Sigma is adding to their dp Quattro line with the dp1, a 19mm f/2.9 fixed lens (28mm equivalent to full frame). To those fans of the system, this now completes two of the three cameras in the lineup with the last one surely not far behind.
The dp1 Quattro utilizes a newly developed, fixed 19mm F2.8 wide-angle lens, equivalent to a 28mm on a 35mm camera, that is specifically designed and optimized to pair with Sigma’s new Quattro sensor, making it the widest of the dp Quattro trio of cameras. One FLD glass element paired with two glass mold aspherical lenses minimize aberration. An optimized telecentric design improves image quality throughout the frame to maximize the resolution power of the Foveon senor. The dp2 (30mm) is currently available and the dp3’s pricing and availability has yet to be announced.
In addition to the availability of the dp Quattro camera, Sigma has also announced a new LCD View Finder LVF-01, which is exclusively designed for the Quattro series of cameras. The LVF-01 attaches to the camera’s LCD display to eliminate outside light and features a diopter adjustment range from -2 to +1. Coupled with the camera’s high-performance lens and coating, it magnifies the LCD display 2.5 times, allowing photographers to check the focus more easily with enhanced clarity and visibility. The easy handling of the viewfinder also helps reduce camera shake.
As with all the cameras in the Quattro series, the dp1 Quattro boasts a redesigned camera body that enables optimal lens and sensor performance and it contains the newly developed Foveon “Quattro” Direct Image sensor, which is the only of its kind.
The Quattro sensor is a three-layered, panchromatic silicon chip whose green-sensitive middle and red-sensitive bottom layers each have 4.9 MP and record only color/chrominance information. The top blue layer captures chrominance and resolution/luminance information with 19.6 MP, resulting in greater detail capture and resolution capabilities that are higher than the Merrill DP camera line. The Quattro sensor’s architecture also contributes to true color rendition and more detail capture, delivering even more realistic images as well as faster image processing, improving overall user experience.
The dp1 Quattro camera will differ from earlier generations of the DP cameras, as it will feature:
- Foveon direct image sensor that produces images that are more colorful, rich, deep and faithful than ever before
- Improved battery life
- Fixed focal length cameras, providing the most optimized combination for unmatched image quality.
- The TRUE III Image processor, providing ultrafast processing of an immense volume of image data without any deterioration of the final image
- Better high ISO performance with one to two stops of improvement
- Improved 3A performance: Auto Exposure, Auto Focus and Auto White Balance
- Enhanced Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Portrait, Landscape, FOV Classic Blue, and Monochrome color modes, and new Cinema, Sunset Red, Forest Green, and FOV Classic Yellow color modes
The question is...How hindered will the files be by Adobe Lightroom's interpretation.
Coming from someone who is still somewhat irked about how LR handles Fuji files. ;)
There is simply no LR support. File structure seems to be too different from Bayer sensors. You need to either use in camera JPG or develop TIFF with the Sigma converter. IMHO this is circuitous but the results speak for themselves.
Not surprising at all. :/
Lightroom and camera raw still don't deal with sigma files from the Merrill or Quattro so you have to use sigma pro photo which is a little slow but gets the most out of the files, their are a few other options like Iridient Developer but I've never tried it.
I edit my files in sigma photo pro and then save as a 16bit tiff to work on in lr or ps.
I did a hands on with the dp2q if your interested. "http://www.slrlounge.com/look-sigma-dp2-quattro/"