Night one with Sigma DP1

[jaeming]

Thought I'd share these. I just aquired a DP1 the other night and was feeling enthusiastic enough to go out and shoot some test photos right away. At f/4 I don't think many would consider it a low-light/night camera and though I don't have a tripod, there's no shortage of lamp post, electric boxes and parking meters which can be employed for a steady assist in the city. Architecture at night is easiest as it doesn't tend to move and so I shot mostly that, all around Auckland Uni campus, walking distance from where I stay.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3788942583_5dc32bab0e.jpg
AU Library as seen from Symonds street. Handheld on this one.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/3791758111_a805905228.jpg
Some historic like house on campus.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3791775473_cda5be8b98.jpg
Another strange house near campus, covered in vines.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3791741203_4c12cf4cbf.jpg
Some student accomodation. I found a nice parking meter to prop my camera on here and got a 15 second exposure with lots of detail.
Some day I'll invest in a tripod perhaps...

Comments/thoughts welcome. And you can see full size here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaeming/sets/72157621960843770/

[robo git]

No low-light issues?
That is what I read was the biggest weakness with the Foveon X3 sensor

[jaeming]

No low-light issues?
That is what I read was the biggest weakness with the Foveon X3 sensor

From what I can tell the DP1 has no low-light issues at all. I would say it's issues more likely reside with high ISO's, which people might be more likely to use in low-light situations I suppose. But then again, sensor aside, this is a compact, and what compact doesn't start to look bad after 400 ISO?

As for the SD14, I can shoot ISO 800 and clean it up pretty well, or alternatively add some film-like grain to make the noise have a more natural feel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/3791913190_19cfb6d062.jpg

ISO 1600 is not so nice but then again it was not originally included in SD14 (added in firmware update after repeated request for it).

but overall, yes, I think the Foveon sensor can be a little susceptible to noise in the darks. It's more like shooting film, where you need to expose and protect for your blacks more than your highlights. I think Sigma is working on it though. Surely there must be a reason why they haven't yet released the SD15 yet...

[Bigelboe]

I really like that first shot man, awesome colours and lighting. The only thing I would change it to even it up a little, because its so close to being symmetrical I feel it would be better if it was perfect. You can see more of the window pane on the left than the one on the right is what I'm talking about.

[Haim]

Thought I'd share these.


welcome to this forum........

i just been through ALL of your photo stream on flickr... there are some real nice photos there... makes me want to get some cheap nikon film camera and have a play....

i liked how you took apart those two lenses ......

also i liked that TV station old gear 20+ years from memory ?

[jaeming]

I really like that first shot man, awesome colours and lighting. The only thing I would change it to even it up a little, because its so close to being symmetrical I feel it would be better if it was perfect. You can see more of the window pane on the left than the one on the right is what I'm talking about.

Thanks! Yes, the symmetry was a little off with the window panes for sure but I aimed for lining up the ceiling lights and book cases to be symmetrical to center frame. I thought about cropping it on the left so it would be perfect but in the end I decided I liked the imperfection ;)
My thought is that when everything is technically perfect, it just loses a bit of human element. I like the flaws of photography and how they impact art and I guess you could say I'm a big fan of organic form to some degree if that makes any sense? And yeah, I've hung around too many art students in the past...

---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:13 AM ----------

Thanks!,
Film is awesome to experiment with. I still think it should be where photography students start off. Digital has it's convenience for sure but the learning process and just the fun of using it is a different experience I think every photographer should try out.

The old TV gear is still kicking around at work. We "modernized" a couple of booths but you see some stuff that in other areas that looks like it came off the Apollo missions or something, and it's still in use! And the old rule of thumb at any TV station is never turn off anything. It might not turn back on. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the equipment in some booths goes for 5 years or more at a time without being powered down.

Anyway, nice to meet you and I'll be sure to check out your Flickr stream soon enough as well :)

[Bigelboe]

Thanks! Yes, the symmetry was a little off with the window panes for sure but I aimed for lining up the ceiling lights and book cases to be symmetrical to center frame. I thought about cropping it on the left so it would be perfect but in the end I decided I liked the imperfection ;)
My thought is that when everything is technically perfect, it just loses a bit of human element. I like the flaws of photography and how they impact art and I guess you could say I'm a big fan of organic form to some degree if that makes any sense? And yeah, I've hung around too many art students in the past...[COLOR="Silver"]


Hey mate, yeah I totally see that it could make it too sterile making it perfect :)

[Fabolous]

nice photos man, clean and sharp. Might do a walk around at uni some time this week at night, haven't done any night time urban landscapes...

[talan]

Nice job with the handheld shots. Sigma cameras, I only know them for their lenses. Must be an exotic camera you have there :D