Sigma Rethinks DP Series with the New DP Quattro Line of Powerful APS-C Compacts

As of yesterday, Sigma has shaken up its point-and-shoot line with a major refresh of the powerful-yet-strange DP Series of cameras. Dubbed DP ‘Quattro’ (the old ones were Merrill) the new line of Foveon compacts from Sigma represents a significant visual redesign and some minor (but important) changes on the inside.

Sigma’s DP Series of compact cameras have made a name for themselves as powerful APS-C compacts that offer phenomenal color reproduction thanks to the Foveon APS-C sensor at their heart. That sensor didn’t come without some pitfalls though, and it’s some of those pitfalls that are addressed in the Quattro model line.

The DP Quattro cameras — which will come in DP1, DP2 and DP3 models with 28mm, 45mm and 75mm f/2.8 lenses, respectively — feature the newest Foveon sensor. A sensor that has been redesigned in such a way as to deliver images that are “more colorful, rich, deep, and faithful than ever before.”

It does this by staggering the sensor resolution unevenly over the Foveon’s three layers. The top layer captures 19.6-megapixels, while the bottom two capture 4.9-megapixels a piece. That, paired with an updated TRUE III image processor promises that same stunning color reproduction at much more acceptable speeds.

Other than the sensor and processor, the rest of the specs are unchanged, but all of those internals are packed into a radically different casing that you’ll either find really cool or really ridiculous (most people seem to be leaning towards the latter, with the kindest descriptions being ‘striking but odd’).

So far, no pricing or availability info has been made available for the DP1, 2 and 3 Quattro cameras, but we’ll keep you updated as news drops. To learn more about this strange-looking redesign and the new sensor tech inside, head over to the Sigma Press Room here.