World's BEST COLOR SCIENCE for $200?? [Sigma DP2 Classic, Foveon Camera Review]

[@rchrdsn]

I've never seen such a color depth. Unbeatable since the very first Foveon Sigma. This technology, mimicking film, a color-dedicated pixel stacked under the other, is hands down the best technology. I hope Sigma is back with it and/or other camera makers figure it out for themselves.

[@Nick-pz8jk]

Technologically speaking maybe the best would be color dedicated sensors side by side (despite physics -size-)

[@jleplaan]

Thanks for making this review. I've been curious about the older Sigma cameras for a while and it's great to see a review with sample photos. Keep up the good work!

[@MattJacobs]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed

[@patrickjclarke]

Yay, another (maybe) Foveon fan! As someone who started with that DP2 a long time ago, I think I'd still recommend the DP2 Merrill over any of them, even though they are $500-600. The Quattro files process more quickly in SPP, but overall, the Merrill is just a great size, the files are amazing and autofocus is much improved over the original (but still not stellar). I usually shoot in Aperture priority mode, Auto ISO (restricted from 100-400) and Direct Manual Focus (using the focus ring on the lens to check focus). Also the QS button is still one of the best buttons on any of the cameras I have. So easy to use. The funny thing is I mainly shoot Monochrome and the Foveon is a VASTLY underrated BW machine, and I'll put my Merrill work up against a Leica Monochrom any day of the week. There are some tricks you can do with a Merrill and Quattro for BW (turning off the Red layer to reduce noise) and using fill light inside of SPP, so hopefully you cover some of that in your Quattro video.

[@laurencegoldman4639]

Tell me more! I've seen jaw dropping B&W macro portfolios of DP3 Merrill onFlickr-Merrill groups. I have DP 3 Merrill and want to complete series. So sounds like you'd recommend the Merrill over the DP non-Merrill? BTW you have any experience with SD Merrill bodies?

[@patrickjclarke]

@@laurencegoldman4639 yeah, my favorite on the DP is the Merrill series, even over the Quattros. Now, I just got an sd Quattro with the 30mm f/1.4 and it's a great camera...just not small. It's faster in every way and SPP handles the files better and faster too. I don't think the Quattro is as smooth as the Merrill's but is a little more "film like" in look. If I had to get rid of all my Sigma's I'd probably stick with the sd Quattro, even though it's bigger...it just performs so much better than my other DP's and even the SD1 Merrill other than the Merrill's buttons and menu's are still about perfect for me.

[@wanderingwongs7464]

@@patrickjclarke I'm considering getting either a Merrill or a Quattro for shooting monochrom. I shoot Sony and Leica Q2 now but am intrigued by the Foveon sensor. The Merrills seem more difficult to get but the SD Quattro seems more readily available. In your opinion, for monochrom images, which would you choose? Thanks!

[@patrickjclarke]

@@wanderingwongs7464 I think the Merrills deliver are smoother tonality overall in monochrome but feel less organic and more "digital" than the Quattro. But if you are looking at the DP series, I'd pick a Merrill over Quattro just because I was not a big fan of the ergonomics and size of the DP Quattro. I shoot with the sd Quattro mostly now because I like the interchangeable lenses, the ability to go to f/1.4, and the faster processing and handling of the Quattro files in SPP over the Merrill...but the DP2 Merrill is one of my favorite camera's of all time.

[@patrickjclarke]

FWIW my main camera is a Leica M240, but I've been lugging around the sd Quattro a lot more JUST because of the BW quality. The Merrill is much smaller, but at f/2.8 on APS-C I do miss the shallower DOF I get with the 30mm f/1.4 on the Quattro and on APS-C f/2.8 is more like f/4.

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

I'm a Fuji shooter myself and prefer the APS-C sensor for my needs. I recently got the sdQuattro and I must say its a nice challenge and makes me really think about the image I take and the focus I point I select. It has improved my manual focus skills quite a bit more than before. (Btw I got mine brand new with the 30mm lens from an authorized store for around 625$.)

[@MattJacobs]

Great deal!!

[@thedarkslide]

It's almost double that now, I wanted that combo badly and found a mint one for USD1,200 with the lens.

[@NWPipeSmoker]

Nice review, with the right attitude about it. I picked up a used DP1 on eBay, and was blown away. It was, of course, flawed functionally - but Wow! I had used several Yashica film point and shoots, so the DP1 was a natural digital evolution of film, small form factor and good lenses. I loved the camera, but had several instances of part of the lens extension mechanism failing (plastic breaking) and had it fixed twice with Sigma USA (for about $110 each time) and finally they said no, it's too old. I would be using it still, if it hadn't broken for a third time. I found a used DP2M, and have enjoyed that. No lens extension mechanism, yay! From there I sprung for an SD Quattro - not quite pure Foveon, but a 4-year warranty and wonderfully quirky, great results using the Super Fine Detail mode (SFD) - the closest to medium-format quality of any images I've seen (and from APS-C). During COVID, thinking 'life is short so live it up' I picked up a used Pentax 645Z - since I already had some Pentax 645-A lenses, experimenting with medium-format lenses and adapters with the SD Quattro. As an aside, the film-era medium format lenses were disappointing with the Foveon sensor. As they were with the 645Z, generally. A couple months ago I picked up a used Sigma fp with the 45mm (for $1k), along with the EVF-11 directors viewfinder and a MC-21 SA to L-mount adapter - and I'm loving that. The fp sensor is the opposite of the Foveon - low-light, low-noise, just set ISO to 'auto' - and I can use my Sigma SA-mount lenses with full automation. Great fun! -Tom

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

I'm not surprised to hear Mattias' name here.🤩💜

[@ReinoldFZ]

I have it, thank you for a honest opinion about the camera. It is maddening how one can zoom and see details in the photos, the lens has indeed a 3D rendering, I used to shoot it at iso 50 too, and I'd wish to see more of their manual focus solution which is more comfortable than manual focus rings in lenses. Said that I am not a photographer, I just want to have fun and I still have Sigma raws, X3F, without processing. So I am with a Fujifilm X100S most of the time, the photos look a bit less natural, the colors less dense, and the 3D is comparable in some cases, but I have more fun photographing. I really hope Sigma can achieve their dream to make a more mature Foveon sensor.

[@ryanmain3636]

i have an old sigma dp1 i still use sometimes, nightmare to use, always overexposes, dynamics are like 3 stops, 5pm, 3 hour battery, i LOVE it

[@MattJacobs]

That’s how it goes with sigma 😂

[@francissosing]

Great video man. I might check this one out. But it's so hard to get away from my Fuji system with it's excellent image already lol. But maybe for a nice pocket carry around camera for bright days.

[@MattJacobs]

It is a lot of fun hahaha

[@ahoyhere8113]

i adore my dp1x, which is the wider angle brother with a few updates/tweaks. i bought it on a lark, also inspired by matthias. honestly it’s such a delight to use (but i do live in sunny arizona). i think you covered it well! the colors for the desert are incredible… bayer sensors make the reds and golds dirty. the b&w is soo good. i also love the merrill’s but their tradeoffs are much greater. the original dps can be snappy (esp the s and x models) and edited in adobe acr, making the workflow painless. the photoshop super resolution/enhance works pretty well on it!

[@laurencegoldman4639]

BTW I wouldn't bother about post hassle with these cameras. I find ideal lighting and color conditions outside. Put it on a tripod and shoot as ASA 100. Period. I don't worry about processing speed. The color is fantastic and these blow up to 45 MP equivalent. So you pretty close to the new Hasselblad image quality almost for free.

[@MrDavedownloads]

I'd advise against shooting at 50 ISO. Base ISO is 200, and has about a stop more of dynamic range, albeit with slightly more colour noise in the shadows. It's not that bad though. 100 ISO is a good compromise. 50 ISO can make highlights tricky to recover.

[@filipbueno]

I’ve dp1 and this is most film alike digital camera I’ve had. It is not bad in terms of dynamic range. What differs this camera from rest of the bunch and I mean all dp classic line is the real character you won’t find anywhere else.

[@CianMcsweeney]

Hoping they manage to figure out the issues surrounding foveon because both the colors and the b&w's on foveon are leaps ahead of CMOS sensors

[@JJARCHIE]

Considering it falls apart at iso 400, it'll take half a decade at least before it reaches parity

[@CianMcsweeney]

@@JJARCHIE doesn't need to reach parity, just needs to be usable with film equivalent iso's, i.e. up to 1600/3200

[@OneMonthTwoCameras]

Eager to see a video about the DP2 Quattro! Have one in the mail to me and very curious to hear your thoughts on it.

[@MattJacobs]

Thank you! I’m debating whether I should wait a few months due to the winter weather making it slightly more difficult to capture my primary subject with that camera - landscapes. Maybe I should wait to get some more summer themed landscapes or just make the video since people are waiting for it 😂

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

I'm excited to see the XT3 vs Quattro video:)

[@MattJacobs]

Thank you!

[@Fjalll]

Love the DP2!

[@deadpool6072]

I just realized that it kinda works like color slide film.

[@drinknova]

I like the background blur in your video, but you look a bit uncomfortable trying keep you face in focus throughout the video, respect! I am looking forward for your dp2 review!

[@MattJacobs]

Hahaha thanks! The DP2 Quattro is awesome

[@drinknova]

@@MattJacobs I got it yesterday and now playing with it, everything is great the only issue I met is the white balance, seems the AWB also not very correct, please add how to set white balance in your coming dp2 video, thanks!

[@MattJacobs]

This was my DP2 Classic review, my upcoming review will be on the DP2 Quattro. Which did you purchase? For the DP2 Classic especially the white balance is off, I recommend keeping it on daylight WB (the sun) under the QS button since you need to really use it outside, and that will get how much closer to only have to make minor tweaks in editing

[@drinknova]

@@MattJacobs Sorry I didn;t make it clear, it is DP2 Quattro, it seems has something to do with the color space too, I set it as AdobeRGB and when I editing SPP the white look cold, and when I set it back as RGB, the white looks whiter nowbut still I want to try your method, and definitely keep an eye on your DP2 Quattro review!

[@GSMaheshGS]

Those images look like 3d

[@Zobeid]

That illustration showing how the Foveon sensor has layers for blue, green and red. . . Technically it would be more accurate to say white, yellow and red. The camera has to do some internal calculations to translate those values into RGB color. It's a completely different way of sensing color, relative to other cameras.

[@shueibdahir]

9:32 thats actually crazy holyshit. I can feel the nose poking through! What lens did you usev

[@MattJacobs]

It has a lens built into it! If I remember it’s roughly 40mm f/2.8 equiv. It’s all about the foveon sensor which makes the images just POP. Wish I still had this little cam.

[@steverocky7215]

I have a DP-3 - it is superb at pictures of flora - and it would take a Leica to get better portraits..... but it takes a lot of tweaking to get it right! well worth the effort though.

[@laurencegoldman4639]

Question what is the difference btween this camera IQ and Sigma DP 2 Merrill? And is it worth the upgrade. We already know the Foveon sensor is fantastic. I have DP 3 Merrill and would like to complete the series. I want to know if I'll be happy with the non-Merrill versions which are half the price.

[@MattJacobs]

I’ve never used the Merrill version but it’s my understanding it has a much higher megapixel count and perceivable quality most likely

[@hututri]

Even if the technology hasn't changed a lot between the two, the merril has a 3x12mp count, compared to a 3x4mp. Whatever the quality, a 4MP output was already outdated for 2012 standards.

[@Mc007Queen]

I own a Pentax Q it takes video in 720p it takes video In Reverse negative , the Pentax takes awesome awesome black and white pics , and takes video in black and white , The sigma is a few notches down from the PENTAX Q

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

Wonderful review!

What abou DP2s against DP2?

[@Ham-yj1od]

Sadly it's no longer $200. Priced $300-700 on eBay that is absolutely not worth it.

[@Federico84]

To me it is worth it. It’s an aps-c sensor. I have the dp2 merrill that’s the successor of this one

[@Andratos95]

I wish I could find this camera for 200$. I can only find used models for 700+...

[@MattJacobs]

www.ebay.com/itm/334601521025?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=d1yn1hs6szi&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=duqi8nwerx-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@Andratos95]

@@MattJacobs Thank you for that!!! I think I was confused with the DP2 Merrill then, my bad... Do you know how it compares to it, purely on an image quality basis?

[@MattJacobs]

@@Andratos95 I think the DP Merrill is a lot better tbh I think it has a 40 megapixel equiv foveon sensor and better build quality, etc

[@mwellmwell]

What are your thoughts on the DP2s?

[@MattJacobs]

Never tried it

[@thursmornsunlight]

My question is…where the fuck are people getting such cheap prices?! Lmao

[@MattJacobs]

Gotta keep a lookout on eBay. Prices are especially high right now because of inflation

[@JeneyM]

👍

[@SMGJohn]

Please, zoom in more next time, your face is clearly not taking more of the screen.

[@MattJacobs]

Will do haha All jokes aside was just trying a different look lol

[@julesgardet659]

Rambling indeed.

[@chumleyk]

Write a script and read from it before you do this

[@MattJacobs]

Nah. There’s a million Gerald Undone’s out there reading spec sheets man, no need to come to my channel and tell me how to make my videos when clearly people enjoy how I present the info. This is also an older video when I was still trying figure some stuff out as well.