There has been quite a bit of discussion about the DP1 performance compared with other compact cameras. Much of it has been negative. Some have pointed out that the low ISO DP1 images upscaled to 12MP fail to capture noticeably more detail than those from the excellent Canon G9 viewed at native size. Others have pointed to the disappointing high ISO results demonstrated by in-camera JPEGs from the pre-production DP1 used in the Imaging Resource Comparometer. Personally, I have been most impressed with the tonal range I'm seeing in the image samples we've seen from capable photographers. Download Sigma Photo Pro (SPP), get Carl Rytterfalk's DP1 RAW pack, and play. If you use a Mac, get SPP 3.1 here. Carl might just be able to help out the PC users ;-).

Addendum: Carl has kindly allowed me to use his RAW files as examples. Image #6 of 10 (SDIM0408.X3F) in the RAW pack, the photo of shoes on a table, shows quite a bit of exposure latitude despite being shot at ISO 400. The following animated GIF demonstrates the highlight headroom. Watch as the highlight slider in SPP is adjusted. The GIF is just over 1MB in size, so it may take a bit to load depending on your connection. Also, please note that the apparent noise is actually due to posterization, which results from the conversion to a 256-color GIF.



2nd Addendum: It seems that the ISO 400 and 800 DP1 images have a shocking amount of highlight headroom during RAW processing, whereas the shadows are nothing special (in fact, an early impression is that they seem rather blocked up). Click here for an example of the highlight latitude. The likely explanation for this is that the high ISO files actually represent "pushed" underexposed low ISO files. This would explain how the highlights are restorable with negative EV in post, which would act to simply reverse the push. I'd like to see an evaluation of the DP1 dynamic range at the base ISO.

Today’s announcement of the Olympus ED 25mm f2.8 Zuiko Lens continues to decrease the gap in size between high end compact cameras and DSLRs.

While the Olympus E-420’s size and weight remains virtually unchanged from its predecessor, the new Olympus ED 25mm f2.8 Zuiko pancake lens is much more compact than any previous 4/3 lens. Mounted on the E-420, the new, 23.5mm deep, 95g lens creates a very compact and light DSLR. Weighing only 535g, this combination further shrinks the gap in size between small DSLRs and high end compact cameras.

An E-420 with a 25mm lens restricts you to a single focal length, in this case an equivalent focal length of 50mm. It’s the same compromise that Sigma’s DP1 forces the photographer to make: to keep the lens compact, the larger sensor and resulting improvement in image quality force you to sacrifice the versatility of a zoom lens that is possible with a small sensor.

Whether you choose the DP1 or an Olympus E-420 + 25mm lens, both systems have a fixed focal length. The choice is between a relatively wide 28mm on the DP1 or a normal 50mm with the new Zuiko lens (both 35mm equivalents).

Focusing primarily on each camera’s size and weight, the DP1 is of course still considerably lighter than the E-420 with the new 25mm lens: 270g versus 535g.

But 535g may be light enough for some to keep an E-420 in their coat pocket; to have it with them all the time.

Unlike the DP1, the E-420 allows you to add a more versatile zoom lens for those times when you don’t mind a little extra bulk.

Of course there are a lot of other differences between the DP1 and the E-420. But in terms of size and weight, the new lens offers the perspective of the smallest DSLR + lens combination yet.

The scaled photos in this post compare the relative size of the E-420 with the new pancake lens to that of the Sigma DP1 and the Canon G9. Although no camera with a large DSLR sensor is as compact as the DP1 yet - the gap is shrinking.

Via the tireless 1001 Noisy Cameras comes news of Lets Go Digital's excellent interview with Panasonic. My read of the statements made by the Panasonic representative is that Panasonic has an LX2 placement in the works for Photokina and acknowledges the role of large sensors in the future of compact digital photography. I could have guessed both of these, but it is encouraging to hear them confirmed, even if only indirectly so.

Though most people seem to think of the Powershot G9 when they hear the term "advanced compact," I believe that companies like Panasonic, Ricoh, and now Sigma, are leading the way. The G9 is an outstanding execution of an evolving series, but Canon aren't innovating the way that these other companies are. As the market leader, I suppose there isn't much incentive for them to do so; but I can't help wondering what Canon could accomplish if they too were pushing the envelope. Meanwhile, of all the small sensor advanced compacts we are likely to see at Photokina, the Panasonic LX2 replacement has my greatest interest.

Carl Rytterfalk has posted early impressions of and samples (both stills and video) from the Sigma DP1 on each of the two days he has had the camera thus far. It is great to see even more of what this camera can do in the hands of a talented photographer. If you are interested in the DP1, be sure to bookmark www.rytterfalk.com.

As seen in a DPReview forum post, Sigma is apparently planning to release two more compacts, in addition to the DP1, later this year. This information reportedly comes via an Amateur Photographer (AP) interview of Sigma's founder Michiro Yamaki, and not surprisingly my friends over at 1001 Noisy Cameras once again beat me to the news =). The relevant quote from the AP article states "Expect to see two more compact cameras by the end of the year was the surprise news from Sigma's founder Michiro Yamaki during an exclusive meeting with AP." AP went on to speculate that these cameras may be similar to the DP1 but with different focal lengths and/or optical zoom capability.

I would love to see a Sigma DP series camera with a longer lens than the DP1. 40mm (equivalent) would be perfect. Given this preference, the AP interview caused me to consider cancelling my DP1 pre-order. However, I've decided against that since 1) I don't want to wait another 6 months or longer, and 2) I imagine carrying around two Sigma DPs of different focal lengths will work very well for me. That said, it makes no sense for Sigma to release this news now. This information could easily damage DP1 sales. Hopefully the AP interview won't have the same effect on the career of Mr. Yamaki that an earlier AP interview was believed by many to have had on that of Leica's previous CEO Mr. Lee. At any rate, I hope this news is true, and I'd like to see some of the other camera makers step in as well to challenge this space!