Sigma DP2 review: Sigma DP2

It's always difficult reviewing cameras like the Sigma DP2, a fairly niche product that inspires fierce loyalty in its devotes. A compact, pocketable camera designed to appeal to enthusiast and fine art photographers, the DP2 joins models like the Canon PowerShot G10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 targeting a relatively small market but one that is passionate about image quality. Unlike its competitors, though, Sigma doesn't do a very good job of balancing the camera's left- and right-brain appeal. On one side, the camera renders smooth, filmlike photos with a broad tonal range and attractive noise characteristics for shooting in black and white. But on the other you have a slow, occasionally ineffective autofocus system, desaturated and inconsistent colors on mid- to high-ISO sensitivity images, short battery life, and the occasional freeze-up.

The DP2's simple, relatively straightforward design lends itself to a fluid shooting experience--once you know where to find everything and how the menu navigation works. Its compact body is still a little heavier and thicker than the LX3, but it's still smaller and lighter than most other alternatives, and will still fit comfortably in a jacket pocket. It feels sturdy and well-built.

Atop the camera is a typical mode dial which switches you into the manual and semimanual exposure modes (PASM), movie capture, sound recording (limited only by the capacity of the card). Unsurprisingly, the DP2 lacks an automatic shooting mode. There's a dedicated setup entry on the mode dial, which contains most of the settings you rarely change. Unfortunately, that's where Sigma chose to bury the media format option, making formatting a pain. On the other hand, the dedicated manual focus dial, located just above the thumb rest, works very well as a focus control.

To the right of the small 2.5-inch LCD sit a variety of buttons, most unhelpfully labeled in black-on-black; you really do need to at least scan the thin manual to figure out how everything works. The three buttons on the left are for AEL (autoexposure lock), middle QS (Quick Set) and Menu; and the two bottom buttons are playback and display options. The only direct-access controls are for focus and focus-point selection.

A few notable capabilities in the otherwise basic feature set include an intervalometer (various preset durations ranging from 30 seconds to 24 hours for various numbers of frames up to infinite); still photo with sound; and the ability to change button assignments.