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Author Topic: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences  (Read 615222 times)

Rand47

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #280 on: October 26, 2012, 11:28:43 am »

Successfully updated firmware... and told the camera to then reformat the card.  Taking "forever" to reformat....  ???  Any secrets I should know about?  It has been a full five minutes or so and the "write light" is still blinking away.
HELP!  

UPDATE!  Solved my own problem by getting bold.  Camera wouldn't even turn off - so I pulled the card and then pulled the battery!  Yikes.  Put the card in my card reader on PC and saw that the update file was gone.  Put the battery back in the camera and turned it on and checked for Firmware Version. 1.2!  Put card back in camera and did the reformat command which worked immediately.  Camera must have 'hung' during reformatting command.  All is well.  Thought I'd share in case it happens to anyone else.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2012, 11:45:58 am by Rand47 »
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #281 on: October 26, 2012, 01:17:39 pm »

Hey pips,

I'm new here and it's my first sigma. I'm a bit confused actually by the way it works, but it's just a matter of time I guess.

A question I have for you guys, is which settings do you use for street photography ? Point & shoot style I mean. Hyperfocal/DOF or do you just let the AF makes the job ?

Thanks

Hello Akira :)

In street, just set the camera on whatever mode you want. I'm always between standard and neutral. The AF do the job, much more when you set it for speed (there is a pre-set). Have fun with your new gear and don't forget to use him in high ISO, in B&w ;)
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #282 on: October 26, 2012, 01:52:43 pm »

Thanks for the reply man !

I consider buying a viewfinder actually, because I feel the screen is a bit useless when sun is shining on it. In this case, AF is difficult to use on the subject. What I'd like to do is to set up an infinite manual focus at F5.6 or F8 for example. But how far can I shoot for the result to be sharp for example ? If someone had a table for hyperfocal I'd be glad ! Thanks for your help ! :)

I will see what I can do for you :)

Anyway, here is a 800 ISO shoot I did today :

« Last Edit: October 26, 2012, 04:54:29 pm by Hulyss »
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Ligament

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #283 on: October 26, 2012, 11:21:10 pm »

I was eagerly awaiting SPP 5.4, so that the program would WORK. The color issues remain broken!

OMFG they STILL have not fixed this? Running OSX 10.8.2 on MacBook Pro Retina with 16GB RAM and large SSD.

Seriously, is there any more significant screw up a raw processing engine can have than not outputting to file the colors chosen and adjusted within said raw processor. What a bunch of clowns Sigma is. My lord.

I love the image quality of the SD merrill series, I own both, but Sigma is too incompetent to write functional software to use these cameras. I'm selling them both and Sigma, you have lost a customer for life for your utter incompetence. You've had plenty of time to fix this issue and you have failed, again.
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larkis

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #284 on: October 27, 2012, 01:03:04 am »

Could someone clarify if the sigma photo pro software color space preference is just for the display window ? Or does the color space that is set there get backed into the file even if it's exported as a wider gamut color space ?

For example, if i have sRGB selected in the preferences the image on an older cinema display looks exactly like what I get when I export the tiff as ProPhoto into photoshop. When i select ProPhoto in the preferences everything looks washed out in the preview and looks normal in photoshop. I'm assuming the preferences are only a display thing vs actual working space. Can someone clarify if this is in fact the case ? It almost seems like sigma should have named the preferences color section "Display Color Space for X3F Files" instead of "Working Color Space for X3F Files" to avoid confusion assuming my assumption is correct.

mi-fu

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #285 on: October 27, 2012, 02:49:16 am »

Successfully updated firmware... and told the camera to then reformat the card.  Taking "forever" to reformat....  ???  Any secrets I should know about?  It has been a full five minutes or so and the "write light" is still blinking away.
HELP!  

UPDATE!  Solved my own problem by getting bold.  Camera wouldn't even turn off - so I pulled the card and then pulled the battery!  Yikes.  Put the card in my card reader on PC and saw that the update file was gone.  Put the battery back in the camera and turned it on and checked for Firmware Version. 1.2!  Put card back in camera and did the reformat command which worked immediately.  Camera must have 'hung' during reformatting command.  All is well.  Thought I'd share in case it happens to anyone else.

I had exactly the same problem.  Eventually I simply took out the battery.  then restart the camera.  and format the card.  everything now works like a charm :)
« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 09:32:47 am by JCL212 »
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #286 on: October 27, 2012, 05:24:53 am »

For Michael Reichmann and other MAC users:

I work with X3F since ages and always used ProPhoto RGB as a working base on my calibrated PC+NEC chain.

Since the SD1m, many photographers start to look at the foveon technology and some are disappointed with the work-flow of Sigma Photo Pro and, often, a problem with colorspaces.

I never experienced such problems with SPP and that because I work on PC platform (I'm very allergic to MAC). At fist there is some basic settings to do in SPP in order to work in the desired colorspace. Just go in file >> preferences >> and, if like me you work in ProPhoto RGB, choose this colorspace like in the picture below:



As you can see, there is absolutely no colorshift between SPP ProPhoto working space and my lightroom ProPhoto working space (Same for PS6).



The problem seems to be only on MAC (colorshift) , so just pray that SIGMA will improve the MAC SPP. Mabe SIGMA do not like MAC ;)

I just say that because apart the slowness, SPP work exactly as I want in a PRO working and calibrated chain ;)



I quote myself for the ones who have some problems with SPP. Of course, it work like a charm at home, I do not understand why it don't work on MAC (but I'm not a MAC guy so ... ;D )

Saying that SIGMA staff are "a bunch of clowns" will not help in any way, dear Ligament.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 05:54:39 am by Hulyss »
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #287 on: October 27, 2012, 06:21:47 am »

Was making some Makis last light and decided to shoot a bit :)

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Pete_G

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #288 on: October 27, 2012, 07:55:56 am »

Saying that SIGMA staff are "a bunch of clowns" will not help in any way, dear Ligament.

Then I wonder what we should call them.

FWIW I can't run either  5.3.2 or 5.4.0. on Win 7 64 they both crash when saving tiffs. 5.3.1 seems stable(ish).

Sigma should just open up to let other people deal with their files.
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #289 on: October 27, 2012, 08:23:31 am »

I think you should look first at your configuration. I use SPP since SPP1 and always on windows machines. XP/VISTA/7 all 64 bits and soon WIN8. I never experienced any problems with SIGMA software, and other software ether.

Sometime I strongly think it is operator fault and not really SIGMA fault, without any offence :)

################################################################################

Today I did some shoot with different lightings sources to see how good is the auto WB with the last firmware and it seems to work pretty good :
On this shoot there is 3 light source, a window, a led and a tungsten lamp in front the machine : The results are pretty ok for me without any adjustments :)





This shoot (yes I like doing Japanese food ^^) is done under a 400 watts halogen lamp :




« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 08:29:40 am by Hulyss »
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scrane

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #290 on: October 27, 2012, 09:10:22 am »

There has been some discussion on this and a possible fix on DPReview:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3289811

I do not use a Mac so I cannot verify any fix. Good luck.
Sandy Crane
Boise, ID

I was eagerly awaiting SPP 5.4, so that the program would WORK. The color issues remain broken!

OMFG they STILL have not fixed this? Running OSX 10.8.2 on MacBook Pro Retina with 16GB RAM and large SSD.

Seriously, is there any more significant screw up a raw processing engine can have than not outputting to file the colors chosen and adjusted within said raw processor. What a bunch of clowns Sigma is. My lord.

I love the image quality of the SD merrill series, I own both, but Sigma is too incompetent to write functional software to use these cameras. I'm selling them both and Sigma, you have lost a customer for life for your utter incompetence. You've had plenty of time to fix this issue and you have failed, again.

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NigelC

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #291 on: October 27, 2012, 09:23:18 am »

Nancy: you're right about sensitivity to movement. With the best sensors, figure about 4-5x focal length for the minimum hand-holdable speed to kee full rez. Worse of course if there's a mirror or focal plane shutter involved.

Is that 4-5x actual focal length or 35mm equivalent?
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SB-1

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #292 on: October 27, 2012, 11:54:20 am »

Successfully updated firmware... and told the camera to then reformat the card.  Taking "forever" to reformat....  ???  Any secrets I should know about?  It has been a full five minutes or so and the "write light" is still blinking away.
HELP!  

UPDATE!  Solved my own problem by getting bold.  Camera wouldn't even turn off - so I pulled the card and then pulled the battery!  Yikes.  Put the card in my card reader on PC and saw that the update file was gone.  Put the battery back in the camera and turned it on and checked for Firmware Version. 1.2!  Put card back in camera and did the reformat command which worked immediately.  Camera must have 'hung' during reformatting command.  All is well.  Thought I'd share in case it happens to anyone else.

I had the same problem and resolved it with the same solution.
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Pete_G

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #293 on: October 27, 2012, 01:10:57 pm »

I'm afraid it is too easy to blame Sigma instead of trying to figure out what is really going on. Take your example: I never had issues (or crashes) with SPP 5.3.2 (apart from the monitor profile bug) and 5.4.0 works like a charm. I run it under Win7 Professional. So here we go: two users, both running SPP 5.4.0 on Win 7 64. One experiences crashes, the other no crashes at all. Who is to blame (or more precisely: what causes the crashes)?



I'm running it on an extremely stable, lightly loaded HP Z800 which is dedicated to Photo work and video editing. This computer has never exhibited unusual behavior. I imagine it may be a conflict with the video card, maybe....but I am fairly certain that it will be SPP that is the weak link, I just don't feel that the development of this software is to the same standard as, say, LR. That said SPP runs fine on my laptop.


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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #294 on: October 27, 2012, 02:11:43 pm »

Dear akira :

When shooting sun, expose the sun in spot metering ;)

The DP2m should be exposed like film not like numeric camera.

The strange flare is normal. It is the reflection of the IR filter on the sensor (or the inverse).
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Hulyss

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #295 on: October 27, 2012, 03:36:41 pm »

SIGMA cameras are not conventional cameras. People learn to like it or not. They cope with it or not. There is no shame in not liking SIGMA camera and moving to another brand, more easy to use. You need to cope with the kirks or transform them in advantages in your production ;)

I continue my travel in space and time with this new tool. I'm very habituated to SIGMA gear I owned all the SIGMA cameras since the start. Sometime I look very happy with my files :D and things sound easy in my way of communication but this is because I master the chain behind a foveon camera. This is years of training with some complicated files !!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a blind fanboy ;) I do own a whole FX nikon set and Zeiss but SIGMA is just ... different. And I love it.

Today, it is the training of High ISO. This shoot was ISO 1250 - f2.8 - 1/60 hand-held.



I Like the details it can keep even at high ISO



And look at this OOF zone !! I love this grain. This is the nearest film grain that I have ever seen in digital. Of course, no editing.



Of course, B&W are sumptuous. I should go over in ISO but I'm a bit she with this camera ;)



And a last photo for tonight, Winter is Coming !

« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 03:41:46 pm by Hulyss »
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #296 on: October 27, 2012, 03:37:34 pm »

"
... if it can't handle a simple sunfall...

No camera, film or digital, Foveon or Bayer sensor, can shoot straight into the sun (that high above horizon) without being blown out. Film might have gentler transitions, some sensors can handle it better than others, but blown out is blown out. A simple case of user incompetence.

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #297 on: October 27, 2012, 04:14:35 pm »

... shooting straight in the sun is possible with any cameras to the contrary of what Slodoban said...

You are right. Absolutely.

"Shooting straight in the sun is possible with any cameras."

Of course. Except it will result in sun and surrounding areas being blown out. Just like in both of your examples. And just as I said, some lenses will have less flare, some sensors will handle it better, film might have gentler transitions between blown-out areas and the rest, but it will be blown-out.

scrane

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #298 on: October 27, 2012, 06:02:15 pm »

This camera gives pixel peeping a new meaning.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 06:05:32 pm by scrane »
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ndevlin

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Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #299 on: October 27, 2012, 10:22:20 pm »

Nancy: you're right about sensitivity to movement. With the best sensors, figure about 4-5x focal length for the minimum hand-holdable speed to kee full rez. Worse of course if there's a mirror or focal plane shutter involved.

Is that 4-5x actual focal length or 35mm equivalent?

Think of it as either, and a range.  ie: 4x actual = 1/125th, which to me would be the dead-bottom to achieve full rez, and up to 1/250th (5x 35mm equiv) which is pretty much guaranteed to overcome any vibrations. 

There are no real rules, since every situation is different.

- N.
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