I have to say, I wasn’t blown out of the water by the announcements at PMA. Some nice new stuff, but nothing earthshaking or market-changing.
One announcement that stuck out though was by Sigma that, yes, the dp-1 is not here yet, but still coming. Hopefully soon. (they actually released some pre-production sample photos, which is a good sign!)
For those who aren’t familiar, the DP-1 has been that ever elusive vaporware- tantalizing the legions of pros and pro-ams who have been clamoring for a pocket camera with a slr sensor. (as a backup/travel camera). Personally I couldn’t wait for the DP-1, so I went with the G9, and love it. But for those who hold out, the DP-1 promises quite a bit – aps-c sized foveon sensor in a G9 sized package. Juicy! Of couse it has some downsides, the fixed 28mm f/4 lens is somewhat limiting, especially with the max iso of 800 (although that will likely be a *usable* 800, not like
other pocket cams).
But hey – this camera is definitely billing itself toward the “rangefinder” niche (compact, unobtrusive street photography) so just pretend you are Gary Winogrand – he did 99.9% of his work with a 28mm lens IIRC!
Price will also be an issue. Nevertheless, it is an extremely intriguing piece of kit, a niche camera to be sure – but if the g9 success is any indication it is a pretty big niche.