B_P_2015_04_

APRIL 2015 BetteR PHOtOGRAPHY

33

With the Merrills,
i would have been weary
of shooting in such
lighting. However, that is
no longer the case with
the Quattros.
exposure: 1/250sec at f/
(ISO 400)

All photographs by Aditya Nair

APRIL 2015

33

teSt

BetteR PHOtOGRAPHY

ISO give me hope for the future versions of

these cameras.

Handling

The new Sigma design has been polarising

to say the least. Unfortunately, I am on

the side of users that dislike it. While the

Merrills were designed like bricks, they were

extremely comfortable to hold, the buttons

were well laid out and single-handed

shooting was possible.

With the new Quattro design, accessing

most of the buttons with my right hand is

quite diffi cult. Additionally, the lens is also

bigger than the one on the Merrill and no

longer at the center of the camera, making

it tough to grip. Then there is the lens strap

eyelet, which is placed in an uncomfortable

way and comes between your fi ngers when

you grip it. It could have been positioned on

top of the camera, out of harm’s way.

So, on the left hand side you have a large

lens jutting forward, and on the right hand

side you have a weird new grip that juts

out towards the back. All of this leaves you

with a thoroughly unbalanced camera.

The design may have won it a couple of

awards but it has also won it my resentment.

The overall handling experience does

improve if you are shooting verticals.

This may work in the favour of the dp

and dp3 Quattros. Their 45mm and 70mm

equivalent lenses are great for portrait

photography. With the dp1, however,

I didn’t fi nd the new design helping in any

measurable way. It did, however, leave Sigma

with some additional space on the top of the

camera that was used for an additional dial.

performance

The new Foveon sensor can shoot 19.6MP

RAWs with an option of 39MP JPEGs.

This resolution is lower than what the

Merrills were capable of, as a result of the

change in sensor design. However, since

it has resulted in better ISO performance,

I think it is more than an acceptable trade of.

Unlike the Merrills, I did notice some

amount of the occasional fl are and also

fringing with the lens on the dp1. This can

• Camera body


• Battery charger


• Two lithium ion
  battery packs


• Lens cap


• Shoulder strap


• Hot shoe cover


• USB cable


• AV cable


• Owner’s manual


• Sigma Photo Pro 6
  software download
  instructions

WHat’S in tHe BoX

teStteStteSt

teSt

Canon SX710 HS

The pocketable 30x

zoom advantage

40

teSt

Sony DT 11–18mm f/4.5-5.

An inexpensive

ultrawide purchase

42

MICROTEST

Sirui P-324S Monopod

A welcome addition for the

photographer on the go

44

APRIL 2015 BetteR PHOtOGRAPHY

the overall

optical quality

of the lens is

spectacular and

it remains as

sharp as ever.

All photographs by Aditya Nair