B_P_2015_04_

Better PhotograPhy aPril 2015

34

SpecificationS

Model name Sigma dp1 Quattro

MRP Rs. 79,

Sensor size APS-C

Effective pixels,

max. image size

29MP,

7680 x 3296 pixels

LCD 3-inch, 920k dots

Focal range 19mm (field of view similar to

a 28.5mm lens)

ISO range 100–

Aperture range f/2.8–

Shutterspeed 30–1/2000sec

Metering modes Evaluative Metering,

Centre-weighted Average

Metering, Spot Metering

File formats JPEG, RAW

Hot shoe Ye s

Battery Li-ion

Storage SDHC, SDXC

Dimensions (W x H x D),

weight

161.4 x 67 x 81.6mm,

395g

• Superior image
  quality


• Improved AF


• Usable ISO 800

pluS

• Larger lens that
  remains f/2.


• New design


• Lens hood
  sold separately

MinuS

be easily corrected using the Photo Pro

6 software, which you need to use to edit

Sigma’s proprietary X3F RAW files.

Like the Merrills, the dp1 has a leaf

shutter which gives you the advantage of

highspeed flash sync at fast shutterspeeds.

The downside to using a leaf shutter system

is that the fastest aperture gets limited. As a

result the widest aperture is still limited to

f/2.8. Still, I would have really welcomed an

f/1.4 lens or at the least f/1.8.

conclusion

What made the Merrills remarkable was

their price and the stunning medium

format-like image quality they delivered

F I N A L R A T I N G S

features

28mm equiv. extremely sharp lens, Foveon

X3 sensor, few other significant features

14/

performance

Improved AF speed, processing power & ISO

performance, exceptional detail at low ISOs

36/

Build Quality

Metal body, sturdy built

13/

ergonomics

Needs two-handed operation, awkward

design that seems gimicky

14/

Warranty & Support

One-year warranty

3/

oVeRall

80%

Value for Money

Who should buy it? Photographers looking for an

economical camera that can deliver astounding image quality.

Why? If you feel that you need the improvements that the

Quattro has to offer then this is the camera for you. If you can

do without them, go for the corresponding Merrill instead.

at lower ISOs. I absolutely loved the series

and was willing to forgive its flaws purely

for this reason. While the Quattro shows a

huge improvement in many aspects like the

ISO performance, processing power and

autofocus, I was disappointed that there

wasn’t any major improvement in the image

quality at ISOs 100 and 200.

Both the Merrill and Quattro series are

designed for photographers looking for

a compact camera that delivers stunning

image quality, while being economical.

Considering that the Merrills are still

available (Rs. 36,000), at twice the price,

I don’t find the Quattros (Rs. 79,900) to be an

exciting buy.

teSt

center and edge

sharpness of the lens

is fantastic even at

f/2.8 and remains

so throughout the

aperture range.

exposure: 1/50sec at

f/2.8 (ISO 100)