Sigma DP1 Merrill Pro Reviews

Our cons may outweigh the pros for the Sigma DP1 Merrill, but that's a little misleading. Despite the shortcomings of this fixed-lens compact, it delivers some of the most beautiful, detailed images at low ISOs that we've ever seen from a camera in its price range. Paired with a sharp 28mm-equivalent lens, the DP1M's 46-megapixel, three-layered Foveon sensor captures images that demonstrate remarkable per-pixel sharpness and an extra-special dimensionality that has created an almost cult following of Foveon faithful. In addition to its massive sensor upgrade (46 megapixels compared to the DP1x's 14 megapixels), the Sigma DP1 Merrill further improves upon its predecessor with a faster lens (f/2.8 compared to f/4.0) and a streamlined design that features a straightforward, almost minimalist approach to its controls. That's a good match, considering that the camera's imaging goals are equally straightforward -- nothing less and nothing more than to take exquisite stills (of stationary subjects in good lighting).

The Sigma DP1 Merrill is capable of producing amazing images, but you'll have to put a lot of time and effort in to get the most out of this pricey point-and-shoot.

£799 / $999 suddenly starts to look like a bargain if you favour a slower, methodical approach to your photography. The Sigma DP1 Merrill is not a very good camera, but it is an excellent image-making device, so if you can put up with its many foibles and it suits your main subject matter, then we can certainly recommend the Sigma DP1 Merrill and its fantastic image quality.

Despite the simple, compact appearance, the Sigma DP1 Merrill isn't really a point-and-shoot camera. It's much better suited to a more considered approach to picture taking, and if that suits your needs you'll struggle to find a camera that will produce better images, even if you spend much more cash. If you can put up with the fixed focal length lens and slow write times, and want a compact camera that will produce amazing quality images at low ISO settings - especially from raw files - then the Sigma DP1 Merrill is a great choice.

The Sigma DP1 and DP2 Merrill is in a group of a limited number of compact cameras with an APS-C sized sensor and a fixed lens, along with the Leica X2, Fujifilm X100 and the Ricoh GXR APS-C cameras. This niche is rarer still due to the use of a Foveon sensor which promises the ultimate in image quality, although this is when shooting RAW. The Foveon sensor is capable of resolving excellent - to stunning - levels of detail far beyond what you would usually expect from 15 megapixel images. While the body redesign has added a number of useful and needed updates, there are still a number of further issues, namely the camera is larger than many mirrorless cameras, the cost is higher than mirrorless cameras, and the battery life and speed of the camera are worse than competitors. However, if you are a fan of the Foveon colour and extremely high levels of detail at the pixel level, then these are things you may be able to work around, for example with a number of spare batteries.