January 03, 2021

Sigma DP2 capture settings

I wanted to share some of the capture settings that I use with the Sigma DP2 (non-Merrill and non-Quattro) camera. I am mostly a landscape photographer and work at a slow pace. Refer to the user's manual for more information. The Sigma menu systems from my experience have been relatively easy to navigate.

  • Mode Dial: A
    • I only shoot in Aperture Priority AE, usually at F5.6 if the shutter speed is high enough
  • Mode Dial: M
    • Occasionally I will use Manual exposure when some of the metering becomes a bit erratic in strong sunlight or when using the camera on a tripod. Note that in this mode there is no Histogram available. Therefore it may be advisable to determine the optimal exposure in Aperture Priority AE and then dial this into the Manual exposure mode.
    • Auto Exposure shooting directly into the sun can be a bit wild and some trial and error or manual bracketing may be useful
  • Drive Mode: Self Timer 2 sec.
    • I often use Self Timer 2 sec. to reduce shake that occurs when pressing the shutter release
  • Focus: LIMIT
    • LIMIT mode narrows the focusing range from 1m to infinity and significantly reduces the sluggish focusing time to be less sluggish
    • If the camera is unable to focus, the auto focus lamp above the LCD blinks red
  • Focus: MF
    • The manual focus dial is engaged when the camera is in manual focus (MF) mode. This seems to be a popular feature missed in later iterations.
    • Moving the focusing dial does have a very direct feel and is much better than other focus-by-wire implementations. It does not seem to be well calibrated to the focusing distance on the scale bar. 5 on the manual focusing dial corresponds to closer than 5 m focusing distance on the scale bar. This is noted as a warning in the manual.
    • The manual focus scale bar does not provide any hyperfocal distance markings. It is hard to dial in the exact hyperfocal distance using the scale bar.
    • There is a magnification display option for critical focusing. I have not mad much success with close focus on this camera and the minimum focusing distance is quite far (28 cm).  Sigma did sell as one of their accessories, the AML-1 close up lens for this camera which installs onto the HA-21 hood adapter.
    • MF is the preferred setting if fast shutter release is required
  • Exposure compensation:
    • This camera prefers overexposure to underexposure
    • I will generally bump this up a bit up to +0.7 during sunny days to get more light into the shadows. The camera can generally pull < 1 EV of highlights back in Sigma Photo Pro.
    • I usually shoot at ISO 100 where the shadow recovery is pretty noise free for at least 1 EV.
    • DPreview conducted extensive dynamic range testing
  • 1) White Balance: Auto
    • Usually this is reliable, however note that Sigma Photo Pro does not offer a custom white balance feature
    • For indoor scenes, it is best to use a White Balance card to make it easier to edit images exclusively in Sigma Photo Pro
  • 2) ISO Sensitivity:
    • ISO 100 is the preferred choice whenever possible
    • ISO 200 is quite usable 
    • At ISO 400 or higher I would only use for black and white only as there is a loss of colour information. High ISO is not a strength of Foveon cameras.
    • DPReview conducted extensive noise testing
  • 6) Image Quality: RAW
  • 9) Color Mode: Standard
    • I usually do not adjust this setting because I do not use the JPEG engine. This is easily adjusted in Sigma Photo Pro.
  • 16) AEL Button Settings: Center AF Lock
    • The camera will focus using the center autofocus point and will retain the focusing distance until the focus is adjusted
    • This helps to address a lot of the slow autofocus concerns in a similar way to MF mode

Additional notes:

  • The camera has a built-in flash and leaf shutter so shallow depth of field fill light is possible
  • Built-in flash exposure from my limited experience seems poor. I am reluctant to use the flash due to its impact on battery life.
  • There is the ability to record QVGA (320 × 240) videos. Use your mobile phone instead.
  • The camera can also be used as a voice recorder and can save voice clips with a photo. Use your mobile phone instead.
  • Unfortunately the buttons on this camera are cheap feeling, especially the shutter release. This affects how stably the camera can be held when pressing the shutter release.
  • When the camera is off, it is possible to review images without extending the lens. Hold the ⊳ button for 2 seconds and the camera will turn on.
  • solsang also shared a number of his recommended settings