I'm intrigued by the new DSLR from Sigma, the SD14. It's a 14-megapixel camera that uses a direct image sensor capable of detecting red, green and blue light at every pixel. The product brochure states: "The elements of this 14-megapixel sensor are arranged in three colorsensing layers, comparable to the three layers of emulsion in photographic film." Sure enough, the photos they show on their site and in their brochures are stunning. The level of detail and sharpness are fantastic. Were they taken with the SD14? I don't know, but my interest is certainly piqued.
The camera isn't in stores yet; it's going to launch early this year. It looks like the retail price will be around $1,600. In this preview, I want to have a closer look at the specs of this beautiful camera, and see how they compare to other mid-level DSLRs.
First and foremost, there's the sensor. It's a newly developed Foveon X3. Here's what Foveon says about their new sensor: "Similar to the layers of chemical emulsion used in color film, Foveon X3 image sensors have three layers of pixels. The layers of pixels are embedded in silicon to take advantage of the fact that red, green, and blue light penetrate silicon to different depths – forming the first and only image sensor that captures full color at every point in the captured image."
So, it looks like this sensor is groundbreaking, much more so than any other currently on the market. But is it unique to Sigma? Isn't it found in Canon and Nikon cameras? We need look no further than the Foveon site, which lists the cameras currently using this sensor as the Sigma SD9, Sigma SD10, Polaroid x530, Hanvision HVDUO-5M and Hanvision HVDUO-10M. It turns out the Sigma SD14 not only uses a pretty unique sensor, but it uses the latest and greatest version as well, the Fx17-78-F13D, which isn't yet used in any other camera on the market.
Article comments
1 - Robert Grabowski
I read another review of the SD14 that said that the focal plane shutter has been redesigned so that it does not shed material onto the sensor. I have an SD10 and its focal plane shutter sprays the sensor with particles on every frame. I have spent more time cleaning the sensor and removing black spots from images than I have been taking pictures. It does not matter how good the image sensor is if the focal plane shutter self destructs into it. I really hope Sigma got this serious problem on the SD10 fixed in the design of the SD14.
2 - Raoul
Thank you for pointing that out, Robert! I'm waiting to receive the SD14 for a hands-on review, but it may not be until the end of February/early March. I'll see if I can look at this issue while I test out the camera. Is there no sensor clean-up kit that you can use in the meantime?
3 - John
The Canon Eos 5D has mirror lockup through custom function 12. The Nikon D200 also has mirror lockup. You say in the above text, the Canon and Nikon are your favorite SLR cameras, but you could not find the mirror lockup in the specs for either camera. Have you actually used them? The real world importance of 4000th versus 8000th of a second shutter speed is arguably irrelevant. Far more importantly how does the Sigma compare to the Nikon and Canon in the areas of frame rates, burst depths, body flash control, LCD size, color spaces on offer, file formats available, white balance quality and image quality? I would like to know. I know the latter two can not be judged until an example becomes available.
4 - Raoul
John, I stated in the article that the SD14 matches the specs of the D200 and 5D in the areas not pointed out specifically in the article. That means it's either identical or very similar to them when it comes to frame rates, burst depths, flash control, color spaces, file formats, and WB specs. You're free to judge for yourself. Look at the specs between the cameras and see. They readily available on each of the camera websites. There is one exception: the frames per second. The D200 has 5fps, while the 5D and SD14 both have 3fps. I actually covered the LCD specifically in the article -- did you read it carefully? As for the image quality and WB quality, obviously they can't be judged from the specs, so I'm waiting to receive a review unit.
5 - Yves
Very Very Very intersting indeed !
I want to buy an SLR camera and my short list choice was focused on either the D200 or the 5D. I falled by chance on the nes SD14 and after that my mind was completly confuse :-)
Your feature is very intersting for me and I hope strongly that you will have the opprotunity to test the new SD14. I am waiting impatiently the results.
kind Regards,
yves
6 - Raoul
I've been told that they'll make it available to me by mid-March. I'm eager to receive it as well. :-)
7 - Richard
foveon x3 is great on sites with a good sunny daylight, indoors; high ISO..., otherwise cmos is better.
And the fantstic picture of the sigma web is retouched of course.
Advantages of foveon as i've said, sunny days and patterns with small repeated shapes/colors where you avoid moire that you can get with ccd and cmos.
if canon gets this tech i wont doubt on buying a new camera(if they were not expensive)
8 - Richard
I meant NOT indoors; high ISO...
9 - Yves
Do you have any irrefutable proof that pictures presented on Foveon web site are retouched ?
I was so impressed by the quality and the fineness of the pictures. I sent a mail to Foveon and they ensured that pictures are not retouched. Who to believe ?
Kind Regards,
yves
10 - Yves
Oups ! just fergot to ask you if there is any issue when indoor, flash or low light ...
Rgds,
yves
11 - Raoul
You're asking questions I can't answer yet, Yves. I'm still waiting for my review unit. Once I get it and take photos with it, I'll be able to tell you more.
12 - Chunsum Choi
Very nice article.
Sample images from the SD14 are available now with more to come.
to Robert G.: the new shutter is very well executed. quiet, quick, and smooth.
to Richard: AFAIK the images shown on the Foveon site were not "retouched".
to ALL: you can find loads of Foveon/Sigma images
best to all.
13 - Yves
To Chunsum Choi :
I have seen the pictures : very impressive.
I think that my definitive choice is done :-)
As I have not unlimited financial means, I want to buy two zoom lens. Which one would you recommand for this camera in order to cover as much as possible all kind of pictures?
To all others : are you also impressed by the quality of the pictures or am I raving ??? Do you think that picture quality are much better than what can produce another camera (Nikon D200 or Canon 5D)
14 - Raoul
I took a look at the pictures, and overall, I'm unimpressed. I expected more dynamic range. True, the details are there. In the portrait shots, I was able to zoom in till I saw every pore, and that's good. There's also little to no chromatic aberration and color fringing. That's also good.
But, as I said above, I wanted more dynamic range. And I'm disappointed that the maximum resolution that can be gotten when shooting in RAW is 2640x1760. I realize that's because of the chip. There are three stacked layers, each capable of about 4.7 megapixels of resolution. It adds up to about 14 megapixels, but in terms of the photo resolution, it's the equivalent of shooting with a 5-megapixel camera. That's a step back for me, and I guess that reality didn't sink in until today. Just to put this in perspective, SD14's max photo resolution (on a pixel by pixel basis) is only 36.5% of the Canon EOS 5D's, and 46.3% of the Nikon D200's. Yes, there's more detail in the photos, but you're losing size.
Oh, and in terms of RAW image file size, the Canon 5D eats up the least space at 12.9 MB, the SD14 is in the middle with 13.3MB, and the Nikon D200 takes up the most space at 15.8MB. So that's something to think about. You've got huge file sizes (which can really add up over time) but only half (or even less than that) of the pixel-by-pixel resolution that the 5D and D200 offer. I suppose that's okay if you're after the extra detail, but that certainly made me stop and think about my priorities.
If you want to compare photos, have a look at Flickr's Camera Finder. Here are shots made with the Canon EOS 5D. And, here are shots made with the Nikon D200. Realize these have been post-processed while the SD14 sample photos weren't.
That is why I reserve final judgment on this camera until I get my review unit. I want to take a few thousand shots with it, give those photos some nice post-processing, and see what the camera can really do, in all sorts of situations. Then I'll be able to recommend or not recommend it to you. Now if only they'd hurry up and send it to me already...
15 - Yves
I have testes the Sigma SD14 with the two lenses :
18-50mm F2,8 DC EX Macro
50-150mm F2,8 APO DC EX
I have shooted about 50 pictures in Raw mode (between 15-18 Megabytes per file) in various conditions of lighting. Then I have converted them on my PC through Sigma software without any correction. Jpeg files weight is between 5-8 Megabytes per file. I was so impressed by the quality of pictures, fineness of details and colours produced. It is also very simple to use use. Absolutly fantastic for me !
But my final choice is not completly done as I must also test the new Fuji S5 Pro.
16 - Chunsum Choi
Here's an article done by Mike Chaney of Qimage where he has some interesting points and findings.
17 - Yves
Analyzing in depth some pictures, especially in dark parts I have noticed quite a lot of noise (mauve/purple pixels, or even straight spots).
I was so surprised by this bad result compared to the pictures posted on the official Sigma internet site. Those are more than perfect !!!
Also pictures from Mike Chaney of Qimage have the same issue ...
I have communicated this issue to Sigma Switzerland. It seems that some cameras have this defect. A firmare update should solve it ...
Personally I have already done 2 tests with te SD14, I do not know if I am ready to do a third one.
I have also tested the Fusi S5 Pro and if pictures taken by this camera do not have this kind of 3D effect, pictures are more than perfect.
18 - Modified BMW
Sigma makes some fantastic stuff and if you read in depth about the Foveon sensor its amazing! Lately their DP1 looks like a pretty good model to take a look at as well.