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Sigma DP1 Merrill Review

  • Overview
  • Alternatives
  • Sigma DP1 Merrill

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    Main Features

    • 15MP - APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor
    • ISO 100 - 6400
    • Fixed Type Screen
    • continuous shooting
    • - 640 x 480 video
    • 330g. 122 x 67 x 64 mm
    • Replaced by Sigma DP2 Merrill
    CHECK PRICE
    CHECK PRICE

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Overview

    First introduced in February 2012 , Sigma DP1 Merrill is a 15.0MP Large Sensor Compact camera with a APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and F2.8 lens. Sigma later replaced DP1 Merrill with DP2 Merrill. Follow the link to read our in-depth comparison of these cameras:
    Compare Sigma DP1 Merrill vs Sigma DP2 Merrill

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Review - Click for Table of Contents

    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. Sensor and Photography Features
    4. Physical Specs
    5. LCD and Viewfinder
    6. Connectivity, Storage and Battery
    7. Other Features
    8. Lens
    9. Photography Type Scores
    10. Alternatives
    11. Popular Comparisons
    12. Frequently Asked Questions
    13. Detailed Specifications

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has an Overall Score of 40/100 and ranked #57 out of 61 in Large Sensor Compact cameras (Top 10 Compact), and ranked #760 out of 1226 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

    Main Scores
    Imaging
    Features
    Value for Money
    Portability
    Overall Score
    Check our Smart Finder Tool to filter, sort and compare all digital cameras.



    Sigma DP1 Merrill Physical Specs
    Sigma DP1 Merrill weighs 330 g (0.73 lb / 11.64 oz) and has external dimensions of 122 x 67 x 64 mm (4.8 x 2.64 x 2.52″). Considering that the average weight of Large Sensor Compact type cameras is 401g, Sigma DP1 Merrill is a remarkably light camera for its class. With a thickness of 64mm, it has an average thickness for its class.
    Weight Comparison

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    Sigma DP1 Merrill
    Min
    Average
    Max
    Thickness Comparison

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    Sigma DP1 Merrill
    Min
    Average
    Max

    Here is the front and top view image of Sigma DP1 Merrill with the dimensions:

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Body Size Dimensions
    Front and Top View External Dimensions and Size of Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Body

    In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Sigma DP1 Merrill, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.


    Sigma DP1 Merrill Body Size Compared to a Credit card and a Battery
    Physical size of the Sigma DP1 Merrill Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery


    Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Sigma DP1 Merrill with its main competitors:

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Size Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Weight vs DP1 Merrill Thickness vs DP1 Merrill
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1
    Compare
    270g 60g lighter 50mm 14mm thinner
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP2 Merrill
    Compare
    330g equal weight 59mm 5mm thinner
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1s
    Compare
    270g 60g lighter 31mm 33mm thinner
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP2 Quattro
    Compare
    395g 65g heavier 82mm 18mm thicker
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma Quattro
    Compare
    625g 295g heavier 91mm 27mm thicker
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1x
    Compare
    250g 80g lighter 50mm 14mm thinner
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Ricoh GR II
    Compare
    251g 79g lighter 35mm 29mm thinner
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Ricoh GR III
    Compare
    257g 73g lighter 33mm 31mm thinner

    Weather Sealing

    Sigma DP1 Merrill doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Sensor and Photography Features

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a 15.0MP APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual TRUE II engine processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 4704x3136 pixels. DP1 Merrill has a native ISO range of 100 - 6400 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill is not the highest resolution APS-C camera. Canon M6 MII with its 33.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Sigma DP1 Merrill vs Canon M6 MII or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

    Let's look at how the size of the Sigma DP1 Merrill's APS-C sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Sensor Size Comparison
    Comparison image of Sigma DP1 Merrill Sensor Size with other standard sensors

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Lens

    Sigma DP1 Merrill features a F2.8 zoom lens. This camera offers exceptional wide angle capacity thanks to mm focal length on the wide end. On the other hand, with a reach of only mm, the lens acts more like a 'normal lens' rather than a telephoto.

    Wide Coverage

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    DP1 Merrill
    Widest - Canon G1 X II
    Average
    Telezoom

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    DP1 Merrill
    Longest - Panasonic ZS200
    Average

    With a max aperture of f2.80, this lens is fast on wide end and equally fast at mm with a max aperture of f2.80.

    Max Aperture at Wide

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    DP1 Merrill
    Fastest - Panasonic LX10
    Average
    Max Aperture at Tele

    Large Sensor Compact Cameras

    DP1 Merrill
    Fastest - Leica Q
    Average

    Sigma DP1 Merrill's lens also has a Manual Focus Mode.



    Sigma DP1 Merrill LCD

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a Fixed Type LCD screen with a resolution of 920k dots. At only , the screen is on the smaller side but its resolution is up to the standarts of this class.



    Sigma DP1 Merrill back view and LCD

    DP1 Merrill doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Large Sensor Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare) or Canon PowerShot G5 X (Compare).
    If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Connectivity, Storage and Battery

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Features Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Max Video Battery Life Wi-fi Bluetooth NFC
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1
    Compare
    None shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP2 Merrill
    Compare
    640 x 480 shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1s
    Compare
    None shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP2 Quattro
    Compare
    None shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma Quattro
    Compare
    shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Sigma DP1x
    Compare
    320 x 240 shots No No No
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Ricoh GR II
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 320shots Yes No Yes
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Ricoh GR III
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 shots Yes No No

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Other Features

    Max Shutter speed

    Sigma DP1 Merrill can shoot continuously at max speed of and has max shutter speed of .

    Flash

    Unfortunately DP1 Merrill doesn't have a built-in flash but it has a flash shoe for mounting external flashes.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill PROs and CONs Review

    Now let's get in to more details of our Sigma DP1 Merrill review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

    PROs
    920k dots LCD Resolution
    330g Light Body
    Flash Sync Port
    Report a correction

    Buy Sigma DP1 Merrill from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO


    CONs
    No Wireless Connection
    No Image Stabilization
    No Articulating Screen
    No Full HD Video
    No Touch Screen
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No External Viewfinder Option
    x magnification - Small Viewfinder
    No Face Detection Focusing
    Low Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
    Small LCD Screen ( )
    Low Max Shutter Speed: 1/s
    No Environmental Sealing
    Report a correction
    What type of Photography is Sigma DP1 Merrill Good for?
    In this section, we review and score Sigma DP1 Merrill in 5 different photography areas.

    Sigma DP1 Merrill for Portrait Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a score of 43 for Portrait Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list.
    Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
    RAW shooting capability
    External Flash Shoe
    Manual Focus Mode
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
    No Image Stabilization
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

    Read the details of how we scored Sigma DP1 Merrill for Portrait Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill for Street Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a score of 50 for Street Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Street is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.
    Manual Focus Mode
    Live-view
    Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
    mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
    RAW shooting capability
    Small Body
    Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No Image Stabilization

    Read the details of how we scored Sigma DP1 Merrill for Street Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill for Sports Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a score of 32 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theDP1 Merrill.
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Manual Focus Mode
    External Flash Shoe
    RAW shooting capability
    Environmental Sealings
    Slow Max shutter speed: 1/s
    Focus Points
    Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No Image Stabilization
    mm Tele Lens

    Read the details of how we scored Sigma DP1 Merrill for Sports Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill for Daily Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a score of 59 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.
    Compact Body
    Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
    RAW shooting capability
    330g
    Body Thickness 64mm
    X Optical Zoom

    Read the details of how we scored Sigma DP1 Merrill for Daily Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill for Landscape Photography

    Sigma DP1 Merrill has a score of 35 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theDP1 Merrill.
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Manual Focus Mode
    mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
    RAW shooting capability
    Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
    Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
    No Environmental Sealings

    Read the details of how we scored Sigma DP1 Merrill for Landscape Photography
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Alternatives
    In this section, we analyse how Sigma DP1 Merrill compares with other Large Sensor Compact cameras within a similar price range.
    Read a more detailed analysis of Sigma DP1 Merrill alternatives.

    Popular Comparisons of Sigma DP1 Merrill

    Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Sigma DP1 Merrill amongst Camera Decision readers.

    Sigma DP1
    Sigma DP1
    Compare
    Sigma DP2 Merrill
    Sigma DP2 Merrill
    Compare
    Sigma DP1s
    Sigma DP1s
    Compare
    Sigma DP2 Quattro
    Sigma DP2 Quattro
    Compare
    Sigma Quattro
    Sigma Quattro
    Compare
    Sigma DP1x
    Sigma DP1x
    Compare
    Ricoh GR II
    Ricoh GR II
    Compare
    Ricoh GR III
    Ricoh GR III
    Compare

    Sigma DP1 Merrill Alternatives in Cameras

    It would also be interesting to compare Sigma DP1 Merrill with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Sigma DP1 Merrill's price range.

    Frequently Asked Questions about Sigma DP1 Merrill
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have Image Stabilization?
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have RAW support?
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have Weather Sealing?
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have built-in GPS?
    What is the Max ISO of Sigma DP1 Merrill?
    What is the Sensor Size of Sigma DP1 Merrill?
    is the Sigma DP1 Merrill a Full Frame (FF) camera?
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have Touch Screen?
    Does the Sigma DP1 Merrill have built-in Wireless?
    What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Sigma DP1 Merrill?
    What is the Weight of Sigma DP1 Merrill?
    What are the Dimensions of Sigma DP1 Merrill?
    Sigma DP1 Merrill Detailed Specifications

    General
    Brand Sigma
    Model Sigma DP1 Merrill
    Announced 2012-02-08
    Body Type Large sensor compact
    Lens
    Manual Focus
    Lens Mount fixed lens
    Lens Focal Range ()
    Max Aperture F2.8
    Macro Focus Range n/a
    Screen
    Screen Type Fixed Type
    Screen Size
    Screen Resolution 920k dots
    Live View
    Touch Screen
    Viewfinder
    Viewfinder None
    Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Coverage n/a
    Viewfinder Magnification n/a
    Photography Features
    Min Shutter Speed n/a
    Max Mechanical Shutter Speed n/a
    Continuous Shooting n/a
    Shutter Priority
    Aperture Priority
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Exposure Compensation Yes
    Custom White Balance
    Image Stabilization
    Built-in Flash
    Flash Range no built-in flash
    Flash Modes no built-in flash
    External Flash
    AE Bracketing
    WB Bracketing
    Exposure Modes
    Multi-Segment
    Average
    Spot
    Partial
    AF-Area
    Center Weighted
    DxO Sensor Scores
    DxO Overall Score not tested
    DxO Color Depth not tested
    DxO Dynamic Range not tested
    DxO Low Light ISO not tested
    Report a correction

    Sensor
    Sensor Type CMOS (Foveon X3)
    Sensor Size APS-C
    Sensor Dimensions 24 x 16 mm
    Sensor Area 384.00mm2
    Sensor Resolution 15 megapixels
    Max Image Resolution 4704x3136
    Max Native ISO 6,400
    Min Native ISO 100
    RAW Support
    Autofocus
    AF Touch
    AF Continuous
    AF Single
    AF Tracking
    AF Selective
    AF Center
    AF Multi Area
    AF Live View
    AF Face Detection
    AF Contrast Detection
    AF Phase Detection
    Video Features
    Video Resolutions 640 x 480
    Max Video Resolution 640 x 480
    Video Formats Motion JPEG
    Microphone Port
    Headphone Port
    Connectivity
    Wireless Connectivity None
    HDMI
    USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
    Physical
    Environmental Sealing
    Water Proof
    Dust Proof
    Shock Proof
    Crush Proof
    Freeze Proof
    Weight 330g
    Physical Dimensions 122 x 67 x 64mm
    Other Features
    Self Timer n/a
    Timelapse Recording
    GPS None
    Storage Slots 1


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