Thoughts on the Sigma SD-1

[PhillipReynes]

I just picked up two Sigma SD-1's with the fallowing lens and stuff.
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8
Sigma 1.4 APO tella converter
Sigma 24-70mm f2.8
Sigma 85mm f1.4
Sigma 10mm f2.8
Sigma 50mm f1.4
2 Sigma 610DG Supper Flash

I have to say I am very impressed with the image quality. This was taken with the 24-70mm at a distance of 3 or for feet hand held.f4.5 at 1/160th ISO 200.

 

[MLeeK]

Sigma's sensors are pretty amazing. They have multiple layers that only capture one color each allowing you to get some amazing color definition with them. Aside from the sensor they seem to always be about 5-8 years behind in the rest of the features.
The question is what did you end up paying for your new gizmo's?

 

[PhillipReynes]

I got a pretty good deal from B&H $1,999.00 for the cameras (that's each) and the lens together came to about $4,500.00 and the flashes ran $255.00 each. You are of course right about the features but having said that I shoot almost exclusively in RAW and on manual.

 

[PhillipReynes]

By the way the flower is called a vanilla something _ I forget the full name -and is about 1.2 inches across.

 

[sovietdoc]

Sigma has some nice stuff, but overall as a system, it doesn't offer the same quality on most of their lenses as Canon or Nikon.

If they had top-of-the-line best in class glass like Canon and Nikon do, I could careless if their camera was 5-8 years behind on features and ergonomics.

 

[MLeeK]

What was your reasoning with going with the Sigma's? (if you don't mind my asking!)
I have always wondered if they'd sell any of them and who they'd sell to and what the reasoning is.

BTW... I like your avatar... As I sit here with a Blue and Gold stealing the keys off my keyboard...

 

[PhillipReynes]

MLeek I do a lot of large format printing - pictures as big as 5 feet by 10 feet and I need the resolution - This is for my photography business, Left Bank Photography, sorry about the shameless plug. I was going to mention your avatar to as I like it as well. That was Ming in the picture he died at the ripe old age of 75. I miss him a lot.

Sovietdoc, Sigma does have some great lens and you may want to consider that while Canon has great lens to -and more of them - Canon also has some rather mediocre lens as well. Canon also is a big name and you pay for that. I used to shoot with a canon 1dmark IV, I find that my sony A77 is better frankly, at least for the uses I put it to - I shoot a lot of crowds, that frequently involve rioting, or other fast action - I'm a photo journalist for a very far left publication among other things.

 

[davisphotos]

I've heard good things about the Sigma bodies, and the Foveyon chips. Unfortunately, I don't see them becoming more than a third tier company as far as camera bodies go.

 

[o hey tyler]

MLeek I do a lot of large format printing - pictures as big as 5 feet by 10 feet and I need the resolution - This is for my photography business, Left Bank Photography, sorry about the shameless plug. I was going to mention your avatar to as I like it as well. That was Ming in the picture he died at the ripe old age of 75. I miss him a lot.

The cameras resolution is only 15mp AFAIK.

 

[PhillipReynes]

Because the Foveon sensor captures full color data at each pixel location, it's not susceptible to color moiré - false color patterns that are the result of those clever calculations occasionally getting things wrong, for example with finely-woven fabrics. Traditional Bayer-pattern sensors suppress this by using an optical low pass (or anti-aliasing) filter that slightly blurs the image at the pixel level, reducing the camera's resolution. The Foveon sensor doesn't use an AA filter, and is therefore able to resolve substantially more detail than its pixel count alone might suggest - in principle the SD1 has the potential to produce resolution similar to a 30MP Bayer-type sensor.

 

[MLeeK]

I was going to mention your avatar to as I like it as well. That was Ming in the picture he died at the ripe old age of 75. I miss him a lot.

I lost one of mine this spring while we were out of town. She was an Umbrella Cockatoo and I don't know if you have cockatoos, but they are VERY people needy, so she was more child than bird. She was on my shoulder from the time I got up until bed and sometimes she was in the bed with me too. It was incredibly different than losing any other pet I have ever had. People can't comprehend how these birds become your children. Almost literally. I am still devastated and it's been 4 months! So, I can completely sympathize with you missing your macaw!!

 

[KmH]

The Foveon image sensor does not capture full color data at each pixel.

The Foveon image sensor leverages the fact that different wavelengths of visible light penetrate silicon to different depths.

Red light penetrates the most. Then green light penetrates a bit less, and blue light penetrates the least. Consequently the deepest pixels only see (record) the luminosity of red light, the mid-depth pixels record both red and green light, and the shallowest pixels record red, green, and blue light.

None the less, like with a Bayer Array, the color data has to be interpolated because pixels (of any kind) see luminosity only, and no color at all, and the Foveon sensor has a more complex interpolation job which uses up image processor capability.

Ever wonder why Sigma hasn't been able to license the Foveon technology to any other camera makers? It costs a lot more money to make Foveon image sensors than to make sensors that have a Bayer Array in front of them.

In short, the Foveon image sensor is a solution for a non-existent problem.

 

[TheBiles]

Because the Foveon sensor captures full color data at each pixel location, it's not susceptible to color moiré - false color patterns that are the result of those clever calculations occasionally getting things wrong, for example with finely-woven fabrics. Traditional Bayer-pattern sensors suppress this by using an optical low pass (or anti-aliasing) filter that slightly blurs the image at the pixel level, reducing the camera's resolution. The Foveon sensor doesn't use an AA filter, and is therefore able to resolve substantially more detail than its pixel count alone might suggest - in principle the SD1 has the potential to produce resolution similar to a 30MP Bayer-type sensor.

Why not just get a D800 if you want pixels? You get great glass and a modern body. I'm not about to believe that a 15MP Sigma, even with its fancy sensor, is going to make better large-format prints than the 36MP D800.

Sent from my Galaxy S III