SGIMA DP2 Merrill

This is review of using SIGMA DP2 Merrill digital cameras.

Gallery
Impression
Specification
Option
Reference links

Gallery

Impression
The DP2 Merrill is the successor to the DP2 and has a new lens with a focal length of 30mm and a slightly larger sensor size, giving it a converted focal length of 45mm (DP2 was 24.2mm / 42mm).
The standard focal length of the DP2 was used with the LEICA M9 at the time this camera was released, and since I did not use this camera as much as I would have liked, I was not impressed with the camera. When I look back at the record of the shots I took, I wish I had used it more.
The DP2 / DP2Merrill had a close-up lens option (DP2=AML-2 / DP1=AML-1), and I think Sigma itself knew that the minimum focus distance was not enough. dp2 Quattro has the minimum focus distance of 28cm and the close-up lens option is gone. The reason why the AML-3 was not released is unknown, but it may be because the camera’s filter diameter has become larger (58mm) (special filters with larger diameters are more expensive), the need for the AML-3 has diminished since the 3 series of macro lenses have entered the product line, or the AML series did not sell well. The DP Merrill series is a series of filters that Sigma has been developing since 2012.

The DP Merrill series is a compact digital camera released by Sigma in 2012, and the manufacturer offered cash back a short time after its release, so there was a time when I had all three cameras on hand, but I sold them soon after due to infrequent use.
The DP Merrill series is not a bad choice for a digital camera with focal lengths of 28mm, 45mm, and 75mm (35mm equivalent), but the DP Merrill series also continues the tradition of Sigma compact digital cameras, with the drawbacks of poor battery life due to a poor electrical system and poor response time due to poor hardware.

Specification
Digital camera with 3rd generation Foveon sensor.
The sensor is the same APS-C size as the SD1, 14.5 megapixels x 3 layers.
The focal length is 30mm, which is almost a standard lens with a 35mm version equivalent of 45mm.
The BP-41 battery is compatible with the DB-65 used in Ricoh’s compact cameras.
The minimum focal length is 28cm, which is the minimum focusing distance for the focal length, but when the optional close-up lens, AML-2, is attached, you can get closer to the subject (the close-up range when the lens is attached is not officially announced; the second and third rows of the reference link have information about the shooting range when the lens is attached). This is a 49mm threaded lens. ) Since this lens is a 49mm threaded lens, it can be used with any 49mm diameter lens, and if the diameter does not match, a step-up or step-down ring can be used to convert the diameter.

Since this sensor only supports X3F for image recording, the image processing is very difficult, using only SPP. The DNP conversion utility is a freeware that converts X3F to DNG, but it was difficult to achieve the same quality as SPP without considerable processing of the image after conversion to DNG in the version used at the time. If I could get an image, I would use other software to fine-tune it, but it was a pity that this was not the case. However, since it is freeware, I have no reason to complain.
I found that I could develop the images with Affinity Photo, an image processing software, so I tested it on this page.

Items	DP2 Merrill	Note
Camera Effective Pixels	Approx. 14.06 million pixels (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers)
Lens focal length	45mm(30mm)
Image sensor	FOVEON X3®(CMOS)・23.5×15.7mm
Back LCD	3.0 inch /460,000 dots
View Finder	–	An optical viewfinder VF-21 has been released that only determines the shooting range.
Minimum shooting distance	28cm
Battery	Li-on battery(BP-41)
Size(mm)	W x H x D 122 × 67× 59
Weight(g)	355
Release date	July 2012