Sigma DP1
The Luminous Landscape carries its long-awaited review of the Sigma DP1, seemingly just another digital compact camera, but one that had many of us hoping for something closer to D-SLR quality. As it turns out, the review says those expectations have largely been met in terms of image quality. However, design and operation of the camera leaves much to be desired.
The DP1′s menus are a mess. There are poorly laid out and have 15 items in a scrolling Shooting menu and another 17 items in a Set Up menu. [...] Tedious and not conducive to any form of rapid and involving interaction with the user. It’s almost as if Sigma hasn’t noticed the advancements which its competitors have made in the last half decade in user interface development.
The Sigma has the usual slow contrast detection autofocus that all digicams offer; though seemingly a bit slower than some others. But again, in terms of poor user interface, though it has multiple focus points available there’s no way of getting to them other than though a menu item buried within one of the scrolling lists. Not at all good.
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The LCD screen of the DP1 is a disgrace. It’s simply awful. Resolution appears low, and it simply appears dim and coarse. Yes, I know that it can be made brighter in the menus, but that still doesn’t put it anywhere near on a par with other screens. [...]
[...]
In addition to ISO settings from 100 to 800 there is an Auto-ISO mode. But it only moves between ISO 100 and 200, not including any of the other speeds. Seems to be kind of pointless to me, and another example of strange oversights and omissions that Sigma has allowed to exist in this camera.
Such a pity, but as The Luminous Landscape says, perhaps the potential of the idea behind the DP1 might now lead Canon to produce a G10 based on an APS-sized sensor if Sigma can’t get its act together to resolve the flaws of the DP1.
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