Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera

Comments about Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera:

In response to a review by "Check the Specs", Sigma does have precedent to claim 45MP. Standard bayer sensors report the sum of all pixels; for example a 12 by 12 cmos or ccd sensor has 36 red, 36 blue, and 72 green pixels. Canon would sell that camera as a 144 pixel camera. The sigma sensor has 14751744 red, 14751744 green, and 14751744 blue pixels. Therefor, by the standard that ALL other cameras are rated by, it is in fact a 45MP camera.

Comments about Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera:

I have had my SD1 since mid-July 2011. To date, I have used the SD1 to shoot; a wedding; two fashion shows; several landscape shoots; and some casual shooting. The SD1 has been very reliable and simple to use. All important functions can be easily controlled while shooting. I love the way the controls are designed compared to the other systems out there.

I do not miss the "bells & whistles" that many of the other systems have. This is first and foremost a still camera and it fills that role very well.

The images the SD1 produces are nothing short of incredible! The images are so good, it is hard to believe the sensor is just APS-C sized.

This camera is all about incredible detail, not speed. If I were a sports or action shooter, I would choose a different system. You can shoot action but its a lot of work to ensure you don't miss important shots. But, that was not the focus of this camera's design.

Comments about Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera:

I have 2 things to say. The first is in regards to this 14.5 Megapixel malarky.

The SD1, by "counting every color," does something no Bayer array sensor can. It captures 3 copies of the same image simultaneously and combines them into one. Anyone who thinks that this is a 14 megapixel image should research early medium format digital cameras, specifically, the Sinarcam, which boasted the 25,000 dollar leaf volare sensor (Which produced 18 megapixel images). It used a 6 megapixel B&W CCD sensor with a color wheel filter built in. When you snapped a photo, it rotated the wheel to produce 3 copies of the image (one red, blue, and, you guessed it, green). it then overlayed the 3 into one stunning image. Nobody had the gall to claim it was a 6 megapixel camera, because the images outstripped Hasselblad, Phase One, and everyone else's medium format digital back, which all used THE SAME Phillips CCD!

Look it up! Wikipedia, dude, stop sounding like a dummy or a Canon rep.

So why did I return it? I'll tell you. I have an SD14, and the camera that surrounds the SD1 is identical to it, nearly, meaning its no great shakes, and to top it off, the software, the only software you can use with it, Photopro 5.0 (i returned it before the upgrade) is so slow and hard to use on my mac it made it impractical. If sigma hired 30 software developers and really put the effort in, this camera would have been a true game changer, instead it is just a half realized dream, that remains difficult who's OBVIOUS IQ benefits are just too hard to exploit. I can't image how somebody could shoot a 100 images and expect to process them in less time than it took to take them.

But the images from this camera match my Betterlight scanning back set at 80 megapixels. It is that good.

Comments about Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera:

This camera is mixed bag. The sample I used had several problems such as, white balance issues, slow write times (it is writing a lot of info), the camera functions do not work while writing to card, some ergonomic issues like a horrible thumb wheel used for image viewing, among others,the focus screen is not clear enough to accurately focus, the shutter vibrates more than the Nikon D7000 and the body is less rigid (leading to less sharp images handheld at lower shutter speeds). Additionally, you are stuck using Sigma lenses, which are also a mixed bag, and a limited one, too. The camera has noticeable image noise at all but the slowest ISO settings. The camera doesn't have the film-like image quality of the DP2, though greater resolution, probably due to too many pixels crammed into too small of a sensor. Also, the software provided for RAW processing is not the best. I am a big fan of the Foveon sensor concept, but, all in all, for the price, it is hard to justify.

My feeling is that if image quality is your main concern, SHOOT FILM! If internet and computer use of images is your main goal, get a mainstream digital camera with it's faster and easier (and often better)imaging. The SD1, under the right circumstances and in RAW mode, is capable of image quality superior to the Nikon D7000 I compared it to, but it takes work AND it is still inferior to the image quality of FILM. Hope this helps, and I hope Sigma makes a large size Foveon sensor, which will then be able to fully realize the quality potential. Unfortunately, Sigma takes so long to develop new sensors that this may not happen soon enough.

Comments about Sigma SD1 Digital SLR Camera:

My comments are predicated by Sigma SD1 Firmware Version 1.02 and Sigma Pro Photo 5.0.1.2.

Unpretentious APSC size body hides a Foveon chip that delivers unsurpassed image quality, a new standard for capturing color and light nuances, a remarkable achievement.

Despite the negative reviews and forum comments, I took the gamble and won big time. I have never seen better image quality, showing a clean pair of heels to my Leica R9/DMR (my gold standard) and is the perfect complement for my M9 with cron and lux lenses (auto focus, telephoto capability).

So far, I have been totally captivated by this camera.