Sigma DP2 Review by Steve Huff Photos

Average Camera Review Rating [5 reviews]
Sigma introduced to the market in March, 2008, the DP1 with its direct image sensor; the same sensor utilized by the Sigma SD14 digital SLR. It was called a unique, groundbreaking, compact digital camera with all the power of a digital SLR. Building on this success, the DP2 has arrived and is equipped with a 24.2mm F2.8 lens, equivalent to 41mm on a 35mm SLR camera, increasing creative possibilities, providing superior image quality and improving handling and performance. Steve Huff has recently posted a review of the Sigma DP2 and here is the summary of the review:

"Sigma. Get it together! Make the camera a bit tougher, sleeker and improve the AF speed! This is not 1996! The sharp 2.8 lens is great and an improvement over the DP1 but I would love to see an even faster lens on this camera. The DP2 left me a bit cold. I disliked the look, build, ergonomics, and AF speed. I loved the image quality and the easy manual focus dial. But isn't a camera all about the final image? If you think so then there is quite a but to like about the DP2.

It is a camera that can and WILL give you amazing quality images when everything goes right. The files are rich, film like and I have yet to find a higher quality pocketable camera. If you can live with slow and sometimes inaccurate AF, less than stellar build quality and the occasional hiccup (the DP2 froze up one me once in the two weeks I used it) then the DP2 could be the camera for you. The lens is world class and the sensor, while lower resolution that most can really deliver the goods. It is recommended for those looking for top quality results in the smallest package. I can't wait to see what the DP3 brings. Keep in mind that it may take a week or two to get used to how the DP2 operates before you get the best out of it. Also, the Sigma DP2 is NOT a point & shoot camera so you will not get point & shoot results. It is a photographers camera..correction, a patient photographers camera!"

Sigma DP2 Camera Reviews Roundup

Pocket-lint: "Because of the limitations of a fixed lens (as opposed to a zoom), using the DP2 over a period of time begins to change the way that you shoot. The only "zoom" option you have is simply to take a few steps forward, so framing is more considered, you find yourself planning shots in advance. In this respect it's almost like returning to the days of film, when every image cost you money, so you naturally..." - Sep 01 2009 More »
PhotographyBLOG: "...the X3F sensor still offers excellent image quality with the added benefit of RAW format support. There is virtually no noise throughout the ISO range, only at the fastest JPEG setting of ISO 800, which left me wondering why Sigma chose not to include ISO 1600 and 3200 settings for JPEG as well as RAW files. Chromatic aberrations like purple and green-fringing, typically a problem in this class of camera, a..." - Aug 13 2009 More »
CNET: "If the clarity of the DP2's detail doesn't win you over, the simplicity of the control layout will. This is how cameras used to be -- a box with a lens, and just enough controls to let you get the picture you want. With the DP2, you get pro-style program auto-exposure, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual modes only. There are no scene modes, no face detection, no zoom, no auto scene detection -- this is n..." - Jul 17 2009 More »
PCWorld: "The Sigma DP1 and DP2 produce the most outstanding low ISO (100 to 400) images of any compact camera I have ever used. Their image quality is truly on the same scale as entry-level SLRs. You get sharp, accurate colors, wonderful tonality, and the ability to isolate your subject with shallow depth of field--all in a package that resembles a rangefinder and slips into a jacket pocket when turned off.But unless y..." - Jul 01 2009 More »	N/A
TrustedReviews: "For the enthusiast there can little doubt that the DP-series is appealing, and Sigma must be applauded for bringing the concept to fruition. However despite the many known issues of the original, the DP2 retains many of the same shortcomings, and even brings a few new ones to the table.  So while the DP2 comes tantalisingly close in offering big sensor performance in a small and very discrete body, I..." - Jun 14 2009 More »
Gizmodo: "The Bad News: Let's repeat: There's just the one fixed lens, which isn't much of a wide angle, isn't much of a macro, isn't exactly "fast" by today's DSLR standards, and does not zoom. You have to get in the habit of going to your subjects, then making them stay still long enough to get a decent focus, then a decent shot. To add to the troubles, the sensor that is pristine at ISO 200 is noisy as crap..." - Jun 07 2009 More »	N/A
The Online Photographer: "The most significant DP2 image issues I encountered related to color casts and vignettes. The Foveon sensor seems to have a strong green bias. Raw images captured with auto white balance and the camera's "standard" color profile are generally very cool and often show a slightly green overcast. They are also somewhat flat and undersaturated, contrary to the over-saturated Velvia-style samples that Sig..." - Jun 05 2009 More »	N/A
PhotoReview: "Not surprisingly, many aspects of the DP2 were the same as (or very similar to) the DP1. Like the DP1, the new model is not designed for point-and-shoot photographers but for photographers who are prepared to spend a fair amount of time adjusting camera settings before shooting - and also on their computers processing the image files afterwards... Sigma has made some welcome improvements to the quality of the JPEG f..." - May 24 2009 More »

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