The distinctively shaped Sigma DP2 Quattro cameras announced back in February are arriving in stores, and reviews are appearing. The camera has the latest generation of Foveon sensor and improved—albeit still modest—battery life of 200 shots. The Sigma cameras, with their good quality images from optimized single-focal-length imaging systems and high prices tend to be favoured by serious photographers as smaller back-up cameras. The Sigma DP2 Quattro is faced with even tougher competition than its previous models, from (aging) Leica X series, to the well-received Fuji X100 series, and the rapidly iterating Sony RX100 line.
On the new body, Reviewed.com concludes that it "does keep your wrist in a more natural position. On the other, it just feels really weird. It also seems like the grip was simply stitched onto the side of an existing body. The camera is quite a bit wider than you might expect, making the buttons on the back difficult to reach if you don't have long thumbs." Luminous-Landscape is similarly disappointed, while Steve Huff was thrilled with the output quality.
Added in February: Ming Thein just released his review of the camera, noting in particular its limited shooting envelope: "Expect something of the order of the previous generation of CCD-based medium format cameras, and you won’t be disappointed.…If you try to do low light documentary, you will probably find an iPhone to be a much better tool and deliver better results." However, "[u]nder ideal conditions, the image quality of these cameras still remains superb." As with earlier reviews, he's not fond of the ergonomics.