L
ET’S face it, I have the best job in the
world. I get to take photographs all
day (which I still love doing) and,
thanks to the editor letting me loose on
test equipment, I get to try out the latest
kit pretty much before anyone else gets
their hands on it. Kid and sweetie shop
springs to mind! Occasionally, and only
occasionally, this can get even better. Like
being one of the rst people in the UK to
get their hands on the new Sigma SD1 for
review! Result! The timing couldn’t be
better either, and with a studio full of sexy
product just begging to be photographed
and a model shoot on the horizon, the SD1
should feel right at home.
Now all of us have heard of Sigma,
and while this is a company with a huge
reputation for the quality of the lenses
it produces, it is far less well known for
The Sigma SD1
Sigma has been producing DSLRs aimed at the professional market for
several years now, and its latest model ups the ante still further with
more resolution than ever and a hefty £6000+ price tag
WORDS & PICTURES Dave Wall
its cameras, especially those that are
pitched at the pro arena. Sigma is hoping
that all this is about to change however.
Its new SD1 agship has been specically
designed to oer what is described as
medium-format quality in a DSLR body,
and it does this with the aid of the largest
Foveon sensor ever made. Impressively this
has the capacity to deliver a reputed 46MP
(albeit in APS-C format), which should help
to sort the men from the boys...
The camera in action
So, what do you get for £6199.99 body
only? A lightweight weather-sealed
magnesium body, 77 segment metering
system, 11 point cross hair focus sensors,
internal dust lter, 3in 460,000 pixel LCD
screen and, of course, that tantalising
promise of ‘medium-format quality’.
First impressions of the SD1 are a
welcome surprise to be honest. Sigma isn’t
renowned for making pretty cameras, and
indeed the SD1 wouldn’t win any beauty
prizes, but in my opinion it is by far the best
looking camera Sigma has ever produced.
Its sculpted grip is a pleasure to hold and
the non-stick coating on the camera is
second to none. It feels well built (as most
Sigma cameras do) and should be able to
take the rigours of a pro life very well.
The 3in LCD screen is good (if rather
blue) and most of the button placement
has been very well thought through, the
exposure compensation button being the
exception. Who thought of putting it right
next to the shutter button? Don’t get me
wrong, it doesn’t get in the way, but take a
look at the product shots and see what you
think. To me it just looks plain odd!
RIGHT:
Using the SD1
for fashion
shoots can be
very rewarding
in terms of
image quality.
The detail is
excellent but
performance is
let down by a
small internal
buffer causing
very slow
operation.
Such a shame
as the quality
of images in
this type of
controlled
environment
is as good as
it gets from a
DSLR
Sigma SD1
Price: £6199.99
www.sigma-imaging-uk.com
Storage: Compact Flash
Lens Mount: Sigma SA bayonet mount
Lens Magnication: Approx 1.5x
Image Sensor: X3 direct image sensor (CMOS)
Eective Pixels 46MP (3 layers)
Aspect Ratio 3:2
Viewnder Frame Coverage: 98% vertical, 98% horizontal
Auto Focus: Type TTL phase dierence detection system
AF Point: 11 points twin cross sensor
AF Point Selection: Automatic Selection, Manual Selection
Active AF point indicator: Superimposed in viewnder
Built-in Flash: Manual Pop-up
Flash Synch Speed: 1/180sec
LCD Monitor: TFT 3in LCD
Dimensions 145.5mm x 112.5mm x 80mm
Weight: 700g
(8 pages)
(2 pages)
(126 pages)
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