It’s not often that I get excited about new cameras coming to the market, but Sigma got my attention back during Photokina when they mentioned their upcoming DP1, and now they’ve confirmed it at PMA 2007. The DP1 has a fixed focal length 28mm lens, full manual controls, RAW image support, and — this is the kicker — a DSLR-sized image sensor. Is possible that I could get all the control and image quality of a DSLR in a compact camera? Sigma claims this is the case. There’s been no mention of a release date, so it’s anyone’s guess when the camera will be available to the masses or even when the normal review sites will get test copies.
The DP1 is a very interesting camera, because it has the potential to be the perfect compact camera for me. I shoot wide angle almost all the time, so 28mm will work perfectly for me. I like shooting with prime lenses, so the lack of optical zoom makes no difference to me (even on my 10-20mm zoom lens, I shoot at either 10mm or 20mm 99% of the time). Manual controls are a huge plus, especially manual focusing. RAW support is equally as good, because I really like having post-processing control. And, of course, the big sensor is the most attractive element of the DP1.
Assuming the price isn’t too extravagant and the image quality lives up to Sigma’s bragging, this could be the next camera to join my arsenal. It even has the potential displace my LOMO LC-A+ and Olympus XA as my primary compact carry-around camera. Heresy, I know, but film and development are expensive, and there’s nothing quite like instant feedback and post-processing flexibility.
We’ll see how this camera turns out once it’s finally released. And I really hope it isn’t too terribly expensive.
Interesting. I’m not jumping up and down, but I’m definitely curious to see how this turns out.