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Polaroid X530 sporting foveon X3 sensor
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 11:19 pm    Post subject: Polaroid X530 sporting foveon X3 sensor Reply with quote

The Polaroid X530 was the only non-Sigma camera using the Foveon X3 1.5Mpix x 3 layer sensor.
The optics is from Ricoh. Able to shot in RAW it produces .X3F files that can be processed by the standard software (Lightroom, etc.).

The camera itself:





Some samples:

















Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have to take one Laughing nice images!


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Colours look different indeed from Beyer sensors - I would say,almost like "antique" - but surely nice!
It seems perfect for flowers.


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 5:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Have to take one Laughing nice images!


Mine was "new from old stock" (I opened the box) and very cheap (40€). Maybe not up to today's standards but very fine. It allows for X3F Raw files output, and that is a must.

Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Orio wrote:
Colours look different indeed from Beyer sensors - I would say,almost like "antique" - but surely nice!
It seems perfect for flowers.


Yes, I think so. Also the blues are very good, I have to try it with landscapes, but unfortunately, rain is the queen these days Sad

Thanks for commenting.
Jes.


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

great colors from the famous X3!


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You do very nice work with it. I like it.


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I always found the x530 just a bit disappointing.. Not because of what it was, but because of what it could have been. Sad The camera was a great sensor and a reasonably good lens, all bundled up in a package with a painfully slow focus, slow processing, a grainy display, and a sub-par battery life.

The end result was a camera that took great photos, but was a pain to use and wasn't competitive in the market... a big setback for the Foveon sensor in general.

The biggest shame is that I've opened the camera up, and it has plenty of processing power and plenty of memory inside it... so it must have just had some really poorly written firmware. Sad It is however fun to keep in step with the latest releases of Sigma Photo Pro. Each new version makes the x530's pictures better and better. Cool


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very Impressive results Jes.

Nice seperatiin from background for a P&S in a couple of these as well as The foveon look.


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The color on the blue irises looked perfect ...


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now that I re-read it, my post from last night (about the x530) sounds a bit negative.. Embarassed

Your results are very good Jes - the pink roses especially look so realistic you could touch them, and the waxy texture of the closed rose's leaves are spot on. Cool

I have to ask, what's your technique with these? For flowers with the x530, I always went back and forth between auto-focus and manual focus. In the MF mode, I would just move the camera forwards and backwards until it was in focus, as it was faster than adjusting the focus on the camera. I found that the AF mode was easier for calm days, and the MF mode was better for windy days (when the flower would move too much in the wind)... but it was always just a bit hit-and-miss. Confused


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 7:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scheimpflug wrote:
I always found the x530 just a bit disappointing.. Not because of what it was, but because of what it could have been. Sad The camera was a great sensor and a reasonably good lens, all bundled up in a package with a painfully slow focus, slow processing, a grainy display, and a sub-par battery life.

The end result was a camera that took great photos, but was a pain to use and wasn't competitive in the market... a big setback for the Foveon sensor in general.

The biggest shame is that I've opened the camera up, and it has plenty of processing power and plenty of memory inside it... so it must have just had some really poorly written firmware. Sad It is however fun to keep in step with the latest releases of Sigma Photo Pro. Each new version makes the x530's pictures better and better. Cool


Hi, Scheimpflug.
You are right. It might have been a boom camera. I miss a manual mode, and some way of keeping the settings (the ISO, +EV go away when you power-off the camera). And yes, focusing is slow and manual focusing is a pain with the small (for my sight) screen. But it has a viewfinder (scarce to see in the modern compact cameras) that helps a lot on sunny days (mosttly here).

Scheimpflug wrote:
Now that I re-read it, my post from last night (about the x530) sounds a bit negative.. Embarassed

Your results are very good Jes - the pink roses especially look so realistic you could touch them, and the waxy texture of the closed rose's leaves are spot on. Cool

I have to ask, what's your technique with these? For flowers with the x530, I always went back and forth between auto-focus and manual focus. In the MF mode, I would just move the camera forwards and backwards until it was in focus, as it was faster than adjusting the focus on the camera. I found that the AF mode was easier for calm days, and the MF mode was better for windy days (when the flower would move too much in the wind)... but it was always just a bit hit-and-miss. Confused


More realistic than negative, probably. The camera has its drawbacks but it's fun to use and if you are not in a hurry, it's a decent performer.
For flowers, I use the macro mode and autofocus. Quite slow but precise.
The X530 experience has lead me to think in the DP1s Wink

Thanks for your comments.
Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for your comments, colleagues!

poilu wrote:
great colors from the famous X3!


Yes, Poilu. Even with the small Megapixel count, the colours are the Foveon ones.

Schnauzer wrote:
You do very nice work with it. I like it.


Thanks!. It does by itself, I just hold it Wink

F16SUNSHINE wrote:
Very Impressive results Jes.

Nice seperation from background for a P&S in a couple of these as well as The foveon look.


Thanks Andy!.
It's one of the things that most draw my attention. I had never got such a "DSLR like" diffuse background from a compact camera.

fish4570 wrote:
The color on the blue irises looked perfect ...


The blue sky is also great with it.

Kind regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jesito wrote:
The X530 experience has lead me to think in the DP1s Wink


If you're thinking about a DP1, I would strongly suggest waiting just a bit longer and picking up a DP1x when they come out instead of buying a DP1s now. The DP1x will have the faster TRUE-II processing engine, as well as a faster auto-focus. I have the original DP1, and it is only marginally faster than the x530. Shocked


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scheimpflug wrote:
Jesito wrote:
The X530 experience has lead me to think in the DP1s Wink


If you're thinking about a DP1, I would strongly suggest waiting just a bit longer and picking up a DP1x when they come out instead of buying a DP1s now. The DP1x will have the faster TRUE-II processing engine, as well as a faster auto-focus. I have the original DP1, and it is only marginally faster than the x530. Shocked



Aaaarrrrggghhhh!.... (too late Wink ).

Thanks for the recommendation, I think I'll enjoy by now the bigger Mpix count of the DP1s and in the future I'll be watching at the new products.

Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 8:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ahh! Oh well. Wink

If you could tolerate the x530, you'll definitely be happier with the DP1s. Cool

I would also highly recommend the CNC grip that Richard Franiec sells. They really make the camera a lot easier to hold with one hand, which makes it easier to get stable shots as well.



http://www.kleptography.com/rf/#camera_dp1


PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the recommendation!. I'll order one, for sure.
Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2010 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, I would also recommend the hood and adapter. Sigma sells them together as the HA-11.


http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-HA1001-Hood-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0013DCP0G


In addition to helping flare, the adapter and hood let you use filters (46mm), and also give you a much bigger area to hold the camera. I also like being able to set the camera down on things to take pictures, and the hood gives it a nice stable base (instead of just the narrow camera body).


PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2010 7:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was also considering it...
Have you tried any Circular Polariser on it?.

Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2010 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep - I have a Panasonic CPL, as that was the only one I could find locally in the 46mm size.

It works great and the sky rendition is fantastic with it on (the DP1 is a real "cloud machine" Cool), however, the DP1's lens/sensor combo is so staggeringly sharp that I can look back at the photos and pick out which shots had the polarizer in place just from the sharpness. Shocked I am sure that the performance would be better with a higher quality CPL, but I had already broken the bank to get my DP1. Wink

I don't use it very often, due to the difference in sharpness, and the fact that ISO 50 and ISO 100 are so smooth on the DP1 that I hate to use anything that decreases the amount of light coming in. Wink I also tend to only use it when I know I will be outside for a while, as it is a bit of a hassle to keep taking it off when coming inside.


Lensmate makes a DP1 adapter with a more standard 52mm thread, however you would also need to find a separate (and bulkier) hood. I prefer the 46mm Sigma parts due to their small size.


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 2:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jes, I'm late, but find these shots most impressive with a 3D quality. This
camera is very hard to find over here in the states. Abbazz has this camera
plus the Sigma DP1, if I remember correctly.


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Katastrofo wrote:
Jes, I'm late, but find these shots most impressive with a 3D quality. This
camera is very hard to find over here in the states. Abbazz has this camera
plus the Sigma DP1, if I remember correctly.


Thanks, Bill.
Only problem with my X530: Has a dust spot in the sensor... I'll have to open the camera to clean it.
Otherwise, excellent, even taking into account it's only a 1,5Mpix x 3 layers.
Always in my bag Smile

Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 5:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's easy to open. I remember that it took some effort to take apart enough to unfold flat (due to wires & ribbon cables), but it wasn't hard at all to just open. I think the bottom & top pieces just come straight off first, and then the front and back come apart.

I never took the lens off of the sensor, I just wanted to see the chips inside. Wink


PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have bought a x530 the other day for a good price. Yippieeh!
Now, I am waiting for delivery...


PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LucisPictor wrote:
I have bought a x530 the other day for a good price. Yippieeh!
Now, I am waiting for delivery...


Great news!
You'll enjoy it for sure. Wink

Regards,
Jes.