Sigma DP1 Delay Explained

News Sigma Uncategorized

Sigma has released an official announcement about their DP1 compact digital camera. But it wasn’t released and there hasn’t been a peep about it from Sigma until now. You may recall that the DP1 was shown at PMA this past spring and the PhotographyREVIEW.com journalists were very excited about it. I considered it one of the highlights of the 2007 PMA show. It’s the first compact digital camera to use a digital SLR sensor instead of a tiny compact digital sensor. Some of us have been waiting for a camera like this for a long, long time. We remember shooting with premium 35mm point-and-shoot cameras like the Olympus Stylus Epic, Yashica T4 Super (T5), Leica Minilux, Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti, and the Contax T3. And we’ve been waiting for the digital equivalent. Sigma is the first company to address the real compact digital camera image quality issue by developing a compact camera with a digital SLR sensor.

Sigma DP1 Digital Camera

However, after Sigma’s initial announcement and the subsequent DP1 introduction at PMA, not a word was heard. We’d been asking Sigma when we could get a DP1 for review at regular intervals because we were really excited about the camera. I asked about it again at the PhotoPlus Expo in New York, in October. The rep I asked just shook his head. At that point I assumed I wouldn’t hear about it again. So it’s good to learn that Sigma is still serious about the camera. I believe it’s a great idea and there’s a market for it. Cameras like the Canon G9, the Panasonic Lumix LX2, Leica D-Lux 3, and Nikon’s Coolpix P5000 and P5100 prove that people want premium compact digital cameras. But all of those cameras have tiny sensors which will never have the imaging potential of a digital SLR-sized sensor. They may be great cameras. But in my opinion, they’re sort of missing the point.

So I’m pleased to find out that Sigma isn’t abandoning the DP1. Apparently there have been technical issues with the “image processing pipeline.” And instead of just shipping the camera with compromised image quality, or dropping plans for the camera completely, they’ve decided to slow down and completely redesign the camera’s problem area. This speaks well for Sigma as a camera company and should please people who are interested in the DP1. And it makes me even more interested in testing the camera when it’s finally available.

Sigma’s DP1 Product Development Update >>

Related Content:
Sigma Digital SLR Reviews >>
All Sigma Product Reviews >>

About the author: Photo-John

Photo-John, a.k.a. John Shafer, is the managing editor of PhotographyREVIEW.com and has been since the site launched back in 1999. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible on his mountain bike, hiking or skiing in the mountains. He's been taking pictures for ever and ever, and never goes anywhere without a camera.


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