Reader Comment: Sigma DP3 Merrill from LensRentals.com
Stephen P writes:
The DP3 is TFA. Totally. Freaking. Awesome. I thought my Nikon D800E files were sharp, they are but pale versions of the files from the DP3 Merrill I rented from LensRentals.com.
I took the dogs for a walk right after I got it today and, apart from canine induced blur, the files were absolutely incredible. I am only curious on one issue, are the images from a DP1 Merrill as good as those from the DP3? I tend to shoot wide angle the vast majority of the time (~75%).
PS. Sigma Photo Pro is a dog but no more than the write time of the files to the SD card.
DIGLLOYD: It is true that the DP Merrill sensor offers sharpness on a per pixel basis that cannot be matched by any conventional Bayer-matrix sensor. Also, the lower pixel density is subject less to diffraction. All of the DP Merrill cameras share the same sensor and all have high quality f/2.8 lens, as my review of the Sigma DP Merrills shows.
An alternative RAW converter is the well-written Iridient Developer.
Compared to conventional
The Nikon D800E delivers substantially more total detail, something easily seen by resampling to a common resolution.
The D600 and Canon 5D Mark II offer marginally more detail, but generally do not have the same visual impact for that detail, and the Sigma sensor has none of the digital artifacts produced by a Bayer-matrix sensor.
See the two comparisons in in Guide to Mirrorless: