Sigma's Foveon compact — the DP1 Merrill, fixed wide prime, X3 sensor, APS-C, no finder, 2012.
The Sigma DP1 Merrill is a fixed-lens digital compact announced in 2012, part of Sigma's DP Merrill series and built around the same high-resolution Foveon X3 sensor used in the SD1 Merrill. The DP line paired that large sensor with a fixed prime lens in a pocketable-class body, and the DP1 Merrill carried a wide-angle lens for landscape and environmental work.
It is a fixed-lens compact with no interchangeable mount and no reflex mirror, so it has no lens mount and takes no removable lenses. Its APS-C-class Foveon X3 sensor captures red, green and blue at each location through three stacked layers rather than interpolating colour, matched to a fixed wide-angle prime. The body has no in-body stabilisation and no meaningful video, uses the rear screen for composition rather than a built-in finder, records raw for Sigma Photo Pro, and takes SD-type media.
The DP1 Merrill is prized for the distinct Foveon output, delivering fine per-pixel detail and a particular colour rendering in a compact package, best suited to landscape, street and travel photography at low ISO. It is deliberate to shoot, with limited high-ISO performance and a fixed focal length, so it rewards a considered approach and one lens discipline.
When buying used, expect slow operation and rapid battery drain typical of Foveon compacts, so test power and carry several spare batteries. Check the fixed lens and sensor area for dust or marks, inspect the rear screen for dead or stuck pixels, and confirm the card and battery doors latch. Raw processing depends on Sigma Photo Pro, and service support is limited, so buy a tested example and plan the workflow around it.