UPDATE: Camera sold and is no longer for sale!
Here is another bit of photography equipment I am selling. This time it is not a lens but the Sigma DP2. The DP2 is an interesting device, especially considering it was release in 2009. It has the same size sensor that Sigma DSLR cameras had at the time. It shares the unique quality of using the Foveon X3 sensor. This kind of sensor is different in that it does not use the Bayer mosaic filter approach to capturing an image (as a CMOS or CCD would).
If you’re not a sensor technology junkie, you may be wondering why any of this matters. First I would like to explain how most camera sensors work and then I will explain what makes the Foveon X3 special. From here on out I’m referring to most cameras with BMF and the Foveon as X3F.
Nearly every camera out there is based on a monochrome sensor with a colored grid of tiles over it (BMF). The colored grid imposes red, green and blue color over a black and white image. There are generally twice as many green tiles as there are blue or red. If a sensor had 400 pixels, 200 would be green, 100 would be red and 100 would be blue. Before a demosaicing algorithm in the camera runs over the image, it probably looks nothing like what you saw in the viewfinder or with live view. That algorithm takes the RGB image and reconstructs a very good approximation of the color that was actually being reflected back at the camera sensor. In addition to the colored grid over the photo sites there is something called an anti-aliasing filter present. This smooths out the jagged edges the colored tiles impose over the image. Some argue that these additional layers detract from image fidelity. There is a certain level of detail loss with the anti-aliasing filter, to be sure.
X3F on the other hand, has no RGB grid or anti-aliasing filter. Instead of capturing a monochrome image, it uses stacked photo diodes in a Blue -> Green -> Red arrangement. Each layer responds to a specific color due to how different wavelengths of light penetrate silicone to different depths. Those of you who are old enough to have done any film photography may think this sounds a little familiar. In fact color film works in a very similar fashion. You can read more on the Foveon X3 wikipedia page but the gist of it is the DP2 has a sensor that acts like digital film.
While the DP2 technically has fewer than 5 million photo sites it creates images that are well beyond 5 megapixels, quality wise. Each photo site captures all three colors and Sigma has made a point to reflect that in it’s effective megapixel rating of their cameras. Naturally the companies that produce conventional sensor technology have a problem with saying a camera is 14MP when it only has 4.6M photo sites (ie the DP2). I’ve read and been a part of a handful of debates with people over this over the years. It is very easy to say that a BMF potentially discards up to 2/3rds of the color information available and then tries to fill it back in with software after the fact (yes, that is over simplified).
All this technical talk of photo diodes, filters and sensors is all fine and good, but what about the damn pictures man? Well I loved the DP2 and my SD15 when I had them. The quality of image from a Foveon sensor is unique and reminds me of slide film to a certain extent. This is never more obvious than when you’re taking a landscape picture on a sunny day with a modest amount of clouds. The detail you get in the highlights is remarkable when compared to a traditional BMF camera.
It sounds like I love it, so why am I selling it? Well, I have a _lot_ of camera gear. I rocked a two enlarger dark room in my basement for many years and have too many 35mm film cameras and a couple medium format bodies too. I cannot let my digital camera pile up in the same fashion. When my SD15 broke and the poor support from Sigma’s US repair division soured my experience, I had to move on. The DP2 is a great little camera but it cannot be my daily shooter so it has gotten relatively light use.
The DP2 is a 14MP camera (4.69M photo sites). Compared to a BMF camera, the megapixel rating is somewhere between 10MP and 12MP. The DP2 has a 24mm fixed lens (which is 41mm equiv on 35mm film). The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8. It can shoot RAW (.X3F) up to 3200 ISO. ISO is limited to 800 if shooting jpeg.
I’m selling everything I have for this camera which includes a leather protector case, two batteries, charger (with cord), the HA-21 lens hood and AML-1 macro lens that screws into the hood to give the DP2 a close up macro mode. In addition I’ve got a 40mm Voigtlander external view finder that lets you operate the camera with the viewfinder off for extended battery life. I’ll throw in a 4GB memory card as well. All of this for $225!
Some of the things listed for sale are not in the Amazon listing because I forgot I had them. I’ll be updating the listing soon if I can. I will also upload some more sample photos that show off the Foveon sensor better than what you have above.
The last three pictures are samples taken with the DP2. The first two are macro shots with the AML-1 lens screwed into the HA-21 hood. The last image was taken without the macro lens.
