Greg Tarr On Jan 28 2013 - 1:00am

Sigma Introduces DP3 Merrill Camera

LAS VEGAS – Sigma introduced at International CES its fixed-lens DP3 Merrill camera equipped with a new 46-megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor.

The availability date for the DP3 Merrill was not disclosed, but is expected to carry a suggested retail of around $1,400 when it does arrive.

The DP3 Merrill’s Foveon X3 APS-C sensor measures 23.5mm by 15.7mm and is the same as that used in the Sigma SD1 DSLR. It captures 46 effective megapixels (4,704 by 3,136 by 3 layers) – primary RGB colors are captured at each pixel location with three layers.

The camera also includes a Dual TRUE II image-processing engine. TRUE signifies “three-layer responsive ultimate engine.” It is said to offer a faster processing speed and better quality image than previous systems.

The 50mm F2.8 fixed focal length lens is equivalent to a 75mm lens on a 35mm camera body, and was designed to maximize the performance of the Foveon sensor.

It uses Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass and aspherical lens elements to eliminate distortion. Flare and ghosting is reduced using a Super Multi-Layer Coating.

Equipped with large buffer memory, the camera can shoot up to seven RAW images in continuous burst mode.

The camera also allows easily switching between manual and autofocus.

The camera is constructed with a portable compact and lightweight body that is easy to tote around on the included neck strap.

It adds a hot shoe for external flash, and a 3-inch (920,000-dot) color LCD monitor.