outdoor candids it could work fine. Handling the camera is okay once you get used to the Sigma way of doing things. Battery life would be the problem, you'd have to have a bunch in your pocket.

There are a couple of grip options to help handling. Aki Asahi do a leatherette cover with built-in soft grip and there's also Richard Franiec's if you prefer something firmer.
 
Sigma do a couple of full-sized dedicated E-TTL flashes but I've no idea how good they are. You could always go all manual with a cheapo Younguo 560. That's what I do on the Ricoh - looks ridiculous but works fine. Cost me £40 I think. Very quick and easy to adjust flash output.
 
Talked myself into it and ordered one. I've read that it uses the same battery as the Ricoh GR which will be very handy because the Duracell DR9709 works perfectly in the GR and is only £8 from Amazon. I'd better stock up.
 
What are people opinions on optical viewfinders for the Sigma's? not something I'v tried in the past but I do preffer shooting at eye level when possible.
 
There is a lot of discussion about these cameras at Luminous Landscape.

If anyone is interested LL might be worth a look.

I can see the appeal but the cameras aren't for me. Gotta admire it/them though despite the various "challenges" :D
 
What are people opinions on optical viewfinders for the Sigma's? not something I'v tried in the past but I do preffer shooting at eye level when possible.

I considered it, but never bothered and just use the LCD. Might be worth buying if you feel more comfortable shooting at eye level and can get it at a decent price.
 
I considered it, but never bothered and just use the LCD. Might be worth buying if you feel more comfortable shooting at eye level and can get it at a decent price.

Part of the problem is I'm pretty much totally clueless about clip on viewfinders having never had the need for one before.

What kind of range does parallax become an issue? what are you getting with a more expensive model over a cheaper one?
 
Part of the problem is I'm pretty much totally clueless about clip on viewfinders having never had the need for one before.

What kind of range does parallax become an issue? what are you getting with a more expensive model over a cheaper one?

The Sigma VF-11 is what you would be looking for although I begrudge paying a third of the price of the camera for an optical viewfinder. Lloyd Chambers said:

Naturally as with any such viewfinder (as on the Leica M9), there is a parallax issue at close range, but they are reasonably accurate for framing at medium and far distance.

You could look at it that you got the camera for a bargain so the VF isn't a bad deal, but I'd look at a third party grip and the lens hood and batteries before the VF. I had expensive VFs on Leica and ended up never using them really and that didn't even have live view.
 
I've wanted to try a foveon sensor camera for a while, and that is a very tempting price, however my New Years resolution was to not buy any new cameras in 2014 :( it would be a shame to break my resolution so early in the year.

Still, temptation is strong ........
 
The price is great ... considering I'd only buy a new one since I don't really trust their longevity or reliability.
Quite a shame I don't need one ... a unique piece of landscape kit.
 
Seems like the price drop is due to todays announcement about the replacement models, the Sigma DP 1/2/3 Quattro, it certainly looks like a radical design.

I"m not sure about the sensor change,i assume some interpolation will be needed, I would imagine the trade off would be better low light performance ?
it will be very interesting to see pics from it.

I'm still tempted by the DP3M at its current price though.
 
It had to be replacement models, they just ended the £150 cashback on them then a huge price slash would mean new models.
 
Well that's certainly a radical design, but it looks like it might work well with a better hand-grip. Not so sure about the sensor change though. The Merrill sensor may impose some limitations on the camera, but the results speak for themselves. Diluting the results in order to offset the compromises of the current cameras seems like a step in the wrong direction to me.
 
Now we know the reason for the price drop..! Bet they shift the old ones tho'
 
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Sigma don't seem to realise the gem that the standard Merrill sensor is : they should have stuffed more power into the bodies and tweaked them ... instead of a dog's hind leg with a new unproven sensor in it.
Change one thing at a time! But no.
 
All this woe over the new sensors...

Has anyone seen the images yet?

I read that they're still Forveon so maybe they're improved Forveon?
 
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Looks quite a bargain if you can cope with its quirks,slow write times sigma software awfull battery life etc.Just been looking at some images from the dp2 and dp3 and its certainly very impressive!! Mmmmmmm:thinking: Are there many differences apart from focal length between the dp2 and dp3?
 
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Seems Clifton are out of the dp3 but expecting more in this week..soo tempted!
 
SRS Microsystems have them in stock now for the same price, I'm still unsure if i should get one, I've downloaded a lot of Merrill raw files and am scrutinising them at the moment.
 
SRS Microsystems have them in stock now for the same price, I'm still unsure if i should get one, I've downloaded a lot of Merrill raw files and am scrutinising them at the moment.
Thats handy to know as they are quick drive from me. I have been playing with some raw files this morning that someone kindly sent me and have to say they are stunning,so much detail and sharpness.Used sigma software first to save as 16 bit tiff then played in LR.
 
What are you looking at the raws in? Is there any sensible s/w that can handle them now?
 
Just using sigmas pro photo..very slow and clunky but ok for basics then save as tiff and open in LR4
 
Just using sigmas pro photo..very slow and clunky but ok for basics then save as tiff and open in LR4

Thanks. That's one of the things putting me off - I don't need a complicated workflow ;)

Still trying to find out if these can be converted for IR. It seems possible but nobody does it.
 
I know what you mean with regards the workflow but I dont shoot as much as I used too so cant see it being an issue for me.Its certainly quirky but the images are out of this world. Sorry no idea on IR front mate.
 
For Mac users there is an alternative to Sigma Pro Photo - it's not free (£50) but there is a free trial download (which watermarks the photos with their logo but is otherwise unrestricted). http://www.iridientdigital.com/products/rawdeveloper.html Might be worth a go if you just want something to look at and modify Foveon raw files as it should be faster than the Sigma software? (I don't use a Mac so just guessing, but it's unlikely to be worse!)
 
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