Sigma DP1x camera with Foveon X3 image sensor

Sigma's compact cameras are different from practically everyone else's. It's down to the sensor the camera uses to physically capture a photograph from the light coming through the lens.

The DP1x, like its predecessors, uses a Foveon X3 image sensor, which is designed to provide better quality results than the conventional sensors used in other cameras. That's part of what accounts for the DP1x's relatively high price. It's actually almost identical to the DP2s above, apart from the lens, which has a wider angle, meaning it's more ‘zoomed out'.

Like its predecessors this camera is built like a tank and has few controls – there's just a mode dial on the top along with the power and shutter buttons, and a few more on the back. It has zoom control buttons but the lens is fixed so the buttons are only used for zooming in and out when reviewing pictures you have shot.

Shots must be composed on the rear screen as there is no viewfinder, but there is a small flash that pops up when needed.

Sadly, as with its predecessors, the DP1x's quality left something to be desired. While pictures looked good, they were no better than from a compact camera £300 cheaper.

There is a video mode but it was laughable – most phones even from a year or two ago can produce better video than the DP1X. We assume Sigma included it because people expect video, but at this quality they would have been better off skipping it entirely.

Where the DP1x works well is that it has loads of manual options. It can be manually focused using a clever wheel just below the shutter button, and pressing the QS button on the rear gives quick access to all sorts of exposure settings.

In all, though, people who want to tinker to get the most of their cameras will be happier with a digital SLR or a more powerful compact such as the Panasonic GF-2.