Camera Talk

Film like? Not because of the output, but because of its limitations. You get about 36 shots per charge (battery). Saving each shot takes 10-15 seconds, even with a fast SD card. Post-processing files takes some time, especially when using the camera maker's software. Why would you use the camera maker's software? Well, there aren't so many other options to process the Sigma's Foveon sensor RAW files.

In spite of these limitations, the Sigma can be fun to use. It produces some lovely files, the per-pixel sharpness at 100% is quite something.

Anyway, I decided to take a day off from work-work and home-work. I took the DP2M, along with a Pentacon Six TL and Canon FTb, out for a day's photography, over the Remutaka Hill into the south Wairarapa region on the south east coast of the North Island. I shot these two on the way back home, having stopped at the Remutaka Hill Road's summit and walked up to the trig station on the very top. I'd not stopped to walk up before, as either the weather had not been conducive or I'd had others in the car who were less than keen in venturing up.

The start of the track has warnings about rapidly changeable weather, and makes a particular note of caution about Wellington's infamous wind. Indeed, even on this quite pleasant evening, the wind at the top made it quite difficult to stand still! I bought a monopod up with me to act as stabilisation, for me and the camera

From time to time, vehicles get blown off the road & the road is ocassionally closed due to wind (or more rarely, snow).

The view is well worth the wind!

Oh, to be able to join you on one of those hikes, Paul. But I struggle just walking up our modest little hill, so I'll just have to enjoy the views through your photos.

PF

Those turned out very well. I still use my Sigmas from time to time, and always enjoy the results, but the processing can be pretty tedious. A shame they're not as good at software as they are at lenses!

Robert

If you don't mind spending $99, Iridient Developer works very well, and is quite a bit quicker than the Sigma software. I've also found that Affinity Photo will open the Sigma RAW files, though the colours need a bit of tweaking after processing. That means total time to process is probably longer!

Here's some shot on the other side of the hill.

Yes, I have both Iridient (since it's days as "RAW Developer") and Affinity. I think I've tried everything that can process X3F files at one time or another.

I still shoot with mine from time to time (for my sins, I have the SD14, SD15, DP1, DP2, DP2 Quattro, and SD Quattro), and still tend to enjoy the results. But I still wish Sigma had open-sourced SPP so it could be optimized by enthusiasts. But that was never in the cards. Never did get a Merrill for various reasons. Would use the SD Quattro more often if more of my SA-mount lenses worked well with the contrast-based autofocus on the Quattro; perhaps I'll pick up some of the more modern SA-mount lenses that do now that they've been abandoned entirely.

When I do use one of these cameras, if I have just a few files to process, I just tolerate SPP. Sometimes I use "batch mode" to do the initial processing with SPP, output TIFFs, and switch to something else (originally Photoshop, these days Affinity as I refuse to rent Photoshop). Occasionally one of the others, as different programs support different Sigma models.

It's funny: I spend most of my photography time these days making, shooting, developing, and printing or scanning gelatin dry plates. I have plenty of patience! But it runs out more quickly when sitting in front of a computer -- I did far too much of that in my career and am happy to mostly leave it behind.

Robert

The DP2M's Foveon sensor also makes for quite nice B&W conversions:

Yes it does!

Robert