3 months ago, I stumbled upon the Sigma DP2s through a user named clavius_tma-1 on flickr who exclusively used it for a time. I was familiar with Sigma’s lenses, but I was unaware of their history with compact cameras.

Man clavius could shoot. Even the most mundane of subjects had a distinct comfort. The colors felt humble and familiar. It had this early ‘10s look to the sensor that I resonated with through cameras like the 5D Mark II.

The DP2 had a sparse review presence, which made me eager to take a gamble and report its performance. $300 all day.

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I’m here to tell you that the DP2s is by all accounts a shooter, but it’s a fickle one. Many, many shots were blown up and unusable by even the slightest unsteady hand in low light. It pretty much requires a tripod for clear shots in the evening (defeating the purpose of a compact cam), as even though it’s f/2.8, the ISO is primitive. It’s also mad slow. The AF fails often, and follow-up shots are sluggish.

This has not inconvenienced me enough to stop using it though, as the output was just what I was looking for. I basically treat this like a film camera, and understand that it will be a hassle.

For lack of a better way to describe it, it’s like the OG PS3 of digicams. It’s when things were slowly starting to shift to the “HD 720p” era. Stylized Realism. The Ricoh GR, Canon Powershot, and Finepix cams also fall into this realm. But what really makes the DP2 feel 7th gen is the Foveon sensor. A Foveon in a compact camera was unheard of, so the final product as a whole feels experimental.

This is a test. I hope all is well in your world. Thanks for the support!
We got script captions in this joint. Believe it, and then some.

This is another test. Smile.

The DP1, DP2, and DP3 are nearly all the same except for their focal length. The “S” versions just have power saving capabilities. The Merrill versions have an updated sensor that works way better in low light, but the pics can look less “vintage”.

The DPQuattros are sick, but expensive. Much more modern—superb look and quality.

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All in all, I recommend the DPLine only if you are willing to tolerate their immense clunkiness. Their charm and capability, however, can’t be understated.