 Intervalometer problem |
| Review Date: January 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Bigelow, Santa Monica, CA United States |
The image quality is very good, but the interval timer malfunctions:
It quits shooting after 15 to 45 exposures. The manual says it can
take up to 99 exposures, or can be set to unlimited. In fact, however,
it never even gets to 50. I've tried different image quality settings and
different intervals, but in all cases it fails after a few dozen exposures.
I bought the camera because of its combination of high quality sensor
with an interval timer, but because the timer always fails, the camera
is not nearly as useful as I had expected. Therefore I rate it only two
stars overall and and only one star for features, because for the mfgr
to tout a feature which in fact doesn't work is much worse than to not
have it at all. I wouldn't have bought the camera if I had known that
the interval timer doesn't work. |
The agony and the ecstasy
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| Review Date: December 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sky Blue, Seoul, Korea |
Mind you, this is not an easy camera to enjoy. When I say this, I mean it in a way different from what many others meant here. It seems chief source of complaint is the camera's overall slowness. This does not bother me at all. It has always puzzled me why people complain this camera is slow when they almost never complain the same thing about manual focus camera such as a Leica M8 or an M9. Unless prefocused, manual focusing is almost always slower than automatic focusing, no matter how slow automatic focusing is. The fact that you missed a shot is not excused by that you were holding a manual camera any more than that you were holding a slow automatic. And make no mistake, this camera is not so slow as to miss too many moving objects at "normal" speeds. It is of course slower than a DSLR, but for ordinary daily use, keine problemo.
My agony stems from this camera's post-processing software. Not that it is in any way flawed. Far from it. It is a tremendous software, so easy to use and so convenient. The best thing about this is that you can have as many customized settings as you want and simply let it run the whole folder for automatic conversion. You will find for most photos this conversion will take care of itself and you won't ever need individual touching. But it may take a while to find the ideal setting combination as there is no guidance. You would have to experiment and find the combination that you would like for MOST of your photos through trial and error, and this process could be very tricky and time-consuming. If you cannot find the right combination for you, you will be frustrated. The colors will look either too gaudy/unnatural/saturated or too mundane, the picture will be either too bright or too dark, etc. This is really the crucially important process, I find, and I suggest that you search discussion forums in the Internet for a guidance.
The operation of the camera is superbly simple and convenient. Manual focusing could be used in all modes (eg in program mode, in aperture priority mode or in speed mode) just by pushing one dedicated button and turning the dial. Most important settings such as ISO/flash/WB/exposure are all in one specially designated button. Exposure compensation is easy as it is done in one step. Auto Exposure Lock (AEL) is very useful and has its own button. Battery life is good enough (200+ RAW shots). One oddity is that Auto ISO setting works only between 100 and 200. Considering that this camera produces eminently usable results at ISO 800, Auto ISO should be allowed to go up to at least 800. Another feature I like is that when you go into the menu button, do certain things, exit and then you go back to the menu again, it remembers where you left off so that you don't have to scroll through the entire menu list again. A thoughtful feature. Same for AEL - it remembers the last exposure obtained by pushing of the AEL button until either you push it again or you take a shot. The camera has certain analogue smartness and lacks digital stupidity, rendering its operation intuitive and simple. Unlike many electronic cameras these days, this camera does not have a bunch of features that people almost never use but rather seem to focus on the core set of useful features either in one-step or two-step operations.
When you shoot in RAW (it is a requirement; otherwise don't buy this camera), process it with the right combination of settings, the image result could stun you. Almost as good as a 1:1 DSLR and certainly more exciting. Yes, better than a GF1 or a PEN PE1 (I have used both). Very close to film cameras (film scan or slides). The colors are alive and kicking. Don't take my words for it -- just google seasoned professionals such as Julie Mayfeng (India & Nepal works) or Carl Rytterfalk who swear by this camera. And their works show what this camera could do when in right hands. |
Film has met its match - almost...
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| Review Date: December 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Sarte, Manhattan, NY |
I've been shooting with 35mm, 120, and Canon full-frame digital SLR's for a long time. I've never used a Foveon based camera prior to owning this DP2. I can honestly write here that I'm astounded at the image quality coming out of such a tiny box! In fact, I'm so impressed that I've made up my mind to pick up Sigma's SD15 once it becomes available for purchase. The pictures are just that good.
The camera itself is a bit quirky. I won't go into technical detail here. If you're after a technical review, check out the DP Review. I will note what I've found odd or inconvenient. First, the lens is great - sharp corner to corner with no CA and minimal distortion BUT it's slow. It's faster than the DP1's wider lens, but slow compared to some of the lenses I'm used to working with (50mm F1.2 Canon prime for example). This makes shooting in low-light conditions problematic, especially when it comes to focusing or using low ISO's to minimize image noise. If you want to shoot in low light, use a tripod.
Another gripe is that the AF system is slow and loud. The loud I don't mind so much, but its slowness relegates the camera to shooting mostly static subjects. In other words, dynamic street photography (for which this camera's physical size would be perfect for) can be an exercise in futility. The AF accuracy on the other hand has generally been very good when it does lock on. I haven't noticed too many OOF pictures, even in low light.
The LCD screen could definitely be improved as well. Manual focus using the screen can be a bit tricky due to its low resolution. On the other hand, it works pretty well outdoors contrary to what some have said, and I find its color and contrast rendition to be pretty decent as far as tiny LCD's go.
The DP2's battery life can also be improved. I've only shot in raw mode, and as such only manage to get 70 or so captures before the camera tells me to recharge. I think a second battery is definitely a need.
Finally, high ISO performance can still be improved. 50 to 400 ISO are definitely usable. 800 ISO can work depending on conditions. 1600 to 3200 ISO are useless for color photography, but can yield some interesting results when converted to black and white.
Now I've mentioned what I thought needs improvement. Here's what doesn't: Image Quality. The IQ is stupendous. I haven't seen this level of color accuracy come out of a digital camera before. Ever. Foveon's X3 sensor lives up to its claim when it comes to color detail and rendition. The images coming out of this camera are very close to film. If you've shot a lot of film before and miss that look, then you should definitely consider trying one of these cameras out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Below are a few links to sample images I've taken with this camera:
[...]
Please stop by my gallery and check out the rest of the pictures. I'll be sure to add more DP2 images in the weeks to come. Thanks for reading my review and happy shooting! |
Image is everything!
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| Review Date: October 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: P. Pike, California |
I am a professional photographer with lots of larger cameras that have great image quality. For a while I have been looking for a camera that puts image quality first in a portable package. I have tried a few point and shoots, but I have always been disappointed with the quality, to the point regret using them.
This is not the case with the DP2. It clearly puts image quality first and produces astonishing images for such a small package. Focus is not lightning quick, the lcd screen is not the sharpest, the control system is not elegant, but it is more than enough to take excellent photos. The image quality rivals, is perhaps better than, many DSLR cameras.
This is a camera for someone who understands photography and not someone who is looking to quickly and mindlessly capture images. Using the camera takes thought and practice, but the images that it produces are worth it! |
Worlds first fun digital camera
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| Review Date: September 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: GOAT, Florida |
If you've heard about this camera you probably already know the pros and cons of the unit so I won't elaborate.
I haven't had this much fun taking photos since I was on film |
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