I USED A SIGMA DP1 CAMERA
For this session I used a Sigma DP1 camera which is discussed below.
I photographed this in May 2008 and while I worked in the immediate area for about ten years I had never really noticed this sculpture by Dick Joynt and in fact I was unaware of the artist or his work even though there is a sculpture by his daughter nearby.
Dick Joynt was an Irish Postwar & Contemporary sculptor. Born in Clontarf, Dublin in 1938, he initially trained as a painter but later turned to sculpture after joining the Dublin Art Foundry in 1972. His work primarily focused on stone carving, and he excelled in expressing his vision through this medium. One of his well known sculptures is “Celebration”, which can be seen in Eden Park in Glasthule. This impressive piece, made from Kilkenny limestone, depicts a woman holding her child up in the air as a celebration of life itself.
The Sigma Dp1 was a unique and, in some ways, polarizing camera. It had a dedicated following among photographers who appreciated its distinctive image quality but were willing to put up with its quirks.
Unique Strengths:
Foveon X3 Sensor: The DP1's standout feature was its Foveon X3 sensor. Unlike traditional Bayer sensors, the Foveon sensor captured red, green, and blue light at each pixel location. This resulted in images with exceptionally rich colors, smooth tonal transitions, and a unique "3D" quality.
Sharp Lens: The DP1 featured a fixed 28mm f/4 lens (equivalent to 41mm on a 35mm camera). This prime lens was known for its sharpness and excellent image quality, especially when shooting landscapes or street photography.
Notable Challenges:
High ISO Performance: The DP1's Achilles' heel was its poor high ISO performance. Images quickly became noisy above ISO 100, severely limiting its usability in low-light situations.
Battery Life: The battery life was notoriously short. Photographers often carried many [8 in my case]spare batteries to ensure they could keep shooting.
Slow Operation: The camera was slow to start up, focus, and process images. This could be frustrating, especially when trying to capture fleeting moments.
Limited Features: The DP1 lacked many features found in other cameras at the time, such as image stabilization, auto-exposure bracketing, and a fast continuous shooting mode.
User Interface: The user interface was not the most intuitive, with some controls buried in menus rather than easily accessible buttons.
Overall:
Despite its flaws, the Sigma DP1 earned a place in the hearts of photographers who valued its unique image quality and were willing to work around its limitations. It was a camera that encouraged a slower, more deliberate approach to photography. For those who took the time to master it, the DP1 could produce stunning images that stood out from the crowd.
Legacy:
The DP1 paved the way for subsequent Sigma cameras with Foveon sensors, such as the DP2 Merrill and the sd Quattro series. While these later models addressed some of the DP1's shortcomings, they retained the distinctive Foveon image quality that made the original so beloved by its fans.
I photographed this in May 2008 and while I worked in the immediate area for about ten years I had never really noticed this sculpture by Dick Joynt and in fact I was unaware of the artist or his work even though there is a sculpture by his daughter nearby.
Dick Joynt was an Irish Postwar & Contemporary sculptor. Born in Clontarf, Dublin in 1938, he initially trained as a painter but later turned to sculpture after joining the Dublin Art Foundry in 1972. His work primarily focused on stone carving, and he excelled in expressing his vision through this medium. One of his well known sculptures is “Celebration”, which can be seen in Eden Park in Glasthule. This impressive piece, made from Kilkenny limestone, depicts a woman holding her child up in the air as a celebration of life itself.
The Sigma Dp1 was a unique and, in some ways, polarizing camera. It had a dedicated following among photographers who appreciated its distinctive image quality but were willing to put up with its quirks.
Unique Strengths:
Foveon X3 Sensor: The DP1's standout feature was its Foveon X3 sensor. Unlike traditional Bayer sensors, the Foveon sensor captured red, green, and blue light at each pixel location. This resulted in images with exceptionally rich colors, smooth tonal transitions, and a unique "3D" quality.
Sharp Lens: The DP1 featured a fixed 28mm f/4 lens (equivalent to 41mm on a 35mm camera). This prime lens was known for its sharpness and excellent image quality, especially when shooting landscapes or street photography.
Notable Challenges:
High ISO Performance: The DP1's Achilles' heel was its poor high ISO performance. Images quickly became noisy above ISO 100, severely limiting its usability in low-light situations.
Battery Life: The battery life was notoriously short. Photographers often carried many [8 in my case]spare batteries to ensure they could keep shooting.
Slow Operation: The camera was slow to start up, focus, and process images. This could be frustrating, especially when trying to capture fleeting moments.
Limited Features: The DP1 lacked many features found in other cameras at the time, such as image stabilization, auto-exposure bracketing, and a fast continuous shooting mode.
User Interface: The user interface was not the most intuitive, with some controls buried in menus rather than easily accessible buttons.
Overall:
Despite its flaws, the Sigma DP1 earned a place in the hearts of photographers who valued its unique image quality and were willing to work around its limitations. It was a camera that encouraged a slower, more deliberate approach to photography. For those who took the time to master it, the DP1 could produce stunning images that stood out from the crowd.
Legacy:
The DP1 paved the way for subsequent Sigma cameras with Foveon sensors, such as the DP2 Merrill and the sd Quattro series. While these later models addressed some of the DP1's shortcomings, they retained the distinctive Foveon image quality that made the original so beloved by its fans.
I USED A SIGMA DP1 CAMERA