!!! SIGMA SD1 - 46Mpx !!!

[Kevin]

Be patient

The function of the upper LCD may be moved to the VF or main display.
I never use the upper LCD on the 5D now, just press the set button and everything is on the main display, nice and clear.

 

[LIQUID]

About price:

"Sigma didn't announce prices, but it Amir-Hamzeh said it would be "very competitive" and in the neighborhood of Canon's higher-end EOS 7D, which costs about $1,500 with no lens and $1,700 with a 28-135mm kit lens."

Source cnet.com

? Can it be true ?

 

[birket]

Exciting news

I've had a DP1 for a couple of years, and a second hand SD10 for around a year. I'm loving the output from the cameras, but they can be more than frustrating at times: speed/high ISO/battery life.

I have been considering moving over to a different brand (possibly Sony) and leaving Sigma altogether, but news of the SD1, I think, is going to make me stick it out and wait for it to appear. I had been tempted by the SD14 (second hand) or even the SD15, but I just felt this would be a sideways step. The SD1 will certainly be a move forward for me, and it will mean I can continue to use the lens collection that I have (very slowly) built for myself.

The main things I (and everyone else) want to know are the cost and the release date.

 

[dirk]

I am totally excited about it. Can't wait to see first results. Here is teh cnet article:

COLOGNE, Germany--Sigma, the Japanese company best known for its lenses, announced an overhauled effort Tuesday to expand to camera making as well with an SLR called the SD1 due to ship in February.

Like Sigma's current SLR, the SD15, the SD1 has at its heart a Foveon image sensor, an unusual design that departs significantly from prevailing industry practice with a design that captures red, green, and blue at each pixel site rather than just one of the three colors.

The Foveon sensor made Sigma's SD line stand out from the crowd--but often not in a good way. Some critics didn't like its images, Foveon delays set back Sigma products such as its SLRs and its DP1 compact camera that used it, and the cameras didn't live up to their revolutionary promise. In 2008, Sigma acquired Foveon.

Now Sigma is trying again with a larger, much higher-resolution sensor. It's awkward to compare megapixel ratings with Foveon and conventional Bayer-pattern sensors, because the latter must interpolate the missing red, green, and blue data for each pixel through a process called demosaicing, while the Foveon chips capture all that data. But what's clear is the new SD1 will be much more competitive.

Specifically, where the SD14 had a 4.6-megapixel sensor, the SD1 will have a 15.3-megapixel sensor, a "giant technological leap," said Chief Operating Officer Kazuto Yamaki at a press meeting at the Photokina show here.

He promised the 4,800x3,200-pixel sensor would have the superior color resolution and color sharpness and that its black-and-white resolution--a sore point for earlier Foveon designs--would be vastly improved, rising to the equivalent of a 30-megapixel sensor with a conventional Bayer pattern color filter array.

"It indicates a new beginning for for Sigma cameras and Foveon sensors," Yamaki said.

And Sigma is trying to step up with a tough magnesium alloy chassis and a dustproof and splashproof design, he said.

"The SD1 is designed to be a really professional camera," he said. "This is our flagship camera."

The new sensor also is physically larger, which makes it more expensive but increases its light-gathering abilities. The SD15 had a crop factor of 1.7 compared to a full-frame 35mm film camera, compared to 1.6 for Canon's mainstream SLRs. Sigma's SD1 sensor will match Nikon with a crop factor of 1.5 with a 24x16mm size, said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, general manager of Sigma Corporation of America, the company's U.S. group.

The camera also comes with a new autofocus system with 11 cross points. However, it won't shoot video or permit live view through the camera display, something all new SLRs from larger rivals now can. It will employ the True II image-processing chip.

Sigma didn't announce prices, but it Amir-Hamzeh said it would be "very competitive" and in the neighborhood of Canon's higher-end EOS 7D, which costs about $1,500 with no lens and $1,700 with a 28-135mm kit lens.

A few more tidbits: The SD1 will use CompactFlash memory cards, common in higher-end SLRs. It has a 3-inch, 460,000-pixel LCD. Its viewfinder will have 98 percent coverage with magnification of 0.95x magnification. It's got a built-in flash. And its dimensions are 5.7 inches wide by 4.4 inches tall by 3.1 inches deep.

New Sigma lenses
Sigma also announced two new higher-end lenses at Photokina: the APO 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM and the APO Macro 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM. Both are geared for use on full-frame cameras and are dustproof and splashproof, and both are due to ship in January or February, Amir-Hamzeh said.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20017073-264.html#ixzz10ARdsnrU

 

[foveole]

Sd1

Congrats Sigma! A wet dream come true. Now I hope the time before shipping is not as long as with previous models. I would also love to see this new sensor in a DP-style body, with ergonomics/build quality/shooting speed more in line with the m43-cameras, with fast prime lens or lenses if provided with a lens mount. A fast 21-45-90 (35mm equiv) on a decent DP style form factor and this new sensor...The answer to many of my photographic prayers at least.

 

[jeroen.k]

I don't know yet...since I'm doing more and more outside work the SD14 just didn't cut it anymore. The SD15 changed nothing in this field (higher ISO's and fast AF) so no reason to switch to the SD15...in the end bought a Nikon D700 and got my SD14 including 18-200 OS, 70-200 and 24-70 lenses for sale...

Now the SD1 might just give me a new reason to keep one eye on the Sigma camera's simply because I love the Foveon sensor in the studio...

I sure hope the signal / noise ratio is much better in this sensor, because 1,5crop is still no fullframe. A 10-15 MP FF (30-45 MP interpolated) would be enough for me, pixelwise...

If the SD1 will deliver what I think it will...I'll turn back to Sigma (as a playthingie next to my Nikon workerbee) with different lenses like the 50 and 85mm f1.4 because the Sigma just doesn't cut it in terms of speed, but only in IQ at low ISO-ratings.

The lcd panel will not be missed by me. Hardly ever use it on the SD14...only to select (or check) S or C focussing and light metering. No need for that on other camera's because the buttons for these functions are not in a menu.

 

[ciross]

I think that Sigma made really a good step in the right moment.
About IR-dust filter it's still present.
About loose of quality with more sensor pixel density, I think is not a problem of Foveon because no interpolarization (but it's a real problem of bayer sensor!!)
Price should be like Canon 7d (approx. 1400 eur).
I think the most interesting advantage it will be the chance to crop images from original photo, because of 15 Mp.

 

[tc95]

We all knew they were working on something.....this is a vast leap in improvement...

IE SD14 - SD15 4.7mega-pixel x 3 layers... = 14.1mega-pixel image

SD1 - 15.1mega-pixel x 3 layers... = 46mega-pixel image

I was hesitant to get an SD15...now I will just wait for the SD1...

Tony C. :z04_cowboy:

 

[toisondor]

I wonder, will the Sigma DC series of lenses cause vignetting in the SD1? Exciting announcement in any event!

Jesse

 

[LUIS A GUEVARA]

A dream come true!

View attachment 2126

This is like a dream come true for the loyal Foveon aficionados like you and me

Watch out Leica S2!

It also looks like making Mount Replacements for it would't be a problem