Sigma is handing creative control to the photographer and bringing back the sheer joy of making photographic art with the release of the DP2: A full spec compact digital camera with all the power of a DSLR.
Every photographer wants to capture the emotion of that crucial moment, and turn it into a fantastic shot. The only cameras designed to do just that, by combining the technology for serious photographic expression with highly-portable compactness, belong to Sigma's DP series. Meshing neatly with your personal lifestyle and your inner life, the DP2 is designed to take you deeper into a whole new world of photographic expression.
Features:
Full Scale Sensor
At 20.7 x 13.8mm, the DP2's 14-megapixel image sensor is SLR-sized. This is about 12 times larger than the 1- to 2.5-inch sensor, and 7 times larger than a 1- to 1.8-inch sensor used in a conventional digital compact. This generous size takes the DP2's image quality to a different dimension.
Direct Image Sensor
Images produced by Sigma's SD series cameras, and by the DP1, have what's been called an “emotional quality”. The emotion comes with a level of image quality that only the Foveon X3 direct image sensor can deliver. Image quality of a clarity and exquisiteness easily outclassing that of conventional digital cameras. This level of image quality reproduces the scene you shot, right down to the feeling in the air. It's only possible in a vertical color-capture system that does not require color interpolation, and an image-processing system that does not require an optical low-pass filter.
Integral Lens
Sigma believes that a photo is only as good as the lens it was taken with. So we decided that the kind of quality we wanted for the DP2 would not be attainable using the traditional techniques used to design standard lenses. We rethought the design from the development stage, and set out in pursuit of the highest possible lens performance. We took the bold step of using a retrofocus lens of the type mainly used as wide-angle lenses for SLRs.
Besides having the excellent telecentricity vital in lenses for digital cameras, this retrofocus lens has many other advantages: for example, this format makes it easy to suppress field curvature and astigmatism, and to ensure that the light volume stays the same right to the periphery. However the lens does need to be longer. Therefore, in order to minimize the total length of the lens while still attaining ideal image quality, we used two groups of lens elements: the group at the front have a high refractive index, and the group at the rear are aspherical glass-mold lenses. This way, we successfully developed a standard lens with a relatively modest overall length, but very high optical performance.
Image Capability
The JPEG files from the DP2 are output in YCbCr 4:2:2 in compliance with the Exchangeable image file format (Exif) specification, which is the standard specification for file formats. But in the direct image sensor, each pixel location captures the full complement of RGB color data, so in X3F files, which is the RAW data format, brightness data and color data can be kept in a 1:1 ratio without relying on interpolation. When this image is processed in Sigma Photo Pro, even if it is saved as a JPEG, if the JPEG quality-setting selected is 7 to 12, it will be saved as YCbCr 4:4:4. The DP2's image quality, with its amazing vividness and texture, is really due to the X3F image data, which preserves the balance of the natural data. For the best photos with the best image quality, we definitely recommend shooting in X3F mode.
TRUE II
Leveraging the strengths of the direct image sensor, TRUE II does full justice to its uniquely sophisticated 3D rendering power, optimizing both in-camera image processing quality and speed. Also enhancing color reproduction and dynamic range, TRUE II, significantly contributing to the quality of the images produced within the camera. Further, noise that can tend to occur at higher sensitivities is suppressed by a new proprietary algorithm, with resolution maintained at the highest possible level. And automatic exposure, focus and white balance functionality are strengthened, enhancing the camera's overall performance.
Sigma Photo Pro Software
Sigma Photo Pro focuses on only those functions you really need for artistic photo-finishing. Its interface is one of the most user-friendly and intuitive of the many RAW data-processing software packages on the market, so even if you're a beginner, you'll find it simple to turn your images into finished photos. Images can be customized using just seven parameters -- exposure, contrast, shadows, highlights, color saturation, sharpness and X3 Fill Light -- all provided in the Adjustment Controls Palette, plus the Color Wheel for adjusting the colors. Simply adjust these parameters and watch the image change in real time. That's all it takes to recreate the ideal photo you had in your mind's eye as you pressed the shutter.
Design Policy
With its intuitive controls, and its increased portability and toughness, the DP2 is made to be taken with you anytime, wherever you go. Simple yet distinctive, its compact body will draw admiring glances. Packed into a neatly pocket-sized package, it has a capacity to deliver uncannily high image quality that is bound to amaze. Doing away with the old DSLR-versus-compact distinction that cramped photographers' style more than they ever knew, the DP2 offers more artistic freedom, and new horizons in photographic expression, making the finest in photography far more accessible than ever before.
Includes:
- DP2 Digital Camera
- Li-ion Battery BP-31
- Battery Charger BC-31
- Lens Cap LCP-11
- Neck Strap NS-11
- Soft Case CS-70
- Hot Shoe Cover HSC-11
- USB Cable
- Video Cable
- SIGMA Photo Pro Disc
- Instruction Manual
