DP1 Available at Amazon

The Sigma DP1 is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com. The price listed is $799.99 U.S., marked down from the “list price” of $999.99. Shipping starts as of March 25, 2008. Unfortunately for Canadians like me, it ships only to addresses within the U.S.

They also accessories listed, such as the lens hood for $19.99, the optical viewfinder for $149.00 and the EF-140 external flash designed specifically for the DP1 at $79.00.

How long before other online retailers list this camera, with prices? When will it show up in stores?

“Production Ready” DP1?

David Rasnake at DigitalCameraReview.org has posted images and a brief “first look” review of a “production ready” DP1 that he was able to pick up and fondle at PMA 08 today. His review comes as welcome news, as it says some of the things I was really hoping to hear about this camera:

What I can say is that the overall experience seems to be even better than anticipated. The camera (…) is a an incredibly responsive performer.

I like the sound of that. Keep in mind that this model is not aimed at your typical “point & shoot” user. It is for people who don’t care about feature extremes and silly things like “face recognition.” It’s for people who know their way around a camera and want something that is small, light, solid, and responsive.

Rasnake continues:

In terms of build, there’s a lot more metal here than was seen on earlier prototypes, giving the whole thing the feeling of a precise photographic instrument.

That’s exactly what DP1 fans want to hear; “a precise photographic instrument.” Not a gadget. Not a plasticy gizmo full of flashy buttons. He further says “In many ways, the vibe is more classic than high tech.” Bingo.

The best news is that he claims Sigma gave him a fairly precise window for release: mid March for the U.S.

In the meantime, the people over at LetsGoDigital.org get it all wrong. They regurgitate a bunch of press materials, and then embarrass themselves further by posting not one, but three large images of the original prototype – a design that’s more than a year old.

DP1 Release Imminent!

Sigma’s dedicated Web site for the DP1, www.sigma-dp1.com, has been changed. Instead of the Flash-based pages that highlight the DP1 features, there is now a static image (still oddly Flash based) that says “The arrival of the SIGMA DP1. The worldwide debut, soon.”

This “announcement,” appearing just a few days before the start of the Photo Marketing Association’s annual show in Las Vegas, can mean only one thing: the DP1 will be launched at PMA 08.

Surely it can mean nothing else. There’s no way the notoriously silent Sigma would make such an announcement merely days before one of the biggest and most highly anticipated photography trade shows in the world.

We’ll soon find out. PMA 08 runs from January 31 to February 2.

Update: January 31/08:

According to DP Review, their “contacts at Sigma” say the camera will be available in “Spring.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t really mean anything, as we’ve heard such nebulous predictions before. However, that was a “pre-PMA 2008″ notice. Now that PMA 08 has opened, we’ll hopefully get some verifiable information soon.