The DP3 Merrill ($999 direct) is the most recent entry into the Sigma's DP family of compact cameras. It has the longest lens of the bunch, a short-telephoto design with macro focusing capability, but uses the same 46-megapixel Foveon X3 image sensor as theDP1 Merrill($1,400.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)andDP2 Merrill. The APS-C sensor is as big as you'd find in an SLR, but its design requires you to use Sigma's software for Raw processing. It's not a camera for everyone, but if you're willing to put the time in you'll end up wtih impressively sharp photos. Our Editors' Choice for prime-lens compact cameras is still theRicoh GR($628.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), but the GR sports a wide-angle lens that sees the world in a different way than the DP3's narrow 75mm-equivalent lens.
Foveon Image Sensor, Design, and Features
The Foveon X3 image sensor that is at the heart of the DP3( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)is a design unique to Sigma. It uses three layers to record information, each one sensitive to a different color channel. Traditional digital cameras use a single-layer sensor with a Bayer overlay, which has grids of red, blue, and green pixels to create a color image. Each layer of the DP3's sensor boasts a 15.4-megapixel resolution—because of this, Sigma advertises it as a 46-megapixel camera, even though the resulting, printable images are limited to 15.4 megapixels in size.
传感器设计省略了低收入pass filter, which is a trend on higher-end cameras. But because of its design, which by its nature omits the Bayer color-array filter, there's no danger of moiré entering into your shots. The downside to the unique design is that there's no support for the Raw format in Lightroom or similar software programs—you'll have to use Sigma's Raw software to process photos. The software leaves a lot to be desired, but you can use it as a basic converter to convert the Raw imaes into TIFF format, which can then be imported into Lightroom or the workflow application of your choice.
Similar Products
Ricoh GR
Sigma DP1 Merrill
Sigma DP2 Merrill
In terms of design, the DP3 is essentially a brick with a lens, measuring 2.6 by 4.8 by 3.2 inches, and weighing in at 14.1 ounces. Its body is the same size as the DP1 and DP2 in terms of height and width, but it's got the biggest lens of the three. The size isn't out of line with theLeica X2($1,899.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)(2.7 by 4.9 by 2 inches), but that camera's 36mm-equivalent lens doesn't jut out nearly as far. The DP3 doesn't support an EVF, but you can slide a fixed optical finder into its hot shoe; you'll have to trust its autofocus system, but our tests showed that to be accurate, albeit slow.
The lens is a 50mm focal length, which translates into 75mm in terms of full-frame photography. It has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and can focus as close as 8.9 inches. That's not close enough for the 1:2 magnification that is typical for dedicated macro lenses in this focal range, but it does get you 1:3 magnification, which is quite impressive for a compact camera with a big image sensor. Some shooters may feel limited by the narrow field of view, especially since you can't change the lens. Foveon fans can choose from the DP1 or DP2, both of which feature a wider lens, and enthusiasts with big camera budgets can take a look at the full-frameSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window); it's got a faster, wider 35mm f/2 lens, but costs nearly three times as much as the DP3.
The DP3 is only available in one color, a pleasantly minimal flat black finish. Buttons are labeled in white—for shooting functions—and red—for playback functions. On top you'll find the power button, Mode button, a control wheel, and the shutter. The rear houses the Auto Exposure lock, a four-way controller with a center select button (the up direction lets you select the focus mode, the bottom the focus point), an image playback button, a button to control the amount of information shown on the rear display, the menu button, and the QS button.
The QS (Quick Set) button grants access to seven quick shooting controls. Press it once and you can adjust the ISO, exposure compensation, drive mode, and image format settings. Press it a second time and the menu switches to white balance, image compression, color balance, and image format (in the same place as the first menu) settings. It's a well-designed interface, and lets you adjust settings without diving into the menu system.
The 3-inch rear display packs a 920k-dot resolution. It's sharp and gives you a good idea about the quality of the images you are capturing. The display is just as sharp as the 1.2-million-dot display on the Ricoh GR, but it's not as bright; that camera has an extra layer of white pixels that make it possible to view on even the brightest days.
Performance, Workflow, and Conclusions
Performance, Workflow, and Conclusions
The DP3 is the slowest of the three DP Merrill cameras, because its lens has the furthest distance to travel in order to lock focus. It requires about 3.5 seconds to start up and shoot, records a 0.5-second shutter lag, and and can fire off a short burst of shots at about 3.8 frames per second. TheNikon Coolpix A ($899.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)starts faster at 1.5 seconds, but its shutter lag is a bit slower at 0.4-second.
The DP3 is capable of short bursts of 7 shots, but requires you wait quite a while for images to write to the memory card. This is the case even when you use a fast SanDisk 95MBps card like we do when testing camera speed. You'll have to wait about 34.9 seconds for a 7-shot JPG burst, and about 47 seconds for Raw or Raw+JPG to transfer from the internal buffer to the memory card. You can take another photo after the first has cleared, so you'll be locked out of shooting for about 5 seconds after a full JPG burst or 6.5 seconds for Raw+JPG.
In terms of focus speed, its 0.5-second shutter lag accounts for a focus confirmation and shot in good light. In dim light the focus speed dips to a lenghty 2.9 seconds. The DP2 Merrill($2,900.81 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)is faster to focus; it locks on in about 0.3-second in good light and about 1.8 seconds in dim light.
I usedImatest(Opens in a new window)to check the sharpness of the camera's JPG output at its base ISO setting of 100. Images were incredibly sharp, registering 2,404 lines per picture height at f/2.8; 1,800 lines is our cutoff for an acceptably sharp photo. Resolution peaks at f/4; the camera records 2,610 lines there. At f/5.6 it manages 2,521 lines, and going all the way down to f/8 will net you 2,502 lines. It's not the sharpest of the three Merrill cameras; that's the DP2, which peaks at 2,940 lines at f/5.6.
Imatest also measures noise, which robs detail and makes images look grainy when it crosses the 1.5 percent threshold. Despite sharing the same image sensor, the DP3 Merrill does a better job at handling image noise than its sibling the DP1 Merrill. It keeps noise below 1.5 percent through ISO 400, and images at ISO 800 clock in at a very respectable 1.6 percent. Detail is well preserved through ISO 800, although when you push the camera to ISO 1600 colors start to fade, and images at ISO 3200 and ISO 6400 are downright atrocious in terms of color fidelity and noise. You'll likely want to shoot Raw when you're working with this camera, however, as it will let you get the most out of the image sensor.
If you convert Raw images to TIFF using Sigma's Raw converter at default settings, noise is less of an issue. It's only 1 percent at ISO 800, and you can control it a bit more by applying some software noise reduction. The DP1 Merrill's JPG engine isn't as refined; it can only control noise at ISO 100, but processing images in Raw yield very similar results to the DP3. That makes a lot of sense, when you consider that the two cameras use the same image sensor.
When you shoot JPG, you're throwing away a lot of the information that's captured by the Foveon sensor. To get the most out of this camera, you'll really want to shoot in Raw. Normally this wouldn't be a major black mark, but because the Foveon sensor design is unique to Sigma cameras, only the Sigma Photo Pro application supports the format—and that software leaves a lot to be desired in terms of editing. The Sigma software isn't the most intuitive, is rather slow, and lacks a lot of the finer editing features—including degree-by-degree rotation, spot correction, and graduated filters—that are available in Lightroom. You'll need to devote quite a bit of storage space using this method—each Raw file is around 50 megabytes and a 16-bit TIFF is closer to 90MB in size—that's 140MB per shot.
妥善处理时,you can pull an incredible amount of detail out of the Raw files—see the slideshow for an image and a 100 percent crop that demonstrate what the DP3 Merrill is capable of. If you capture a high volume of images and rely on batch Raw processing tools—or JPG shooting—to speed your workflow, the DP3 will likely frustrate you. But if you tend to spend a good amount of time perfecting each photo, the camera will better suit your style.
你必须学习如何最好地处理你files to appreciate them, and you'll still deal with a few quirks of the Foveon design. The red channel is especially prone to clipping, but you can dial down contrast just a little bit in Sigma's software in order to prevent this from happening. In order to get the best results from the DP2, Sigma's engineers recommend that you set Sharpening to -1 or -1.5 in Sigma Photo Pro, and later apply sharpening in Lightroom. They also recommend dropping color saturation down one or two notches, and to set noise reduction at its lowest for photos shot at ISO 100 or 200, but to leave it in its default setting when shooting at higher ISOs. This methodology was followed for the sample images in the slideshow.
The DP3 Merrill can record video, but it's not where this camera excels. Resolution is limited to 480p30 in AVI format, and the internal microphone is pretty quiet compared with others. The footage lacks any pop in terms of color, and it shows some evidence of the rubber pencil effect, likely a result of the rolling shutter effect, during pans—the top of the frame will pan ahead of the bottom.
The only data connection on the camera is a proprietary interface that carries USB and video output using included cables. Standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are supported.
Of the three Sigma Merrill cameras the DP3 appeals to the smallest niche. The DP1's 28mm-equivalent lens is a classic field of view that appeals to wide-angle photographers, and the DP2's 45mm-equivalent lens is pretty close to the 50mm prime that was the standard kit lens for many a manual focus 35mm SLR. That said, it's the only big-sensor compact on the market with a short telephoto prime lens, and the macro shooting capability is a nice bonus. If the idea of a 75mm fixed lens appeals to you, and if you're willing to work at low to mid ISO settings, and if you're willing to deal with the Sigma Photo Pro software, the DP3 will deliver stunning images. Those are a lot of ifs, but not every camera needs to be a crowd pleaser. If you're trying to find the perfect prime-lens compact for you and the DP3 doesn't sound like the right one, consider our Editors' Choice Ricoh GR, which sells for about $100 less; it has a fixed 28mm lens and a traditional Bayer image sensor. Shooters wa love for the 35mm field of view may want to go with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1; just be prepared to save your pennies or reach deep into your pockets, that full-frame compact sells for $2,800.
The Sigma DP3 Merrill packs a 46-megapixel Foveon image sensor and a fixed 75mm macro lens. It can capture amazing photos, but it's not a camera that will appeal to the masses.
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