Sigma DP1 Review

The Sigma DP1 is without doubt one of the most eagerly anticipated cameras of late, certainly in the compact camera sector. Sigma first presented a concept prototype of the DP1 at Photokina 2006 but the first production models only hit the shelves in March this year. Interest in the camera was so big that Sigma even took the very unusual step of explaining the delay in an official statement (unforeseen image quality problems which resulted in a requirement to change the specification of the camera's imaging pipeline).
So what is all the fuss about? It's the sensor. The DP1 uses the same Foveon X3 sensor as Sigma's SD14 DSLR and that makes it the first compact camera ever to be made with an SLR-sized sensor (it's around the same size as the Four-Thirds format). But not only the sensor differentiates the new Sigma from the zillions of compact cameras that are currently available. With its no-nonsense feature set and 28mm (35mm equiv.) prime lens the DP1 is a million miles away from the superzooms, smile modes and face detection functions that are nowadays standard on so many compact digital cameras.
On its dedicated DP1 website Sigma says it 'set out to create a camera that could translate an irreplaceable instant into a work of art of the highest order'. So has Sigma succeeded in living up to its own hype? Let's find out on the following pages, starting as ever with the headline specification:
14.06 million (4.69 million x 3) Foveon X3 CMOS sensor
28mm equiv, F4 lens
RAW capture
Full manual control
TRUE image processing
230,0000 pixel, 2.5-inch LCD
Movies in 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) @ 30 fps