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15 thoughts on “This is not a review of the Sigma SD1”

  1. Thanks for the (non) review Bob, the studio images do look stunning even at the sizes you have published them and that is exactly the type of shooting conditions that I want this camera for!

    Like you I hope that the camera will come down in price (and soon) I think that it will level out at about the price of your other cameras mentioned in the article – as I think that will be the trigger point where people jump.

    How did you find the lenses – are any of them starting to drop behind the sensor? I want to start buidling a Sigma collection from next month and don’t want to be fooled by the forgiving nature of my SD15.

    1. Hi James, thank you! I would say go for the best lenses. If possible get the latest releases. I found that lower graded lenses really do not do the SD1 justice. SD1 is much less forgiving than the SD15. It really needs the resolution that a better lens can provide.

  2. Thanks Bob:
    Beautiful shots and description of the SD1 and, while not a review, it was full of useful insights and observations. Thanks for posting, very much appreciated.

  3. I would love to see how these images enlarge. You have posted close ups, and normal shots, and guessing you do not want to host full size images. Could you post a crop at 100% next to the image it came from for reference? thanks.

    1. Well I would like to host full size images but am not allowed unfortunately. Just yesterday I got confirmation that we will have the chance to shoot with a production model too. When I have had some time with it I will post some full size images.

  4. Pingback: Sigma sd1
  5. Do you think that the superiority of the 3 layers sensor is still effective when capturing in jpeg format, (after it went with its own multiple image treatments!)

    1. I believe in RAW. The jpg is not bad and does still have that foveon magic but the quality is far below of what you can get out of a RAW file.

  6. Thank you for showing and saying what is special about the SD1 (and to a lesser degree the SD14 and SD15).

    The nearest I have come to being able to describe the ‘feel’ of the images from the Foveon cameras – and the Foveon images do have a unique quality among digital cameras – is to compare them to the results I used to get with Leica lenses on an M6 camera. I’ve heard it described as a ‘plasticity’. I understand, I think, what those who used that term meant.

    However, for those who have no time for the Sigma SD cameras, if the end results do not convince them no eloquent terms we use to describe their quality are likely to help!

    Thanks for your excellent comments.

  7. I wish Sigma would produce a version of the sensor with a checkerboard of pixels, where the two sets of pixels measured different values of red, green, and blue. That would capture six dimensions of colors to play with rather than three.

    Red plus green looks like yellow, but yellow is a pure frequency too. The camera will record the yellow frequency as one combination of red plus green. Different people will sense that frequency as different combinations of red plus green because the sensors in their eyes are different. With three sensors a camera can approximate the average person, but with more sensors it could get closer to satisfying everyone.

    Displaying six colors … if you print in six or more colors, one print could capture it all for everybody. For monitors with three pixel colors, the six colors have to be mapped to just three, but each person could adjust their monitor differently. I wish they’d make 4-color monitors.

  8. Thanks for an excellent review. I recently got myself an SD1 and am absolutely amazed at what it can achieve. It is interesting that it is severely criticised by some hobbyists and wannabe professionals whose specimen images show that they are not there yet … but the professionals all love it, despite its minor inconveniences

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