Sigma sd Quattro: Overview after 4 years of use!

[@ginocarlini1640]

First off, Thanks for making a video series on the SD Quattro. Finally a review by someone who understands the proper use of this camera system!! I think when this camera was released, it was not marketed properly. I kept seeing these reviews by blogs that mainly review DSLR's trashing the camera, and not understanding that this camera was made for specific shooting..ie.. Landscapes, Portrait, Food and Product. I left many comments explaining that this camera was a one ISO camera and should be treated more like a medium format film camera, as it makes you slow down and think about your shots. Ive also been using it for the past 4 years and think it is a very underrated camera system. I'm a Published photographer and shoot with the SD Quattro, battery grip, 30mm f/1.4, 18-35mm f/1.8 ART and 150-600mm C. I use the SD Quattro for all of my Fine Art Landscape and Architecture images.The sharpness and detail I get out of my images is very impressive. I shoot allot of Black and White in 1:1 Square aspect ratio, but I was also very impressed with my Color images too. Most people that see my prints ask if they are Medium Format. For a Second camera, I also have a Sony A7r 36mpx full frame. I use it with the MC-11 Sigma adapter and the Sigma lenses work very well on it. I mainly use the Sony for higher ISO Astro photography. Although out of curiosity, I took the SD Quattro out one night and shot some Astro images at ISO 100 for 30 seconds and to my surprise they came out fairly sharp with low noise. Prior to this I had a Fuji Xpro1 and Xpro2. I absolutely loved those cameras which I used mainly Zeiss Contax lenses on. I have since sold my Fuji Cameras and Zeiss lenses, which I somewhat regret.. It was a very good manual focus system. But I also shoot with several Mamiya 6x6 TLR Medium format film cameras and felt it was time to clean house and sell some stuff. One other thing I would like to point out, is with Sigma customer service. 3 years into having the camera and after the warranty had expired. I was having an issue with dust on the sensor. I sent it to Sigma to have the sensor cleaned and they sent it back to me only to see the same issue. The sensor would look clear and then after one shutter click, dust would be all over the sensor again. So I called the service manager at Sigma New Jersey and he said send it back. They had the camera for 2 weeks and could not figure out what the issue was. He said the camera had to go back to Japan and it would be a few months. I needed it for a trip to the German/Austrian Alps. So instead of making me wait for the repair in Japan. He sent me a brand new SD Quattro in a sealed box with a new warranty for no extra charge. Just an even trade for the broken one. I guarantee, Nikon, Canon or Fuji would have ever did this. In the past 38 years Ive shot with all 3 of those camera brands and dealt with their customer service. Although Fuji is very helpful, they never did anything for free, outside of clean the sensor on my Xpro2 when it will still in warranty.

[@unbroken1010]

How was dust getting in when there is a piece of ir filter sealed

[@s1dew1nd3r4]

I enjoyed reading this comment, i fancy a sigma because of the foveon sensor and the way it reproduces colour is just sublime - interesting that i also had fuji gear and sold it because of the lack of third party lens support and they had a serious lack of telephoto options beyond the £1400 100-400xf the next longest lens was a 50-230mm budget xc lens. Its a shame i cant get the sigma with the art lenses in the same mount as say a canon or sony so i could have two systems on the same lenses.

[@RobRobBob]

This is wonderful. I have a dp2 Quattro and have always been tempted to get the ILC quattro. It's not my main camera, but wonderful for slower, thoughtful shooting. Nice to see your review, I feel like it really explains the camera well. :)

[@photobobo]

I have the SD Quattro H and love it. While it might be fair to criticize this camera for all of it's shortcomings, of which there are many, the whole point of photography is the image. And this is where the Quattro really shines. My favorite lens for this camera is the Sigma 24-105 Art.

[@NWPipeSmoker]

Really enjoyable review of the SDQ! The MC-21 SA-L adapter allows the SA-mount lenses to work very well with the fp. -Tom

[@micklevanon7580]

Thanks for this. I'm a fellow SF shooter. I got a DP0 Quattro a month ago and am completely blown away by the images.I ran across this video, and though I've known about the SD Quattro, this really introduced me to the camera. I ordered mine last week, with the 30mm kit lens. It should arrive in a day or two. And I just ordered the Contemporary 100-400. I'm generally not a zoom shooter, but I'll order the 50-100 and the 18-35 when I get a chance. Should make for a good landscape and portrait camera! Thanks again.

[@forgottencameras]

Hey, glad my videos are showing how great this sort of left-by-the-wayside camera really is. The thing has been both a chore and a joy since I've had it and been using it all these years. How is it working out for you? The lens selection you're listing is about all you need. The 50-100 is still the gem of my collection, and I can't wait for an L-mount APS-C camera someday to extend its usefulness outside of what Foveon is good at.

[@goldstein47]

Questions: 1. Why night not possible? 2. IR photography possibilities 3. How to capture that cosplayers image? Like how you made people vabish with flash? (Im noob). 4. Handling spp and process of capture to export. Phew lots of questions for few videos 😅. Loved your style, please keep this.

[@forgottencameras]

Thank you; a new sd Quattro video will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for that. Some of these questions will be answered in detail in a later video, but I'm not going to make you wait for that: 1. Poor high ISO performance and sensor heat. This camera is pretty much limited to ISO 100 if you want acceptable noise. It also doesn't handle long exposure very well due to sensor heat introducing noise. This is also why I recommend the sd Quattro as a second camera, not a primary one. I use a Fuji X-E1 as a walkaround camera and a Sony a65 for video due to the sd Quattro's limitations. 2. I've had this thing forever and haven't explored IR with it. There are a few articles that do show some IR photography with the sd Quattro, so I recommend a search for those. I don't have the special filter for the lens required to do it (one that blocks all except IR). 3. That image required A LOT of post processing. All I did to get rid of the people in the background was blow out the background by increasing the exposure in a layer in Capture One and drawing around the cosplayer. Then I went around the edges and cleaned up. This gave the effect of having a white backdrop. 4. SPP is not too bad if you have a powerful PC. You can export as a TIFF file and work that in Capture One or Lightroom or Photoshop or whatever you use. It's a pretty simple program; just have to play around with it a bit to get the hang of it. If you have a slow computer, though, it can be very frustrating because of how slowly it processes things. The one of the cosplayer was a DNG from the sd Quattro processed in Capture One, which let me skip SPP. Capture One lacks a lot of Sigma lens profiles, though, so that is something to consider when choosing between shooting DNG or X3F. Hope I got everything.

[@ginocarlini1640]

I’ve shot some night time Astro images with my SD Quattro at ISO 100 for 30 seconds. I normally use my Sony A7r at higher iso for Astro imaging. But wanted to see what the Sigma could do. In extremely dark skies, the SD Quattro even at ISO 100 for 30 seconds did fairly well with low noise.

[@filipbueno]

Thank you. Photographers divide in many categories. Some take colors as a supplement to the structure, others do oposite. Others mix two well. I got d750 and this camera and I could not talk to each other. Color rendition is what I favour the most and d750 makes every tone come from black or gray. Unlike my old fuji s3 pro ( own 3 + s5pro out of curiosity ). Today I've ordered this sigma. I cannot wait.

[@forgottencameras]

That's how most camera sensors work; they take a greyscale image through three color filters, so you'll always get that out of them. I can see why you don't like it, coming from SuperCCD cameras, which produce excellent color using a very different sensor filter configuration, even by today's standards. I'm always really amazed by the images I see coming from those old cameras; makes me want to take out my E900, even though I am working on a review for something else. I'd recommend trying out Fuji X and seeing how you like how the X-Trans sensors do; I think they are a step up from the Bayer array while still performing like one.

[@filipbueno]

@@forgottencameras I brought the d750 today for a walk in the woods. It is listed now for sale and I won't regret it when it will go. All funds will will be put towards lenses to my sigma sd quattro which landed in my hands last week. Thanks to you. At first I was aiming at dp, having the ricoh gr I thought this camera is interesting alternative but I came across your vid on sd quattro and this camera made more sens to me. Ricoh takes images which please my eyes but only one focal lenght and that is something that held me from buying the dp. And watching yt for foveon image samples have had watched your summary on quattro and made my decision. Does anybody else dislike vids starting with: what's up guys? Thank you for not doing this :) Good job, your editing has good pace, always enough time to see what you are talking about. And easy to listen.

[@forgottencameras]

​@@filipbueno I'm glad I was able to give you good information; I was a little worried that I was overly positive regarding the Quattro, since it is very limited in the grand scheme of things. Hearing Ricoh GR, though, I feel really confident about you enjoying and working well with this camera. I think it was a good choice over the dp. If you're into, say, portraiture or architecture and that is literally all you do, the dp is a good choice, but the Quattro is very versatile in the realm of slow photography. If you pick up the 18-35 and 50-100, you're pretty much done for lenses, too. No GAS unless you want a nice prime. Yeah I don't like HEY KZbin HOW'S IT GOING SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON HEHE LOL, so I'll stay away from that. I'm pretty self-conscious about my voice, so that is nice to hear. I've also been working up courage to start talking to the camera face-to-face, but I think I'll save that for when I hit a subscriber landmark.

[@JohnVander70]

Great work, impressed with your photography.

[@forgottencameras]

Thanks a lot! I'll keep working on it.

[@dimakor5914]

Well, the main drawback of this camera is an enormous size, there are plenty of DSLR smaller than this mirorrless camera. But I love foveon look and incredible details.

[@humanelements2]

I like a lot about the Quattros but I find the lack of highlight dynamic range frustrating. They burn very easily, even when keeping an eye on the histogram. But if you underexpose and try to pull up the shadows you get the Foveon color blotches. In high contrast outdoor environments a graduated ND filter is basically mandatory unless you want white cotton candy clouds. I put up with the even slower Merrills for that reason - they have good headroom in the highlights. But I want to love the Q. Richer colors, better handling...Overall, a great camera, even if it's cranky.

[@abstraconcept]

It sounds like these are Quattro colour blotches; if non-Quattro Foveon cameras are unaffected, maybe what you describe is caused by the asymmetrical 1:1:4 colour data being interpolated, not the Foveon sensor technology itself? I do not have a Foveon camera of any sort myself, so I am merely guessing.

[@humanelements2]

@@abstraconcept Both the Quattro and the Merrills get color noise in the shadows. In my experience the Quattros are actually better when it comes to keeping them under control, though not by much. But I chose the Merrill because the highlights have a decent amount of recovery for editing and they simply render nicer. Very subtle transitions more akin to film than digital.

[@abstraconcept]

@@humanelements2 Interesting; is the noise occurring from pixel to pixel in the output? When you said "blotches" I assumed regions of 5×5 px or larger, but if you are talking about noise at the pixel level, I wonder if the Quatro is seeing less because two of the colour channels are at one-quarter resolution, and the interpolation on the low-res colour channels is providing a smoothing effect?

[@humanelements2]

@@abstraconcept It does seem to be regions of 5x5 px or larger rather than individual pixels. And naturally, they expand as the ISO increases. I think you're right re. the Quattro - I remember reading somewhere that the 4:1:1 layout was meant to boost the high ISO performance. You do see a stop better ISO performance in the Quattro vs the Merrills - but that's not all that much. Still a camera for good light only - or shooting in B&W up to ISO 1600-3200.

[@jerryeisner1]

Very nice review! Id like to hear and see more about your suggestion that the SD4 may be a stronger performer as a studio camera. Thanks again.

[@Star-Trekking]

Great video. yes, please another video for the best set up of this camera.

[@peterkoch3116]

Awesome video , I bought the Sigma sd Quattro for studio work -together with my Sinar P3 digital camera and are so happy. Better than Canon 5D mark III.

[@forgottencameras]

I actually just did a shoot where I took the Quattro for use with some strobes and the 5D MkII for something more general purpose and dang the 5D MkII does not hold up anymore.

[@sdhute]

Are you still using the sigma sd quattro?

[@peterkoch3116]

@@sdhute Still use it with my favorite /18-35mm 1:1.8 HSM /ART

[@sdhute]

@@peterkoch3116 Thank you I'm looking at that lens too. 18-35 or 24-70 the 25-105 seems more like a full frame users lens.

[@RichardStroffolino]

Thanks for the lens notes. Thinking of picking one up for film negative scanning and good to know the 50mm macro isn’t ideal

[@stanleygagner]

Sigma's Foveon cameras are so appealing in some ways, but in other ways they seem horrible. The images can be gorgeous but there are so many compromises that make it a hard sell. I Hope Sigma makes a camera with this tech that is a bit less strange someday, because they really have something amazing on their hands.

[@user-ug8ph4kw4b]

this has been fab many thanks

[@MattsNotes]

I've wanted one of these for some time, or the Quattro h if I sell one of my old Sigmas. I've heard rumors floating around about a full frame version of a merrill too, so I've been holding out, but we will see. Thanks for the video! Very informative

[@forgottencameras]

Thank you =) The full-frame Merrill will probably not come to fruition, unfortunately. If we see a full-frame Foveon sensor, it will probably be of something similar to the Quattro design, part because the Merrill design is very dated, part because the Quattro is more usable to more people as a tool for their work. Having three 24MP layers (or something like that) would take pretty tremendous processing power for a camera. Still, looking at the fp and fpL and the choices they made for those, I wouldn't put it past Sigma to try.

[@c.graham8304]

www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/camera-rumors/7

[@abstraconcept]

@@forgottencameras I hope Sigma still tries for a symmetrical/X3/non-Quattro sensor. The latest news item I could find is from February of this year, and while it says nothing definite, it does not even mention Quatro so I remain hopeful: www.sigma-global.com/en/news/2021/02/19/12739/ My main interest in Sigma has always been in the promise of a symettrical 1:1:1 non-Quatro sensor, where each pixel in the camera corresponds exactly to one pixel in the resulting PNG/TIFF/HEIC/JPG that is produced. When I read about Foveon cameras, it always puzzles me that there is a need for any substantial processing power for saving to native .X3F; shouldn't RAW be unprocessed data?

[@sheldonspock5566]

lol no of course not, every camera cooks their files before they're output as raws

[@PhilMao]

super helpful video. Caught it just in time as I sit here debating if I should pick up the quattro for product still life photography. PS i'm going to take a wild guess and say you're into mechanical keyboards? Your attention to button tactility and travel distance can't be normal lol

[@forgottencameras]

I am, actually. I made my old company purchase a Cherry Brown keyboard about 7 or so years ago and am typing on it now. Got my girlfriend a Razer Green based one and it is actually super nice, and my PC fixing bench keyboard is an AK510, which looks insanely nice (while being just okay to type on). I find that these things are really important, and reviewers don't pay enough attention to them. These are things that you are literally touching every time you interact with the camera, and have a big impact on how you feel about it overall. It can mean the difference between something feeling cheap and unworthy and really good, when taking weather sealing into context, of course. Still life/product is pretty much this thing's main purpose. The 50-100 would be a good combo for the task, and I think KEH still has NOS 180mm f3.5's for not a terrible amount of money, which is an insanely sharp lens with negligible distortion that lends itself well to the task, since it is going to render everything really flat. If you can find the old old 90mm f2.8 macro in SA mount, it really is a bargain (I use it with my a65 for macro video, it holds up well in 2021 for what it is). The nice thing is, once you decide on what you need, there really isn't much of an upgrade path, so you just work with what you got.

[@PhilMao]

@@forgottencameras agree wholeheartedly about the keyboard perspective. Any thoughts on the SD Quattro vs Quattro H?

[@forgottencameras]

@@PhilMao I haven't been able to use the H, but would consider it, since most of Sigma's recent APS-C lenses cover the whole APS-H image circle (at least as far as my research shows). The increase in effective pixel count would be nice, since the 19ish MP of the sd Quattro does limit cropping a bit. I'd pick up the H rather than the vanilla Quattro if available, even if it is an EOL product while the vanilla is still supported.

[@PhilMao]

@@forgottencameras really appreciate you taking the time to give such a thought out response. Sigma needs to give u the big bucks, it’s rare to talk to somebody who knows this camera to the extent that you do

[@forgottencameras]

​@@PhilMao Thanks; that would be the dream, although Sigma seems to be more interested in making Bayer sensor cameras with really critical faults that keep them from mainstream success right now.

[@finde_den_fehler]

Thanks for information, I sure we don’t need video option on camera 😊

[@didxogns1]

I have love and hate relationship with my dq1. I cannot get over he unique images it gives me. When everything is right and the stars are aligned, dp1 absolutely blows my mind. However, the body is so inconvenient, the software us so slow and I only use it to do the most basic adjustment and move it I light room for further editing. I wish they release the ff version that worked out the kink. I'm still waiting and I will never give up on my hope

[@Ivlodded]

The AF isnt unreliable. Its just that your lens and your camera have a slight offset in back and front focus.

[@briantaylor1945]

How is this corrected?

[@Ivlodded]

@@briantaylor1945 either by testing different lenses so yout camera/lens offset isnt that dramatic Or by sending camera or lens to the manufacturer

[@fthprodphoto-video5357]

Just use the usb dock it’s compatible with all sigma art lenses

[@hagentrondheim3675]

What are you base settings in SPP to start from? (for landscapes, nature)

[@carlosperezsegura5811]

Thanks for the excellent review. I think that camera for landscape and architectural pictures is still a good option. Specially paired with an Art lenses, the sensor is a killer at least at ISO 100. The problem: there's no option for third party AF lenses.

[@forgottencameras]

The thing I'm finding is that there being no third-party lens options really inhibits GAS. Rather than looking at lens stats and stuff (the Art lenses are fantastic, so no point), I find myself thinking about the lens' use-case. Since there is no upgrade path, there really isn't any lusting after anything shiny and new, either. The 50-100 and 60-600 are pretty much be-all, end-all for this particular camera, and I've very okay with that.

[@MatiasBastos]

Great review! I have been considering purchasing either the SD Quattro or the SD Quattro H. Would you recommend spending more money to get the H?

[@forgottencameras]

I am going to say maybe. Keep in mind that with the H, you're going to have a more limited selection of lenses; you'll need to spring for full frame rather than less expensive APS-C lenses. So also factor in that cost.

[@rahulp4432]

Can you please more videos about this camera and with different lenses?

[@ElmarJournal]

Been wanting this, but nowhere used in my country, so hold on my dp0q, so far so great

[@forgottencameras]

I've always wanted to try the dp0; it's a really interestingly niche camera, even amongst Foveon.

[@ElmarJournal]

@@forgottencameras i bought Dp0q because of the unique design, but stay for the image quality.

[@SuperGnarlyRadicalFireBall]

Is the camera weather sealed? Or at least safe if only a few rain drops or snow drops fall onto the camera?

[@forgottencameras]

Plenty of rain has fallen on mine and it is okay, but it not weather sealed.

[@theonlinething1039]

The missing video mode isn‘t so much about processing power, but more of a quality thing. The Sigma DP1 is much older but also features an APS-C sized foveon sensor, and it has a very crappy video mode which is totally terrible quality wise

[@aventurerocurioso]

do u recommend this camera for a beginner?

[@forgottencameras]

Absolutely not. It would frustrate one to no end. Start with something more well-rounded that works well in any situation (modern 24MP APS-C or FF sensor or Micro 4/3s). This is a great third camera; one used for really specific work, like in a studio setting where the photographer can work slow and control all of the light.

[@araznok]

Great review. Is this camera still worth buying in 2021? I plan to use it as a hobbyist camera for stills. Plan on doing some astrophotography(if this thing can support it?!!) and some wildlife, but I'll mostly be doing street and landscape. The Foveon sensor really has me interested in this.

[@forgottencameras]

Thanks! Most of the stuff you list, there are far better options. This camera is pretty highly specialized; you are practically locked-in at ISO 100, the autofocus is borderline useless, and shutter blackout is very long. My using it for birding/nature takes a lot of practice and it is REALLY not ideal for that. Astro it has zero capability for. What it does well are things you have a lot of control over, like using it with people or still objects and artificial lighting. For a commercial photographer doing that kind of stuff, it is very much worth it (used), but for the kind of stuff you want to do, I would look for a more generalized camera, and come to the Sigma as a secondary to do what it is good at.

[@okosakaroklenni]

buy a sigma DP. if you fall in love with the output, you could furhter invest.

[@fabiencazeau1506]

Is there any good cheap zoom lens available for this camera (about 24-70) ?

[@unbroken1010]

So no problems with performance on panny batteries? Does one perform a little longer than the other?

[@babar69110]

please some tests with UWA ;)

[@burgulize]

I got an SD14 with 3 lenses for 280$ a few years back, it had a focusing problem that I had to fix but other than that, just like Mattias Burling said, these cameras needs to be treat like film cameras, they are clunky and slow and require some skill, but the results are worth it :) Wondering if I should go for the SD Quattro for years now, thank you for a great video!

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

05:53 Hey bro, I'd like to know more about using HDMI with this camera as I plan to try using it with self portrait tests. The one I used didn't seem to show up on the monitor.

[@gameshoes]

I've been wanting to try one of these. I keep checking eBay once in a while to see if someone is just selling it on the cheap. I know that it's pretty dang affordable as is but, I just ain't willing to spend a lot. I see your second video, and will check that out.

[@ginocarlini1640]

If your thinking you will find a whole kit for $500 on eBay.. it’s not going to happen. If anything they have gone up in price. SD Quattro body’s sell on eBay for between $699 - $799. I have noticed as of lately they have gone up a little more in price. So has the H model. I have the SD Quattro with the (kinda hard to find) PG-41 battery grip, 30mm Art, 18-35mm Art and 150-600mm C. All together my kit was a little over $3000. I absolutely love this camera system for Fine Art Landscape photography. Sigma build quality and image quality is fantastic for landscape, portrait, food and product photography.

[@leojonkers3181]

Can you put Canon EF lenses on it? I love foveon sensors, Sigma make great camera's. Tnx, great vlog!

[@allankcrain]

@10:18 you say that the 30/1.4 gives you a "45mm full-frame equivalent field of view but, being 30mm, it still renders like a wide-angle". Assuming you're talking about the perspective distortion (which it sounds like you are, from context), this is incorrect--perspective distortion is a function of subject-to-camera distance, so if you're framing things with that 30mm like you would with a 45mm on full frame, you're going to get the same perspective you'd get with a 45mm on full frame. I.e., it doesn't give you any wide-angle distortion when mounted on an SD Quattro.

[@sheldonspock5566]

thank you. that point also made me chuckle, it's complete nonsense and alas a misconception that just does not go away.

[@humanelements2]

Exactly. Lenses don't distort, perspective does.

[@sdhute]

Does this have 6x9 aspect ratio? Or is that the the h version?

[@s1dew1nd3r4]

Really enjoyed this - do you know if the art lenses can be adapted from canon/sony to fit the sigma quattro or vice versa? id like to setup a system where by i can have the art lenses and then use them on both a Quattro and then a main workhorse like an A7r or 7d mk2.

[@forgottencameras]

Sony yes, Canon no. They is a mount conversion service for SLRs, but I don't know if they do it since they ended support for SA. SA to E (or E to SA?) does exist, though. I actually use an SA to L-mount adapter and it works as well as a native lens with Art lenses. I plan on getting an a6400 or something to use with my APS-C SA-mount lenses, since I'd like a more practical camera to use my 50-100 with.

[@gwag24]

I’m considering getting one. What would you consider the best lens to pair with it for landscape photography?

[@sdhute]

Did you pick up the sigma Quattro? I've been debating on getting one.

[@MrLuisMManuel]

Is the Sigma 24-105mm 4.0 DG OS HSM ART - Sigma compatible?

[@forgottencameras]

Yea, they do it in SA mount.

[@MrLuisMManuel]

@@forgottencameras Thank you so much, my friend, for you kind reply

[@pcprincipal9889]

Really nice video. Am very tempted by this camera. I use a Fuji X-Pro1 at the moment so reckon the operating speed differences may not be *too* dissimilar. The size is the only thing holding me back, I've always had x-series cameras, so always relatively small (although I do use the optional had grip on the x-pro). With a neck strap, would the camera be suitable to take on hikes and long walks?

[@forgottencameras]

This would be mainly dependent on the lens. I use a chest harness for the 60-600 and usually with the 50-100, but neckstrap would be fine using something like the 30mm or 17-50, although it will still be significantly heavier and larger than your X-Pro1, effectively double or triple the size/weight. For operating performance, the Fuji is going to be generally faster, especially with AF, which I don't recommend using on the sd Quattro at all.

[@pcprincipal9889]

​@@forgottencameras thanks for replying. I would be planning on using the 30mm exclusively due to the size. I mainly like to do long hikes, taking photo's along the way. With this in mind, I expect a DP Merrill or DP Quattro are probably my best option as I'm happy with a fixed lens, and operation speed isn't something I'm too bothered about. I like the styling of the SD Quattro and I have read it is quicker than the DP's but I think it may just be that bit too big.​

[@forgottencameras]

@@pcprincipal9889 The 30mm is, as they say, a chongus, but its performance explains why. If you are happy with a fixed lens, see if there is a way you could try out a dp1Q or a Ricoh GR; either one is going to be significantly smaller. The dp1Q should actually outperform the sdQ+30mm in IQ, although the difference may be minimal. I'm not sure about the dp1Q's performance (speed) after firmware updates; my last dp1 was a dp1X, which is also fantastic but dated. The Merrill is brilliant, most think it is better than the Quattro, but it has severe performance/battery issues, the display is not bright enough, and I think it may be a bit frustrating for your use case. The GR doesn't have a Foveon sensor, but it is kinda its own thing and I have no idea what Ricoh did, but everything I have seen from it is brilliant. BUT, I would compare it against your X-Pro1 to see of there is enough of a difference. It will also be a little wider, having a 16-ish mm fixed lens, providing a 28mm equiv.

[@pcprincipal9889]

@@forgottencameras I have an X100F which is fantastic and very fast and all I really need, and I told myself I wouldn't need anything else. I owned the x-pro1 many years before that and I like 50mm FOV so I picked it up with a lens for crazy cheap on a trade-in with some old lenses, almost cost neutral. I feel a bit ridiculous considering looking at owning a third camera but the foveon images have really piqued my interest. The GR's are brilliantly small, and the new 'street' styled grey and orange looks interesting but I'm more tempted by the short telephoto of the dp3, rather than the wider GR. Useful to have your thoughts on the screen of the merrills, and your other views, much appreciated, thank you.

[@ginocarlini1640]

I totally understand. I'm a fine art landscape photographer and I hike allot. I had an Xpro1 and Xpro2 that I used mainly manual Zeiss Contax lenses on. I got some really great images with my Fuji's. So when I went into the SD Quattro system, it was quite a difference in size and weight. (along the lines of a full DSLR). But after seeing the incredible images I was getting with the Sigma system, the size and weight didn't bother me anymore.

[@MrPetebuster1]

Just bought one , can you recommend flash options please thanks

[@forgottencameras]

It is either Sigma or Cactus if you want TTL and HSS and all that. If you do everything manually and don't need HSS, you can use whatever; I had good luck with some cheap Godox-adjacent flashes for a long time before getting the Cactus stuff, since Cactus firmware can be flashed for SA-mount specifically.

[@rashpeg]

50 2,8 macro pls

[@mr.v5918]

How’s the dynamic range

[@mr.v5918]

Cuz the images seem to have low dynamic range

[@forgottencameras]

@@mr.v5918 The dynamic range is very poor; if I have to push an image more than a stop or pull maybe two stops, I toss it. You have to get it right in camera and use flash when available. You basically have to treat it like shooting ISO 100 slide film.

[@unbroken1010]

It won't hide your technical shortcomings

[@unbroken1010]

I don't have a problem with my auto focus.

[@ginocarlini1640]

The only time I ever had an issue with the auto focus was when shooting in below 0 temps. It will stop working. But I manual focus quite allot, so that's not an issue for me.

[@unbroken1010]

@@ginocarlini1640 good to know. The only problem I had so far for a tiny bit of over heat display during the summer. Seems the Sd likes things just right

[@karimnasser9226]

How do the Quattro images compare to the Merrill DP/SD1 images? Here's my background to better understand my situation: I own DP2 and DP3 Merrill cameras and love the image colors and detail that comes out of these cameras. I would like to buy a SD1 (same sensor as t he DPxM cameras) and pair it with a 50-100 f/4 Sigma for "candid" street photography. I own a Fuji XE-3 paired with a 27mm or 18-55mm, which I use for in-your-face street photography but I like the images Foveon X3 sensor is some situations, and getting the Quattro or SD1 would allow me to have more focal range flexibility.

[@saulcohen5733]

What file format do you shoot in?

[@forgottencameras]

It depends on the subject matter. If I am shooting birds or landscape I'll do X3F, if it is something where I am going to be doing a ton of post work, like a portrait, DNG. I find that X3Fs give a better initial result but DNGs are easier to work with. I find that working with TIFFs in Capture One isn't much better than working with a jpg. To a lot of people, this difference might be negligible.

[@fellowcitizen]

Encore! Encore!

[@winheiMR]

Bin mit der einfachen Q nicht warm geworden, bin mit der QH viel zufriedener.

[@evaodland7349]

A Coot!...lol - (I did a spit take when that popped up)