Sigma DP2 Merrill Examples
Just posted are some examples to assess sharpness with the Sigma DP2 Merrill. The DP2 Merrill (45mm equiv) appears to be no less sharp and perhaps even a little sharper corner to corner than the DP1 Merrill (28mm equiv).
Both the Sigma DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill deliver stunning per-pixel resolution (14.75MP finished images), and both have one of the most straightforward and usable interfaces on the market for a point and shoot camera. Both have modest battery life and no EVF and no built-in flash, this is the way it goes.
Definitely worth a gander, and both of them as a pair (28mm + 45 mm) could cover a wide range of situations and still cost a lot less than the newfangled Sony RX1.
Michael J writes:
May I suggest the good old shootout between the RX100 and DP1/DP2 cameras?
They do seem like natural competitors and it would be really cool to see the actual differences in pocket sized cameras.
I used to have the old DP1, dumped it for RX100, but now, having seen the samples from the Merril one, I am thinking of switching back again to Sigma.
DIGLLOYD: The old Sigma DP1 is not the DP1 Merrill, not even close in terms of the sensor resolution and noise.
Having handled both the RX100 and Sigma DP camera, they are vastly different in ergonomics alone, the Sony RX100 having a built-in flash and being super pocketable. and with a zoom.
While the RX100 has a 20 megapixel sensor, one should not confuse megapixels on a sensor with finished image detail, which is where the Sigma DP1/DP2 Merrill excels across the entire frame beyond what one will ever see from a 14.75 megapixel conventional sensor. The RX100 can deliver high central sharpness to its 20MP sensor, but sharpness degrades off-center and when zoomed to longer focal lengths. Its images are beautiful but do not have the crystal clarity of detail across the frame as seen with the Sigma DP Merrills.
I would not see having both cameras as being duplicative, but in the field I found myself using the RX100 more for portraits (not just of people, the full general sense of any subject’s portrait), and the Sigma DP1 Merrill for when I wanted detailed landscapes.
Both cameras have detailed coverage in my Guide to Mirrorless.