Practical experience with the Sigma DP Merrill 3

About the benefits in terms of image quality low battery capacity is here as well as about the negative aspects of the Sigma DP Merrill 3 as lame autofocus, etc. have been already written enough.

So I've been thinking, even a few thoughts for Merrill to write down here, which have been not yet so often, if at all addressed in any reviews.

I for over 14 days now own the Merrill and have dealt intensively with her and would like for all interested parties that failed camera to play a few more features and features which maybe could play a role in a purchase decision.

First, I noticed that the DP Merrill 3 unfortunately has only one aspect, namely to photograph 3.2. Other formats such as 16: 9, 1: 1 or 4: 3 can not adjust it.

As mentioned several times in various critiques and reviews Merrill sees not only wertig out, but also is processed Topp.

Does not unfortunately looks Topp, the camera strap included, which looks more like a wide laces and the camera is not worthy.
A mA after listless produced Sigma part, costs a maximum of 50 cents. Perhaps the designers of Sigma would have previously times the camera strap of Fuji X100, X Pro1 etc. or Leica to view, then would not come out as a cruel piece of nylon.
The belt also has not spread shoulder pad, thus belongs completely useless to the genus, does not want to cut with prolonged use, especially in the summer with only a thin T-shirt, his flesh is located.

What also is not somehow fit into a sophisticated and mature concept of precious compacts, is the lack of and also not so far available as an accessory, the appropriate camera, namely a quality camera bag. Here is Fuji mentioned as a positive example, I would like to transport on some ghastly nylon or plastic camera bag this wonderful camera.

Unfortunately, the trigger has no real pressure point, it is correct spongy, so that it can happen very quickly that the camera triggers already, although it has not yet set everything as you wanted, and wanted to commit only the Focus.

The autofocus frame which has 9 fields, like a mat on the display moves, to be called the autofocus area of ​​the nine fields is too small, it is not properly display Frame, which can cause you do not always everything can focus just as you want, because the cursor does not come up to the desired focus point.

What's not understandable for me, is the fact that when focus / aperture lock (AEL Button Settings on AEL + Center AF memory) on the AE button this goes only to the central autofocus field, you had previously selected another field, the cursor jumps on the mid-9 Autofucusfelder and remains there, makes no sense at all.

Positive but it should be emphasized in any case in this connection that on the one hand 3 different Autofcusfeldgrößen are for setting available and, secondly, within this "Passepartout field" one by switching the Focus Ring not only the 9 fields for focusing, but also in the fields then focus continuously can.

Very useful is the autofocus limit, which has 4 different modes, Macro (Focus range 22.6 cm to 1.00 meters), Portrait (Focus range 0.35 cm to infinity), Landscape (Focus range from 1.00 meters to infinity) and its own mode, I set it to 22.6 cm to 50 cm, which saves me at macro studies at short distances or the sometimes somewhat annoying autofocus pumps because the camera moves only in this pre Focus area in the corresponding mode, which the Autofocus usually makes then a little faster. These 4 different parameters can be adjusted very quickly and then activated via the Focus button.

Since the Merrill sometimes has problems with focusing of subjects and then back pumping and herfährt, I put in the camera as shots from about 3 feet to Focus on manually and infinite and can then press on the viewfinder even adjust the fine focus. Go possibly also faster than with the autofocus of the camera.

The display of Merrill is very sensitive, I can not remember that I had some camera time that had ever afflicted with streaks on the display. Have therefore always a towel in the bag, so that in any case not so brilliant display is not more affected by face or finger contact.

Like all cameras which have no optical viewfinder comes, at the latest frustration when much light falls on the screen and this leads in the extreme case that then the monitor displays almost no more image.
Therefore, I have gained from Voigtlander an optical viewfinder with 75 mm focal length, which in my opinion is much better, and above all-quality as the matching viewfinder from Sigma. ,
In addition, the Voigtlander also costs less, I paid 95.00 euros for it. It is available in black and silver.

What is also a pity that so far do not support Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom new Merrill, so you have time being with the software from Sigma to make do, which is not bad, but a skin with excitement not necessarily from the stool.
I import the photos therefore currently in iPhoto, which comes quickly and a few small corrections are made so quickly.
Times have 4 sample photos uploaded to the Amazon page (Red Roses, Red / White Cat, carousel and Stadium Energie Cottbus).

I do not mind the slowness of the camera so it forces you to deal with before the design, photos, such as "Carousel" are likely to be the exception, because the focus is not so quick to comply generally with the Merrill from the subject. The carousel image as a test photo is me just about succeeded with the correct image section with Focus to Manual after 7-8 attempts.

The Merrill is more like a "still camera" as it approaches the top form, quick snapshots or prints to the arm hurts, or the memory card is full, making her no sense what has not to be underestimated advantage again to photograph wisely and not simply draufzuhalten. Since I have photographed over 12 years exclusively with medium format cameras, this is perhaps an advantage when shooting in the DP3 because the medium-format goes also systemic in a more leisurely pace on.

For me, it is next to my Plaubel 67, Pentax K-5 and the Olympus OMD-E5 an interesting, albeit with some unnecessary afflicted defects, interesting extension of my photographic opportunities.

By the way, unlike some comments elsewhere, the JPEG's, which produces the Merrill, are top notch and you need thus not hide, on the contrary, with proper exposure are damn good.

What unfortunately is also incomprehensible to me, is the fact that you can attach any wire or remote release in Merrill, this would not be bad just for portraits and also for macros.

The case of a camera, which is advertised, it is ideally suited for macro shots and portraits, not the possibility of a ring flash or connect a flash unit leads me to violent head shaking.

The "Fuzziblitz", which Sigma offers to I had, but now let him go back, he is good at most anything to lighten, otherwise he throws silhouettes and contours, because it has no swiveling reflector and is not adjustable. Since TTL flash is not much use.

Since I take the slightest focusing distance in macro photography of 22.6 cm towards almost back smiling.

Due to the pre-marked experiences I forgive 3 stars for Sigma DP3 Merrill.

To conclude with, I would say that I still love the camera, not only because of the absolutely outstanding image quality, but also because of its design and also because of their very thoughtful and professional menus.

Thanks to the two "QS" menus can be basically anything preset as you need it for almost all photographic shooting situations.

A compliment for the logically structured menu system, however, is such as to call the menu of the Olympus O-MD as grottig.
Fully ducted in German Operating Manual need not basically, the camera really is self-explanatory.

Regards Bogomir

Addendum 15.04.2013:

The two supplied rechargeable batteries have in the beginning a very very bad energy output, added to 40-50 photos in RAW and JPEG simultaneously, the respective battery was empty.
Having both batteries recharged a couple of times, I get now on a single charge approximately 80-90 pictures taken in RAW and JPEG simultaneously.