Sigma DP1X User manual

The DP series:
the world's only compact cameras
with DSLR specifications.
Following the breakthrough,
an evolution to greater refinement:
the SIGMA DP1x.

Sigma's DP cameras treat light and color with due respect.
They don't change any of it. They don't lose any of it.
The result? An amazing capacity to capture fine detail.
Unleash your creativity.
Let your inner photographer see things in a new way.
Do it all with this compact body.
We believe in photographing things as they really are.
This shapes our concept of the way a camera should be.
With the DP series, we're aiming to recapture the essence of the camera.
The DP1 that launched this initiative has now been reborn.
You remember the DP1? The little camera that could?
It blew existing image-quality standards out of the water.
It opened up new horizons for amateur photographers.
And now it's even better.
The SIGMA DP1x.
For the photographer who wants to capture genuine emotion.
Trustyoureye.Trustyourhand,
This photograph shows the approximate dimensions of the Sigma DP1x.
Theyknowagoodcamera.
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Camera : SIGMA DP1x, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 100, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1/80s, Aperture Value : F4.0, Focal Length: 16.6 mm 03

Camera : SIGMA DP1x, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 100, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1 sec, Aperture Value : F4.0, Focal Length: 16.6 mm
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The world's first full-spec compact
“A large sensor in a compact body.” Appearing
all over the media, this phrase neatly summed
up Sigma's DP series of high-performance, high
image-quality compact cameras.
Ever since digital cameras ousted film cameras
from their mainstream status, the image sensors
used in compact cameras had been far smaller
than those used in SLRs. Of course, photo
sensor size plays a crucial role in determining
image quality. This was true in the days of
film, and it's just as true in the digital age. Yet
compact cameras had been getting steadily
smaller and lighter. Meanwhile, the all-important
pursuit of higher image quality had become
an afterthought, for reasons of cost and
technological difficulties.
What's more, digital compacts were all about
extra functions and more megapixels. Higher
pixel-counts were achieved simply by making
the pixels extremely small, so that more of
them could be crammed in, while the sensor
itself remained as small as ever. In terms of
the essence of photographic expression, pixel
counts don't really count. Yet competition on
this front had reached fever pitch by the spring
of 2008, when the Sigma DP1 made its long-
awaited debut.
The DP1 opened up new horizons
The DP1 was introduced as a compact digital
camera with an SLR-sized image sensor. It was
a camera that satisfied the artist's need for top
image quality and yet was compact enough
to take anywhere. This had always been the
amateur photographer's dream. And a dream
it remained, until Sigma boldly took up the
challenge and overcame numerous challenges
to make it happen.
That glimpse of unexpected beauty on your
daily commute, early in the morning or late
in the evening. The subtlety of human drama
encountered on a street corner. The dewy petal
of a nameless roadside flower. As anyone who
loves photography could tell you, those crucial
moments can't be contrived. There's only one
place you find them: the often overlooked
corners of ordinary life.
At Sigma, we have strong views about what
a camera should be. Sensor size isn't our only
obsession: we're also big on pioneering sensor
design. That's why our DP cameras feature the
Foveon X3® direct image sensor, which breaks
new ground by capturing the full complement
of colors at each individual pixel location.
Thanks to this sensor, our DP cameras produce
distinctive images that combine exquisite
vividness with astonishingly high definition,
outclassing conventional digital image quality.
Thanks to the unique 3-D feel plus the clarity
and sharpness, delivered by Sigma's proprietary
three-layered Foveon X3® direct image sensor,
the images created by the DP1 won acclaim from
photographers all over the world. Their image
quality was compared to that of a medium-
format film camera rather than that of a DSLR.
The rest is recent history: the DP1's formidable
descriptive power not only made a worldwide
splash, but also transcended the existing
distinction between SLRs and compacts,
creating the new “full-spec compact” category.
There's just no doubt about it—the DP1 created
quite a buzz in photographic circles.
Sigma's photographic passion and principles
You wouldn't carry an SLR around unless you
intended to shoot some serious photos. Pictures
taken with an SLR have to be carefully set up,
framed and posed. All sorts of complicated
settings have to be fiddled with. That's
how most people would think of an SLR.
Yet Sigma took the essence of an SLR, and
packed it, unabridged, into a compact body.
We also included a generous dollop of extra
high-performance functions. We gave the
photographer more artistic control, and left
more scope for creative expression.
With the introduction of the Sigma DP series,
serious photography can now be part of
your everyday routine. And that's not all:
these cameras are the perfect fit for today's
increasingly nonconformist, free-spirited
users. They awaken the creativity within many
photographers, often causing them to fall in
love with photography all over again.
In its forms and workflows, photographic
equipment changes with the times.
Photographic expression is also subject to
passing trends. What stays unchanged is
the way a camera should be. A camera should
slavishly follow your direction. It should respect
your intention. And it should do this without
losing sight of the essence of photography,
namely, capturing your own personal sensory
experience, the picture in your mind's eye—
a single image only you could create.
This is the fundamental concept underlying all
of Sigma's evolving technological innovation.
The revolution has gained refinement.
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A Camera that Transforms Your Perception
After the ground-breaking,
the fine-tuning
The DP1 was the world's first truly full
spec compact camera. It deserves to
be remembered as the camera that
launched Sigma's DP series. This truly
high-performance compact camera
was groundbreaking in that it featured
an SLR-sized image sensor. However,
precisely because it was so ground-
breaking, it faced some challenges.
At Sigma, we believe that users should
experience the joy of finessing their
pictures, working with superb image
quality. In line with this philosophy, we
gave the DP1 a specification worthy
of an SLR, based on RAW (X3 mode)
output. We wanted to create a whole
new DP world of our own. But we
must admit that, as an instrument for
taking photos, the DP1 was more of a
breakthrough than a culmination.
We must also concede that the TRUE
the first-generation image-processing
engine featured in the DP1–processed
the abundant image data output
by the Foveon X3® direct image
sensor at a speed that some found
unsatisfactory. The DP1's early
adopters may well have felt the need
for enhancement.
A more highly evolved
version of the DP1
The concept behind the DP1—the first
generation model remains unchanged
in the DP1x. The new camera features
the Foveon X3® direct image sensor,
which provides astonishing definition,
said to be on a par with that of medium
format film. It also uses a specially
designed ultra high-performance
wide-angle lens equivalent to 28mm
in a 35mm camera, which is even
better than many high-performance
interchangeable lenses used in SLRs.
We wanted the DP1x to deliver the
special 3-D feel and texture that are
the raison d'être of the DP series. That's
why, rather than concentrating on a
single index such as MTF, we aimed
for all-round lens performance. As for
image texture, which is determined by
differences in focal length, F-number
and other parameters, we took care to
make the DP1x consistent with the rest
of the DP series.
We also endowed the DP1x with the
highly-acclaimed user interface and
the TRUE II second-generation image
processing engine used in the DP2 — the
second release in the DP series. With
more intuitive controls and dramatically
improved operability and processing
speeds, the DP1x is a more highly-
evolved photographic instrument.
The pleasures of perspective
The DP1x has an integral wide-angle
lens equivalent to 28mm in a 35mm
camera. Since its field angle is greater
than that of the human eye, a wide-
angle lens can be used to bring out
perspective, adding dynamism and
drama to your photographs.
This type of lens really comes into
its own when shooting landscapes
and buildings, where its distinctive
perspective can be used to full
advantage. It allows dynamic captures
of clear blue skies, white fluffy clouds
and deep crimson sunsets. Buildings,
be they historical structures, stylish
examples of modern architecture, or
anything in between, can be cleverly
framed for maximum interest, or
captured in a thousand other cool ways.
Breathing new inspiration into
your photographic art
The wide-angle lens is also great
for snapshots. For one thing, it has
technical advantages—it's less
susceptible to camera-shake and
allows a greater depth of field. For
another, its wide field angle gives you
an edge when it comes to capturing
subtle human interactions, or snatching
that rare and unexpected photogenic
moment that can show up in the most
banal of everyday scenes.
Portraits are another genre you really
should try with the wide-angle lens on
the DP1x. The telephoto lens
is the mainstream choice for this
type of shot, so using a wide-angle
lens adds a fresh twist right away.
For a classic headshot, use portrait
(vertical) orientation. Whether you
shoot in portrait or landscape, you can
inject a sense of depth and a dash of
drama by cleverly incorporating the
existing background, or by arranging
background objects yourself.
Most photographers start out with
an interest in using telephoto lenses.
An obsession with wide-angle lenses
tends to follow later. What gets them
hooked on the wide-angle lens is its
versatility and its infinite potential for
artistic expression. This type of lens
brings all sorts of extraneous objects
into the frame, so it can be tricky
to master. The effort is more than
repaid, however, by the extra scope
for dramatic staging. In terms of sheer
artistic enjoyment, the wide-angle lens
gets more and more rewarding as you
go up the learning curve.
A lens that takes you back to basics
Like the other Sigma DP cameras,
the DP1x uses a single-focus lens. As
high-performance zoom lenses have
become mainstream even in integral-
lens cameras, this might seem an
unusual choice.
Certainly, when you can only
shoot from a certain spot, a high-
magnification zoom lens is hard
to beat: its extensive visual field
conveniently covers the range from
wide-angle to telephoto. If you've
ever struggled to take pictures with a
single-focus lens that has the wrong
field angle, you'll know just how
frustrating it can be.
And yet, the single-focus lens has an
elegance all of its own. Give it some
serious attention, and it will repay
the favor by taking you right back to
the basics of photography. Choosing
the subject. Finding the best angle.
Framing the shot in the best way
possible. Considering the light and
shadow falling on the subject. Taking
account of the colors. This is what
photography is all about. In Sigma's
philosophy, there's only one way to
take a picture that is truly your own.
You have to establish your personal,
subjective relationship with the
subject. And that means making all
the artistic decisions yourself.
A camera that
trains your artistic eye
Shooting with a single-focus lens
forces you to frame the shot by
moving your physical position. With
a camera that automatically selects
the best field angle for the subject,
it wouldn't really matter where you
positioned yourself. With a single-
focus lens, however, actively searching
for the best way to frame the shot
makes you rethink your old habits.
This prompts you to re-establish a
new, more authentic, more personal
relationship with photography.
Rediscover the joy of photography.
Unleash your inner artist with the DP1x.
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Camera : SIGMA DP1x, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 100, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1/80s, Aperture Value : F4.0, Focal Length: 16.6 mm 07

The DP1x's Foveon X3® direct
image sensor utilizes the
special features of silicon,
which is penetrated to
different depths by different
wavelengths of light, to
successfully achieve full-color
capture for the first time ever
in a single-chip configuration.
No color filter is required.
Since the X3 can capture all the
color information in its three
layers, the aforementioned
late-stage color interpolation
necessitated by the Bayer filter
image-sensor is not required,
and exquisite, nuanced color
expression can be created in
pixel-location units.Compared
with the color-fudging Bayer
filter image sensor, the X3
takes color resolution to a
new and truly amazing level.
Since it does not need a color
filter, the direct image sensor
does not generate color
artefacts. This, of course,
means that no optical low-
pass filter is needed either.
This full-color capture system
can cope with all kinds of
high-frequency areas, and
capture the full complement
of colors. That's why the
results are both absolutely
natural and truly exquisite.
The Bayer filter Image Sensor
The old-fashioned Bayer filter image sensor
can only capture 50% of the green color data,
and a mere 25% each of the blue and the red.
R: 100% G: 100% B: 100% R: 25% G: 50% B: 25%
The Foveon X3® Sensor
The Foveon X3® has three layers of
photosensors, enabling it to capture 100%
of the RGB color data at once.
08

Conventional digital cameras use
monochrome sensors
You might be surprised to learn that
the sensors in most digital cameras
on the market, apart from Sigma's
SD and DP series, are basically
monochrome. Because monochrome
sensors do not capture color data, a
color filter with a mosaic of pixels for
the three primary colors — red, blue
and green (RGB) — is mounted on top
so that color data can be represented.
But each light-sensing photodiode
has a one-color filter, which means
that each pixel can only capture one
color, and data for the other two
colors is discarded.
Until this stage, of course, as in
the Autochrome process, the RGB
color “particles”, or pixels, are
recorded unmodified, forming the
photo. A color interpolation process
known as demosaicing is therefore
performed in the latter stage of the
image processing, and this restores
the colors lost by individual pixels.
This interpolation process basically
consists of guessing the missing
colors from the neighboring pixels,
and adding them back in.
Post-processing the image
leads to a loss of detail
Having been continuously improved
over an extended period, this image-
processing method has matured
to a certain extent, so the color
interpolation is now performed
fairly accurately. But because colors
are interpolated from neighboring
pixels, the subtle color nuances of the
original subject are lost.
Conventional digital cameras using
color filter arrays also generate
color artifacts – colors not found
in the original subject – during the
demosaicing processing. This is
due to the action of the color filter
(generally a Bayer filter), which tries
to regulate the color distribution if
the subject contains too much detail
(high-frequency areas).
A conventional digital camera using
a Bayer color filter has yet another
filter, known as an optical low-pass
filter, interposed between the lens
and the sensor, in order to suppress
color artifacts. The optical low-pass
filter acts on the images resolved at
a high level by the imaging lens, its
job being to eliminate any detailed
elements likely to generate color
artifacts (high-frequency areas above
a certain level), immediately before
they reach the sensor. So it can
effectively suppress the generation
of color artifacts, but the downside is
that it naturally reduces the resolution
of the image.
The Foveon X3® captures the
very feeling in the air.
Images produced by Sigma's SD
and DP series cameras have what's
been called an “emotional quality”.
This phrase expresses the distinctive
image-quality you only get with the
Foveon X3® direct image sensor.
In terms of clarity and fine detail, it
goes far beyond the capabilities of
conventional digital cameras. This
level of image quality reproduces the
scene you shot, right down to the
feeling in the air. It's only possible in
a vertical color-capture system that
does not require color interpolation,
and an image-processing system
that does not require an optical
low-pass filter.
A conventional image-sensor, on
the other hand, fudges the colors,
and even cuts out high-frequency
areas. To compensate, the sharpness
processing is ramped up to give
some overall nuancing and a general
impression of high resolution. This
explains the tendency to generate
images that, as a whole, have an
unnatural feel. The colors can be
adjusted to some extent in post-
processing, but the detailed data
previously lost cannot be recovered.
No wonder the images produced by
conventional digital cameras, despite
their emphasized edges and clever
nuancing, look so unnatural, so subtly
wrong, It's all about basic principles.
A sensor that discards none of the
original light and color. And adds
none either.
The DP1x's Foveon X3® direct image
sensor utilizes the special features of
silicon, which is penetrated to different
depths by different wavelengths of
light, to successfully achieve full-
color capture for the first time ever in
a single-chip configuration. No color
filter is required. Like modern color
film cameras, it uses a method that
captures all the colors vertically.
Because it does not need color
interpolation or a low-pass filter, the
X3 image sensor produces images
that are sharp right from the start.
Therefore, sharpness processing in the
latter stages of the image processing
– creating edges and emphasizing
contours – can be reduced to a
minimum. This is why reviewers have
evaluated the images captured by
the X3 image sensor as having a truly
nuanced, sharp feel, and praised them
as very natural and demonstrating
superior image quality.
The Foveon X3® direct image sensor
reproduces pure, rich data and
nothing else. The image quality it
delivers is breathtaking. You really
need to see it for yourself.
The Fine Art of Capturing Detail
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Camera : SIGMA DP1x, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 100, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1/4s, Aperture Value : F8, Focal Length: 16.6 mm 11

Camera : SIGMA DP1x, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 100, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1.6s, Aperture Value : F8, Focal Length: 16.6 mm
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Camera : SIGMA DP1x + Close-up Lens AML-1, FileType: X3F Raw, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority AE, ISO Setting : 200, White Balance : Auto, Shutter Speed : 1/60s, Aperture Value : F4, Focal Length: 16.6 mm
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15

Bigger Sensor — Better Image Quality
Film or digital: big photoreceptors
mean high image quality.
The bigger the film size, the better
the image quality. That's common
knowledge in the world of film
cameras. Even so, caught up in the
powerful tide of digitization, and the
feverish, single-minded competition to
achieve the highest pixel count, most
camera manufacturers seem to have
lost sight of this obvious fact some
time ago. Ever tried using a Brownie
film camera to shoot high-quality
photos? Then you'll have a vivid sense
of the exponential increase in image
quality as film size increases. Basically,
the same goes for digital cameras. In
other words, sensor performance being
equal, the image quality of a digital
camera is determined by the size of
the image sensor, be it CCD, CMOS or
any other type.
In the era of film cameras, both SLRs
and compacts using the 35mm system
used the same size of film, and image
quality was down to lens performance.
There used to be compact film cameras
that delivered high image quality
despite their small body size, and
those compacts had a large following
among photographers. When cameras
made the switch from film to digital,
however, it was taken for granted that
DSLRs and digital compacts would use
different image sensors.
The digital camera of anyone's dreams
Implementing a large sensor presented
all sorts of problems: the cost of the
sensor, the difficulty of designing the
lens, the high processing capacity
required for the image-processing
engine, enlarging the circuit board,
increasing the memory capacity, and
so on. Until these problems could be
overcome, it was generally accepted
that DSLRs used large sensors, and
compacts used small ones. Eventually,
these problems were effectively solved,
allowing sensors to be made smaller.
However, this involved a trade-off:
reduced image quality. From then on,
photographers dreamed of a compact
digital camera with an SLR-sized
image sensor. A camera small and light
enough to carry around everywhere,
yet offering the technology for serious
photography. Those dreams came true
with Sigma's DP series.
Startlingly evocative image quality
At 20.7 x 13.8mm, the DP1x's
14-megapixel image sensor, like the
DP1's, is SLR-sized. This is about 12
times larger than the 1- to 2.5-inch
sensor, and 7 times larger than a 1- to
1.8-inch sensor used in a conventional
digital compact. This generous size
takes the DP1x's image quality to a
different dimension.
Picture this. Light traveling through
a small lens is captured by a small
sensor and turned into an image.
Light traveling through a large lens
is captured by a large sensor and
turned into an image. What's the
difference between these two images?
Essentially, it's a difference in quality.
In the case of the small image sensor,
the image is magnified by a high ratio
when it's printed or displayed on a
computer screen. This makes it tricky
to reproduce the dynamism and 3-D
feel of the subject. Like the other DP
cameras, the DP1x does just that, by
using a large integral image sensor.
The natural blurring effect
you get with an SLR.
The small size of the image sensor
used in a conventional compact digital
camera explains why it captures rather
flat, unmodulated images. If the image
sensor is small, the focal length of
the lens is short. The shorter the focal
length of the lens, the greater the depth
of field – in other words, the greater
the range of distances over which the
SIGMA DP1x's Direct Image Sensor
Conventional
Compact
Digital Camera's
Image Sensor
The DP1x has an integral 14 megapixel,
SLR-sized (20.7 x 13.8mm) image
sensor. This is about 12 times larger
than 1- to 2.5-inch sensor, and 7 times
larger than a 1- to 1.8-inch sensor used
in a conventional compact digital
camera. This generous size takes the
DP1x's image quality to a different
dimension. What's more, the pixel
pitch of the image sensor is a generous
7.8μm. An ordinary compact digital
camera delivers “high quality” with a
high pixel count achieved simply by
dividing up the sensor into smaller
sections. In the DP1x, however, the large
photodiodes deployed at a large pixel
pitch capture pure, rich light efficiently,
so the image signal is superb right from
the start. This gives the DP1x its high
resolution and richly graduated tones.
Image Sensor Size Comparison
lens can focus. The prosaic quality of
the images captured by an ordinary
compact digital camera is caused by
the depth of field characteristic of a
small image sensor: the lens focuses
evenly on everything between the
subject and the background, eliminating
any cadence within the image. Thanks
to its DSLR sized sensor, the DP1x can
achieve SLR-worthy natural blurring
effects, even at an aperture of F4.
Images of this astonishing quality and
richness are only possible with a large
sensor. You really need to see them
for yourself.
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This photograph shows the approximate dimensions of the Sigma DP1x. 17

18

A Lens that Sees with Crystal Clarity
A photo is only as good as the
lens it was taken with.
When it comes to photographic
expression, the lens is the most crucial
element. This is true of any camera,
film or digital, and it remains just
as true in any age. Observing the
advances in digital image processing
technology designed to compensate
for lens aberrations, you would think
that digital image compensation was
the answer to everything. However,
no matter how far digital image
processing technology advances, it will
never rival the descriptive power of an
excellent lens. Some might argue that
an adequate lens is all you need, as
long as you have brilliant compensation
technology. That's not our view. Sigma
is a lens expert, and the DP1x's special
lens is the culmination of years of
lens-related R&D.
Up there with a high-performance
interchangeable lens
The DP1x's integral 16.6mm F4 lens
(equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm
film camera) is built to the same
design as the DP1's, and has the same
outstanding descriptive power. It may
be small, but it's a high-performance
wide-angle single-focus lens designed
to the standards of interchangeable
SLR lenses. Manufactured to exacting
standards, large-diameter (14.5mm)
aspherical glass molds are arranged
in the fourth group. Besides achieving
high-resolution and high-contrast
performance, we have succeeded
in storing the whole lens unit in a
compact lens barrel. Its MTF – the value
indicating lens performance – is on a
par with that of the interchangeable
lenses used in SLR cameras.
Adapting SLR lens technology
for our own purposes
The lens we've given the DP1x is of the
retro focus type, typically used in wide-
angle lenses for SLRs. Besides having
the telecentricity so important in
lenses for digital cameras, retro focus
lenses capture plenty of peripheral
brightness. The lens specially designed
for the DP1x takes full advantage of
this property, successfully ensuring that
the light volume stays the same right
to the periphery, while also minimizing
astigmatism and field curvature.
The disadvantage of the retro focus
lens, however, is that its back focus is
longer than its focal length, and this
inevitably increases the total length
of the lens. In order to keep the total
length as short as possible while still
delivering high image quality, the rear
elements of the DP1x lens include glass-
mold aspherical lenses with a high
refractive index. This has successfully
shortened the total length while
reducing the number of lenses used,
and maintaining high performance.
The use of aspherical glass-mold lenses
also enables advanced correction of
astigmatism and comatic aberration.
A lens for full photographic expression
The DP lens uses the Super Multi-
Layer Coating Sigma has developed
over many years of manufacturing
interchangeable lenses for digital
cameras. Despite the compactness
of the lens-barrel, flare and ghosting
can be effectively suppressed even
when shooting a backlit or semi-
backlit scene, allowing more dramatic
photographic expression.
We've also taken peripheral brightness
into consideration: the drop in
peripheral brightness at the outermost
edge of the screen when the aperture
is released is kept at -1EV, which is on
a par with that of an interchangeable
lens for a precision digital camera. So,
even when you shoot blue skies whose
brightness continues to the horizon,
your pictures will be bright, clear, and
free of light fall-off at the edges.
Encapsulating all the sophistication of
Sigma's optical know-how, this super-
high-performance lens puts SLR-level
photographic expression in the palm
of your hand. The image-quality it
produces is something you really need
to see for yourself.
The lens used in the DP1x is of the retro focus
type. Along with the telecentricity so important
in lenses for digital cameras, retro focus lenses
have a property that enables them to capture
plenty of peripheral brightness. The lens specially
designed for the DP1x takes full advantage of
this property. As well as ensuring that the light
volume stays the same right to the periphery,
it also successfully minimizes astigmatism and
field curvature.
The disadvantage of the retro focus lens,
however, is that its back focus is longer than
its focal length, and this inevitably increases the
total length of the lens. In order to keep the total
length as short as possible while still delivering
high image quality, the rear elements of the DP1x
lens include glass-mold aspherical lenses with
a high refractive index. This has successfully
shortened the total length while reducing the
number of lenses used, and maintaining high
performance. The use of aspherical glass-mold
lenses also enables advanced correction of
astigmatism and comatic aberration.
The DP1x lens features the rear-focus method.
Since retro focus lenses tend to exhibit a high
degree of aberration variation at close range,
which makes it difficult to maintain performance,
this lens employs a rear-focus drive system with
a high capacity for aberration compensation.
The DP1x lens has also been treated with
Sigma's proprietary Super Multi-Layer Coating.
By executing high-quality, high-precision coating
control at a high level, enabling the optimizing
of a higher angle of incidence, Sigma has
succeeded in minimizing the ghosting and flare
that cannot be prevented using conventional
coating techniques.
The construction of
the special-design lens
10 lp
30 lp
Spatial Frequency Sagittal Line Meridional Line
The MTF chart gives the results at the wide-open aperture.
CONTRAST
IMAGE HEIGHT (mm)
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5
Sigma Lens 16.6mm F4 MTF Chart
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Photo-Processing that Delivers the “Wow” Factor
The new “TRUE II”
image-processing engine
The new TRUE II image-processing
engine, specially developed for the
Foveon X3®, was first implemented
in the DP2, to high acclaim. We've
also used it in the DP1x. Applying
our exhaustive knowledge of the
image-creation mechanism of the
direct image sensor, we applied
a proprietary algorithm to do full
justice to its uniquely sophisticated
3-D rendering power, optimizing both
the image-processing time and the in-
camera image processing itself, and
achieving a dramatic improvement in
processing performance.
Having focused our efforts on
optimizing and recording the pure,
rich signal captured by the sensor,
we were determined that the optimal
image quality we had pursued
throughout our development of SLRs
would be fully reproduced throughout
our DP series of compacts-with-a-
big-difference. The rich optical signal
captured by the groundbreaking
direct image sensor needed to be
translated into an information-rich
image. We entrusted that crucial task
to our new, improved TRUE II.
In JPEG mode, images are
finished at Sigma's discretion
JPEG images captured by the DP1x
are photos finished in what Sigma
considers the most appropriate way.
If you find that the photos you take
in JPEG mode look the way you
intended, then by all means enjoy
the ease and convenience of the
JPEG setting. Your JPEG images are
ready to print – just plug the camera
into your printer – and the image
data files are ready to share with
your friends and family. If you want
email-friendly image files that can
be transferred straight from your
camera, JPEG mode wins hands-
down on convenience.
However, when you create a JPEG file,
the data is subjected to irreversible
compression, which leaves very
little scope for image-correction
afterwards. And here's the rub: if
you only shoot JPEG mode, you may
find it very difficult to reproduce the
photo you saw in your mind's eye,
which is your own personal sensory
experience. If you've ever used a
conventional compact digital camera
that only has JPEG mode, you'll know
how unsatisfying the results can be.
Unfortunately, it can be extremely
difficult to fully express your artistic
vision using only JPEG images,
which are created using the camera's
automatic settings.
SIGMA Photo Pro:
the image-processing software that
gets the most out of X3F (RAW) files
The DP1x has an X3F mode (RAW
file format) in which all the image
data captured by the sensor can be
recorded without any significant
deterioration in camera performance.
If you want to do your own hands-on
photo finishing, then for best results,
we recommend SIGMA Photo Pro, the
image-processing software designed
exclusively for these X3F files.
You may think that “RAW data
processing” sounds like something
intimidatingly technical, requiring
high levels of knowledge and skill.
If so, just try SIGMA Photo Pro for
yourself, and you'll soon find out how
easy it really can be. SIGMA Photo
Pro focuses on only those functions
you really need for artistic photo
finishing. Its interface is one of the
most user-friendly and intuitive of
the many RAW data-processing
software packages on the market,
so even if you're a beginner, you'll
find it simple to turn your images
into finished photos. The Adjustment
Controls Palette contains exposure,
contrast, shadows, highlights, color
saturation, sharpness, and the X3 Fill
Light feature. A new noise reduction
control area allows for reduction of
both color noise and luminance noise.
The Color Wheel allows for easy
adjustment of photograph colors.
Simply adjust these parameters and
watch the image change in real time.
That's all it takes to recreate the ideal
photo you had in your mind's eye as
you pressed the shutter.
Sigma's proprietary
X3F file format ensures outstanding
texture and color
In fact, shooting in X3F format has
other advantages too. In a digital
camera, the image signal captured in
RGB is recorded by being converted
into what is known as YCbCr color
space. The Y stands for brightness,
and the CbCr stands for color
difference. In an ordinary digital
camera, a file format known as YCbCr
4:2:2 is used, where the color signal
is set to half the brightness signal.
This format was developed in order
to send color information efficiently
on the limited bandwidth available
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