Any news about the Sigma SD1?

[scottelly]

<p>I'm really looking forward to getting a Sigma SD1 and a Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens. I'll get the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX HSM too, and eventually I plan to get the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 as my primary long lens (complimenting that ultimately with a 150-500). I'd like to start building my Sigma system this summer, but I don't want the first one off the production line. Anyone know if Sigma a few of them in the hands of any testers yet? Has anyone heard any news at all? (other than Carly Rytterfalk's blog and the Sigma sample PDF at http://www.sigma-sd.com/SD1/leaflet.html )</p>

[andrew_chambers2]

<p>Yes officially announced today! Go to: http://www.sigma-sd.com/SD1/ No price yet, but we got an email. Photos on the site look stunning. All you pro's are gunna get lucky. I'll just wait a few years till it's 1/10 original price :-)</p>

[scottelly]

<p>That just says "Coming Soon" Andrew. That's where I go the link that I posted above. They still aren't taking orders at B&H. It just says "Price not yet available" and "New item - No arrival date known" - which has been like that for months.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>sigma has been quietly upping the quality of its lenses, probably part of their long term strategy involving the Foveon sensor. yet their cameras have tended to lag behind in terms of ergonomics. for studio use and macro/landscape that's probably work-aroundable, but for PJ use, you need a camera which is responsive and doesn't get in your way.</p>

<p>with the SD1, it appears they finally figured out that they need a larger-resolution sensor since the 14mp interpolated Foveon in the SD14 and 15 is really 4.7 mp x 3 and comparable to an 8-10mp APS-C DSLR. let's hope they figured out how to make a good user interface this time too.</p>

<p>i dont really like the website tease, especially since the pics of the SD1 body just whizz by.</p>

<p>scott, do you think the 50-150 will work on an SD1? AFAIK, that's a DX lens designed for APS-C sensors. same thing with the 30/1.4.</p>

[kendall helmstetter gelner]

<p>No new info yet, the earthquake aftereffects may delay things a bit.<br /> <br /> You may want to wait and see how the 8-16m compares to the 10-20 on the SD-1. I think the 8-16 is a bit sharper, and even though it's a DC lens (designed for smaller crop factors) in theory it should work OK on a 1.5x crop (since the DC lenses also have to work with Nikon 1.5x crop cameras). Eric, I think that applies to the 50-150 as well - the only consideration will be, does it vignette much? You could probably check for some reviews of the Nikon version to see.<br /> <br /> Should be a really interesting camera when it comes out, I think it may shake things up a bit.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>hi kendall, so the SD1 is a 1.5x crop, then? that simplifies things to some degree.</p>

<p>i have the 30/1.4, the 50/1.4 and 50-150 version II in nikon mount. so, no reed to review anything but my own catalog. i haven't found the vignetting to be an issue with what i shoot with the 50-150--mostly people--and i shoot it wide open at 150mm a lot. i really like that lens a lot, but the one i have has been discontinued. sigma has just announced an OS version witch has been completely redesigned.</p>

<p>i'm curious about the SD1, but there's no way i'd pay anything close to what a D3X costs. if it was something more in line with an entry-level FX camera, i would have to think about it. if i got one, though, not sure my first lens would be the 30. the 70 macro is reputedly sigma's sharpest lens, though the 150 macro gets rave reviews, as does the new 85/1.4. for IQ, i would go with the 8-16 over the 10-20, but if i did take the plunge on an sd1, i'd probably view it more as a specialty camera-possibly used primarily for portraits and/or macro--and maybe just stock up with a few quality primes.</p>

<p>it remains to be seen how well the sd1 will be in low-light, but the weakness of the 30 is in its corners, which never really get sharp even at f/8-11. i mainly use that lens at open apertures. the 28/1.8 would probably be a better choice for landscape.</p>

<p> </p>

[dave_redmann]

<p><em>so the SD1 is a 1.5x crop, then?</em></p>

<p>From the specs I have seen, yes, Sigma's move upmarket included going from the 1.74x crop factor on their older DSLR's to 1.50x, so the sensor is even slightly bigger than the "APS-C" ones the Nikon, Sony, and Pentax use.</p>

 

[andrewg_ny]

<p>The specs I saw listed SD1 with 24x16mm sensor, while the Sony-sourced 'APS-C' sensors in Pentax, Sony, and Nikon bodies are usually 23.7x15.7...so pretty close. Cameras with these sensors are also considered 1.5x crop factor, while Canon's sensors are usually a little smaller with a 1.6x crop (22.3 x 14.9).</p>

<p>For comparison's sake, the previous Sigma sensors were 20.7 x 13.8, while an Olympus E-5's four-thirds sensor (2x crop) is 17.3 x 13.0.</p>

[scottelly]

<p>After some analysis of SD1 images vs. Nikon D800 images at ISO 100 and ISO 800 (similar images), I have been thinking that I might not get the SD1 afterall. Does anyone have any suggestions?<br>

Here is a gallery showing some spots on the images where I am seeing advantages in the SD1 or D800 (depending on what is being looked at - noise, detail, etc.)</p>

<p>http://ffphotos.zenfolio.com/sd1-d800</p>

<p>The screen captures are downloadable, which is the best way to look at them. The gallery is fine, but it does not show the full detail, since the screen captures are JPEG in the first place, and then they are re-sized for display on the Web.</p>

<p>Here is what I'm thinking. The D800 that was used for shooting those photos is not even the D800 E, which is the camera that I would get. Detail seems to be even better at ISO 800 in the Nikon than it is at ISO 100 in the Sigma SD1. Noise is almost the same at ISO 100, but surprisingly the SD1 wins in the noise category at ISO 800. I can't wait for Sigma to make a full-frame camera with twice the resolution of the SD1. But until then, I think I will make my decision based on detail, and it looks like the D800, with a 14-24mm f2.8 would be the clear winner against a Sigma SD1 with the 8-16mm Sigma lens. A D800 E would be even better, and I think that's what I will end up getting. I already have a good 28mm f2 AIS lens, and a 50mm f1.8 AIS in good shape is cheap. Eventually I will get a VR 24-120mm f4 G, and once I have those lenses and the 14-24mm f2.8 G, I will have a spectacular landscape and general photography kit. Then I can play with getting all sorts of other stuff, like a 135mm f2 DC, 24mm PC, or a 50mm f1.2 AIS.</p>

<p>Sorry Sigma, but unless you lower your price to where you were originally going to sell the SD1, I will have to step up to the Nikon, because I want the best. Ultimately, if you do sell the SD1 for under $2,000, I will probably end up with both a Sigma SD1 and a Nikon D800, but I will probably not get so many lenses for the SD1, and I will probably end up getting the Nikon a year later. That would be nice, because I don't look forward to paying all that money for the Nikon G lenses!</p>