by Jack Howard
I’ve been lucky enough to spend a little bit of time with a prototype Sigma SD1 over the past week, and I have got to tell you: I am very excited about spending more time making photos with this new flagship Foveon-chipped SLR.
This rock-solid camera feels like a classic film-based 35mm SLR, with a gloriously uncluttered mode dial that lets you shoot in full Program, Aperture and Shutter Priority Program, and Manual mode. That’s it. This is a purist’s camera. On the LCD side of things, the menus and interfaces are clean, uncluttered, and intuitive on that 3-inch 460K LCD. This is a camera focused on making images, not navigating submenus.
On the inside is the brand new Foveon 4800x3200x3 APS-C X3 Direct Image sensor, dual TRUE II engines for X3F Raw plus JPEG capture (a Sigma SLR first), along with flexible X3F Raw image size. Of course, this is all on a bigger sensor (23.5mmx 15.7mm) than earlier SD SLRs, for a focal length multiplication factor of 1.5x for the SD1 compared to 1.7x for the SD15. (You can read the full press release for more details about the feature set of the SD1 and this blog posting explaining the science of Foveon sensors.) Add in improved autofocus operations with 11 twin-cross type sensors, and a host of other upgrades and the picture becomes clear: the Sigma SD1 is all about the images.
So far, I’ve been amazed at the superfine detail, amazingly smooth color gradations, crisp edges, the depth and richness of the colors, and simply the overall feel of the test images I shot last week with the SD1. I can’t wait to get this camera back in my hands to make more images.
One of my favorite things about processing X3F Raw files through Sigma Photo Pro is just how crisp and sharp the shots are, both at normal size, and at double size. Since there is no blur filter in front of the Foveon sensor, and since color is captured in Red, Green, and Blue at every pixel location, double-sized X3F Raw to 16-bit TIFF processing creates huge, exceptionally detailed image files with fantastically smooth color–those thumbnails you see above launch into Photoshop as massive 337.7 megabyte 16-bit files (9,408 x 6272 pixels.) (If you export your full-sized X3F Raws as normal sized 16-bit TIFFs, you’ll wind up with a beautiful 84.4MB file at 4704×3136 px–again, this is a big file with amazingly detailed color and sharpness.) I’ve been blown away at just how much information the SD1 captured in the twenty dollar bill in the top right thumbnail–even the finest etchings and edges are smooth and detailed, and the tiniest wool fibers are perfectly defined when this shot is enlarged to 100%. The fineness of the detail and smoothness of edges captured in this shot made my eyes light up when I first explored this shot at 100% pixel view. This is a camera that loves to capture even the most nuanced details in a frame. If this blog posting were a song, this would be the refrain: I can’t wait to get my hands on the SD1 again.
My preview visit with the Sigma SD1 wasn’t nearly long enough, and I cannot wait to experiment further with this camera. I am particularly excited about the prospects of SD1 infrared photography! The SD1, and all Sigma SLRs for that matter, are the only current SLRs available in the US that are quickly and easily convertible to infrared plus visible spectrum capture without voiding the original manufacturer’s warranty.
The process of removing the infrared cut filter is a necessary step in cleaning the image sensor, and the camera manual instructs on how to do this. Then it’s a simple matter of placing an infrared passing filter in front of the lens, and the SD1 is capturing the world in near IR. When you’re done and want to go back to just the visible spectrum, it is again a quick and easy process to pop the IR cut filter back in. We’ll go into more detail on this in an upcoming blog posting, once I’ve got an SD1 back in my hands.
(And yes, for those who know me from my HDRI photography books, I am also very excited about shooting HDRI bracket sets with the SD1–stay tuned for that blog piece as well! Here’s a bit on shooting HDRI photography with the compact DP-series Foveon-chipped cameras that should help explain why I’m so excited for the SD1 and HDRI.)
I think the SD1 is a new classic SLR that feels instantly like an old friend. It is a camera that is focused on creating the still image, as composed through an optical viewfinder. There’s no live view LCD, and no HD movie mode. There’s no built-in scene modes for capturing likely snapshots. There’s no face detection, no smile-priority happysnap mode, and no tinny audio tracks or cartoonish editing options available during image review.
I am excited to get an SD1 back in my hands to make my own images, and I am also very excited to see what other creative photographers will do with this new flagship SLR!
This is a camera that is focused on making images that are sharp, crisp and detailed, with an amazing depth of color above all else. And for many photographers, it is all about the image.
Check out more image quality shots made with the Sigma SD1!
I don’t see where it says an MSRP of USD$10k.
Everywhere else its been announced as around USD$1,500. And I suggest pixel peeping a Foveon image before trashing it so quickly.
No one is “trashing” the IQ.. this is “trash the price”… and honestly when the complete list of features has not even been listed.. how do you know what you are getting for your 10k? I guarantee that the SD1 will not have the latest feature set as lesser priced dslrs.
I support it!and like to have one in my hands.
This blog post could have done so much to sell the camera to so many who didn’t even know Sigma made cameras up until now, pity that the price that got out on Friday blew that opportunity away. That price also destroyed the dream who had become a fan of the foveon look before the announcement of this camera.
Life goes on – there are other things more important than investing $10K in a camera body. What a waste of hard earned money.
“June entries will be accepted starting June 1 and each month’s contest will continue in that manner. Winners will be announced on the first business day of the Giveaway month’s following month (i.e. May Giveaway winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 1; September Giveaway winner will be announced Monday, Oct. 3)….”
As I type this, it’s 8pm, US central time, on Weds 1 June. So, who won the $6800 miracle body?
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/50-years-of-sigma
Scroll down the page. All the monthly winners will be announced here.
I was really hoping the SD-1 would be the avenue for my studio to switch to Sigma for a unique look via the Foveon ….if it had been comparable to the Canon 7D price, I would have ordered one by now. The way I would look at it, most studios adopting sigma would buy several bodies, lenses, and flash systems, and lay the foundation for many future purchases. Hard to do at this price point.
The SD15 and DP2s provide better overall image quality than any other camera I have ever used (Kodachrome or Ektachrome Professional with Hasselblad, Leica, Nikon) and, in my book, matches, or exceeds, size for size, 4×5 for overall quality. Even on the web one can usually pick out a Sigma photo. And I feel certain that the SD1 would, again size for size, rival 8×10. I shan’t tout the advantages of the Foveon or argue with the people who have not studied it in detail other than to say that the Foveon pack more information in each channel, except for green – which is wonderful if you are photographing green people.
**HOWEVER*** After having had USD$1,500 dangled in front of our eyes for some time now the (latest )MSRP of $6,899 is, to put mildly, is still a bit of a come down. It would seem to me that an MSRP of around 3x the SD15, $4,500 ($3,000 street) would be logical. And leave out all the fancy extras except for \microfocus.\ Personally, I would be tickled pink with an \SD0\ = an SD15 with the new sensor and 2 TRU engines and \microfocus.\ The water resistance is fine if you are a goose or duck. My old Sinar was not \water resistant.\
After all this I noticed the new price was reduced almost 30% to $6,899 It would have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall at some of their marketing meetings.
After all is said and done a $2500 street price for this camera would be eminently fair. About $1,750 for the proposed \SD0.\
I am a pro photographer and have been for over 25 years. I have been waiting patiently for many months since the announcement of the SD1 to see what the camera would be like and how it would be priced.
I am pleased with the camera but very disappointed about the price. When you are in the business of photography, you must make business decisions.
I have used Nikons for 30 years and after seeing the price of the SD1 I will be staying with Nikon.
The SD1 is overpriced. It is not just overpriced, it is way-overpriced! It does not make sense to buy the SD1, when I can get a full-frame Nikon for $2500.
Sigma recently dropped the price of the SD1, but not enough to change my mind. The fact that Sigma dropped the price is an admission by the company that it screwed up in pricing the camera. Now, all Sigma has to do is: 1. blame it on the marketing department and fire them and 2. re-price the SD1 so that it will sell. Otherwise, Sigma is going to be stuck with a large inventory of SD1’s.