Sigma DP3 Merrill - best of shots

[biglouis]

I thought I would go back through my DP3 Merrill shots to see if I could improve any with the new TopazDenoiseAI software. However, I discovered I never really used the camera beyond base iso and therefore additional noise reduction software was not necessary. Anyway, seemed like a good excuse to show some of the photos, which may also be hiding somewhere else in this part of the forum (I haven't owned the camera for several years). It is interesting to note that if you try to buy one off of eBay they are going for pretty much the purchase price new back in the day. It is a classic camera and I am almost tempted to buy another as an early Xmas present.

Brick Lane Padlocks (2013)


Evidence, Somme Battlefield (2013)


Spider with red bus bokeh (2014)


Iris with red bus bokeh - the DP3M was for a long time my 'go to' camera for flower photography (2015)


23 New Road, Whitechapel - the birthplace of the Salvation Army (2015)


Gasholder and Eurostar (2016)


Postman's Office, Kentish Town (2016, Panorama of 3 shots)



Holly Village, Highgate (2016)



Hayling Island (2017)

 

[AlanS]

I had all 3 of them (DP1,2 & 3) and loved what they where capable of doing in the right conditions. However the envelope was a little too narrow at times and I really did not get on with the Sigma s/w. If they could iron out the problems with the Merrill design and allow us to use "normal" raw converters I would be really interested! Anyway here is one I have not shown before from 5 years ago.

 

[Geoff]

Interesting to see, thanks for posting. Seems to do well in subtle tones (beach, red brick post office) while others seem like it struggles when there is too much contrast (train, rocks in hand). Do you agree, and is it the camera or the processing?

 

[biglouis]

I had all 3 of them (DP1,2 & 3) and loved what they where capable of doing in the right conditions. However the envelope was a little too narrow at times and I really did not get on with the Sigma s/w. If they could iron out the problems with the Merrill design and allow us to use "normal" raw converters I would be really interested! Anyway here is one I have not shown before from 5 years ago.

Alan, great photograph. I wonder if it was you that initially alerted me to the Sigma's? It was certainly somebody here in the forum. I had the DP2M, DP3M (twice) and the DP0Q (twice!).

The reason I bought the DP3M twice is I sold my first one thinking that when I bought the Sony 70-200/4 for my A7R the Sigma would be unnecessary. The Sony was basically a totally crap lens and I was so angry at how poor it was I returned it and got refunded and then immediately bought another DP3M.

Interesting to see, thanks for posting. Seems to do well in subtle tones (beach, red brick post office) while others seem like it struggles when there is too much contrast (train, rocks in hand). Do you agree, and is it the camera or the processing?

Colour balance was always a struggle. The images tended to posterise mildly if processed too much and there was also sometimes a weird green shift or banding which affected the photos (the bottom of the beach had it mildly and I did some tone management in LR to address it).

But used carefully, all the DP Merrills were and still are capable of incredible results.

Just my two cents.

Louis

 

[foveon]

I still have the 3^^

 

[ggibson]

I still have my DP3m and a few months ago I picked up a DP1m to convert and shoot in color infrared. It's been interesting to watch used prices go up in the last year, but not surprising to me. Sigma delayed their next gen x3 sensor, dashing some folks hopes of something new anytime soon, so the DPM series remains a pretty unique set of cameras in both form factor and image quality. The DP3m is my personal favorite, I think the lens is the best of the three, and a semi-macro plays to the Merrill sensor's strengths of capturing texture and detail (although I'm quite happy with the DP1m lens for an IR camera).

Some of my older DP3 images are below. Like you, I don't think I ever use ISO higher than 200:

Ice Plant Flower by Graham Gibson, on Flickr


Leafy Greens by Graham Gibson, on Flickr


Hydrangea by Graham Gibson, on Flickr


Fenton by Graham Gibson, on Flickr

 

[foveon]

best lense is on DP2m^^

 

[retow]

Good old Merrills. I still have all three of them and this thread reminded me to dust them off and use them more in 2021. In their comfort zones, still nothing can touch them. Two shots from Valencia in 2013.

 

[lightnmagic]

Happy new Year everybody..........Good to see the revamped site ...Back to taking picts of cars

 

[lightnmagic]

Good old Merrills. I still have all three of them and this thread reminded me to dust them off and use them more in 2021. In their comfort zones, still nothing can touch them. Two shots from Valencia

I just have dp3M...love it !!

 

[lightnmagic]

This shot was taken on 2nd on a cold winter morning with no sun which is perfect for car photography !

 

[lightnmagic]

So I normally shoot cars at an auto show every sat whenever I go there...this time these guys were standing around....so I asked them to pose...they could not point the guns directly at the cam as they said

Using perspective matching integrated another background behind them .....just something different ..though would be cool

 

[foveon]

masking is a bit on the poor side

 

[lightnmagic]

masking is a bit on the poor side

You have the original above ....Im learning photoshop would love to see how you would do it

 

[foveon]

it´s a lot of work

 

[lightnmagic]

This one was taken last year ....just getting to work on some of them

 

[lightnmagic]

I just have one Cam and its a DP3M ......To take this pict I had to combine two shots into one & it was hand held..

 

[lightnmagic]

Rusted old cars always are more photogenic having character

 

[lightnmagic]

BAC mono - street-legal car by a British manufacturer

The last pict were two separate images combined into as I was backed up against a wall with a DP3 M...post-processing for me as exciting as taking a pict.

 

[ggibson]

Sigma DP3m (2 image stitch)

Mustard bloom by Graham Gibson, on Flickr