SD1 Merrill to sd Quattro - What have we lost?

I agree with you, and I think it's a sad shame to see the SD1 body go . . . if that is indeed what Sigma has planned. I hope they don't. I'd like to see an upgraded SD1 Merrill, like an SD1x Merrill, with faster operation, a second memory card slot (maybe two SD card slots instead of one CF card slot), slightly improved focusing (though I do realize that it might never focus as perfectly as the new mirrorless cameras), larger buffer memory, improved screen on the back, and possibly wi-fi and GPS built into it. Live view would be nice too, and frankly I can't see why the couldn't add that to the DSLR body. They could make an identical camera with the Quattro sensor and have two almost identical bodies, adding a wonderful pair of DSLR bodies to their line of cameras for very little development or investment. If they were to follow that with full-frame DSLR and full-frame mirrorless bodies in a couple of years, they would have one hell of a nice set of bodies, compared to what they've offered in the past.

They MUST know that there are die-hard OVF lovers out there that just won't buy a Sigma if there is no DSLR option available to them.