Sigma DP1—first of a new genre of digital cameras?

2007-06-21 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: digital sensor

I’m not alone in lamenting the complete absence of a compact digital camera that takes high quality images, one with a large sensor, first rate lens, and small size and weight. Small digital SLRs such as the Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon D40 are still quite bulky and a hassle to carry around; the camera is there, and you don’t just forget you’re carrying it.

Announced nearly 9 months ago (see dpreview.com), the Sigma DP1 offers a (relatively speaking) huge sensor (20.7 X 13.8mm), utilizing the Foveon X3 chip, a unique design that provides non-interpolated color for each pixel. With a fixed lens (28mm equivalent), a weight of 240g and dimensions that can plausibly be called “pocket size” (big pocket), it’s the first of what I hope will be a new genre of compact digital cameras which offer high quality imagery comparable to low-end digital SLRs. (See May 13 Why digital point and shoot cameras are “all shit”). Of course, the imagery remains to be seen and evaluated, and Sigma makes no mention of DP1 availability that I can find.

Sigma states 14.06 megapixels for the DP1, but it’s really a 4.8-megapixel sensor (2688 X 1792) with 3 photosites per pixel (red/green/blue) yielding 14.45 mega-photosites. Sigma calls this 14 “megapixels” but that’s a misleading claim; for nearly everyone but Sigma marketing bozos, a pixel is one of the dots of the resulting image (2688 X 1792 pixels). Still, the Foveon X3 sensor design can legitimately be claimed to offer about twice the quality per pixel of a conventional sensor, so it will likely offer quality comparable to, and perhaps somewhat better than, the Nikon D200 or the Canon EOS 400d, though with reduced spatial resolution. Some images will look better and some worse (prediction). The reasons for this are complicated, and involve the way in which the final pixels are generated, depth of field, lighting, etc.

I’ll be taking a close look at the DP1, and might end up buying one. Sigma’s lack of candor on availability undermines their credibility; whether it will ship in July or December (and which year) is completely unclear.