Sigma SD1 DSLR Priced at $10K ... What was Sigma Thinking?

Visit us at www.artoftheimage.com
Equipment List:
Panasonic LUMIX G85 4K Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera on Amazon at amzn.to/2disa5x or B&H Photo at bhpho.to/2AtNGi4
PANASONIC LUMIX G X Vario Lens, 12-35mm, F2.8 ASPH., Professional Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, POWER Optical I.S. H-HS12035 on Amazon at amzn.to/2c0ASVO or B&H Photo at bhpho.to/2ilnMpc
Audio Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Studio Microphone on Amazon at amzn.to/21dcQtg or B&H Photo at bhpho.to/2hrGz5T. I use my AT2020 for pretty much all my studio setting videos. The sound is great and the price is a real bargain.
NEEWER Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand on Amazon at amzn.to/20D0atL
Zoom H4n Portable Digital Recorder on Amazon at amzn.to/21dcCm5 or B&H Photo at bhpho.to/2AtJIX1. I use my H4n in most studio settings where I need XLR inputs.
Hosa HMIC010 Pro REAN XLR Microphone Cable on Amazon at amzn.to/1Q57Hji or B&H Photo at bhpho.to/2hqy1w3. I use my Hosa cables for all my XLR mic connections.
Check out my other KZbin Channels at
Questionus Eruptus - / questionuseruptus
Pumpernickel Park - / pumpernickelpark
Weight Health Synergy - / weighthealthsynergy
Matt Ballard and Art of the Image are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

[@thePowerPlant]

Err...that sensor is NOT a little different, its revolutionary!

[@ArtoftheImage]

@atamola - No, Sigma isn't stacking pixels. It's a 15 MP sensor and each pixel captures the R G B at a different depth. It's not 3 x 15MP. It's 15 MP that captures RGB differently.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@alreacon - The sensor is a 15 MP sensor, not a 15x3 MP sensor. Each photosite absorbs the R G B at a different level.

[@elopez412]

Thanks for your video. I'm big on "buyer beware" and have always advocated on educating yourself before you spend hard earned money on anything. All manufacturers like to play with words in order to "up" the price on their goods. This however is a great example of how some companies still believe that consumers can be easily fooled into parting ways with their money. It may have been easier in the 60's and 70's but today we have a wealth of resources (like the internet) in order to research.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@cmedip - It's filmed with the Nikon D7000 on 1080 24pm, but then processed down to 720 in Sony Vegas and then further processed in Handbrake to reduce size. The quality is fine for KZbin, but the original footage is MUCH higher quality.

[@wric01]

I finally got it for 1850$ and loved it. If you want better photos in daytime this is it. If you shoot jpg, don't bother. Always hated 100% view of Bayer/blurred sensors.

[@SvetozarIvanov]

Hi, Matt, thanks for the comprehensive and objective reviews that you provide, keep doing it I am a fan of you r channel, I really liked this one that you clear out the mystery about the Sigma 46 mpx. sensor. I know there was some catch, as the companies advert a lot of rubbish. But to be honest this really blew me away when I saw the price in Calumet photo magazine I though that it is printing mistake, as I though for that money I will buy a medium format DSLR or full frame camera for much less

[@Ndeira08]

the foveon sensor mimics the actions of the human eye more realistically , because the human eye has 3 types of cone cells which separately account for blue, or red or green

[@ArtoftheImage]

@87solarsky - They announced it at $9700 USD. They've since brought it down to $6900 at B&H, and I'm sure it'll come down MUCH more as these won't sell unless they're in the $1,000 price range.

[@atamola]

Please sombody correct me if I'm wrong. I think it's fair that sigma calls it 45MP. Standard sensors use 3 photo-whatever (red, green, blue) to collect light and then they interpolate that info. so, when you have 15MP in a standard sensor you are getting only 5MP (three pixels are contributing to one unit). So, now sigma is Stacking pixels and hence you get 15 effective MP which is 3 times what you get from a regular sensor. For the sake of comparison it's fair that they call it 45MP

[@ArtoftheImage]

@garydmercer I'm sure the resolution is great. The problem is that the SD1 is an entry level camera. I'd much rather own a Nikon D3x or a Pentax 645D for a similar price.

[@vandenkevin]

You should do a Leica M9 review based on specifications!

[@scottelly2]

14.7 megapixels of green (the Nikon D3x shoots 12 megapixels of green) 14.7 megapixels of red (the Nikon D3x shoots 6 megapixels of red) 14.7 megapixels of blue (the Nikon D3x shoots 6 megapixels of blue) Look at the images comparison at the "Comparator" on Imaging-resource, and you will see for yourself what incredibly high resolution the SD1 is capable of producing. Enough said.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@johanneswingerlang - I'm not getting anything off that url in youtube or in google?

[@ArtoftheImage]

@johanneswingerlang - Just get an error message... page not found.

[@thetosman]

After a price drop to $2300, I think it's extremely enticing.

[@tedtedsen269]

how dos this sigma 46megapixel monster compare to my slow d800 in terms of imagequallity and speed and amount of pixels

[@ArtoftheImage]

@mrbobjim99 Huh? The Canon 1D series and the Nikon D3x have the same size and resolution LCD screen as most of the rest of the Nikon and Canon DSLR (with the exception of the very bottom end).

[@Traumglanz]

That should be a 45mp sensor, because with regular sensor technology each pixel does only take one color and the real color of each pixel is determined by an algorithm. Now those 45mp should increase sharpness, even when not by the same amount of the traditional algorithmic pixel color determination would give you at 45mp, but it should be sharper than 15mp IF the different layers really work without distortions. The bayer filter is not one big filter, but a color filter for each individual pixel, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. So a 24mp sensor has only 12,000,000 green pixels and 6 million each for blue and red. True colors get determined by adjusting pixel colors and a little bit of math. ;-)

[@markuslowe9]

Please please please do canon 35L vs 35 f2 vs sigma 30 1.4

[@mp4podcastDOTcom]

Sigma did marketing tricks like this before. I remember one of their old camera that was a three megapixel that was said to be as good as a six megapixel camera. Sigma should just make lens.

[@scottelly2]

I see someone say that Sigma needs a lesson in basic marketing. Indeed, it seems so, but upon further inspection, maybe this is very complex marketing. All the controversy has given Sigma more free advertising than they would have ever received otherwise. Maybe this is very smart marketing. Afterall, they will not sell a lot of cameras, and they probably really don't care about that, since their primary business is to sell a lot of lenses.

[@killthebetrayer]

Sigma annonced a huge price drop. They also changed the name : Sigma SD1 Merrill. It'll be available in march at a price of 2000€ (don't really know the US price, sorry..).

[@cmedip]

Did you film this with the d7000 on 1080 24p or 720 30p?

[@atamola]

@ArtoftheImage But in a standard each pixel records only one color (red, green, blue) and then interpolates that. You are not getting information from each pixel individually but it's an average from the info taken by three pixels. So, 15/3 = 5 and when Sigma says 45 is in someway true as 15 = 3x5 (and that 5 is reported as 15 by other makers). Clearly I'm not an expert in sensor and I may be wrong. In any case, thanks for the reply.

[@Dreadfultime]

i has a mag alloy body and its weather proof... why he keeps saying it is an entry level body?

[@MaartenVisser2920]

When you call this a 15 MP sensor I agree, but than the other camera's have 5 or less MP compared to the Sigma.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@sigmasd10 - Can't agree with you about the SD1 being equivalent to a 30MP Bayer sensor. I think it might, and that's a big "might," be equivalent to the Canon 5D MkII's sensor, but that's about it. And then of course we come back to the entry level body. :-(

[@scottelly2]

When people start seeing what can be done with the SD1, Sigma will sell thousands of them. It captures better images than a Nikon D3x, and it costs less than the D3x body, even when you include a good Sigma EX lens, like the 24-70 f2.8.

[@TFareCool]

For 10,000 dollars I'd rather have a 645d or an M9. This sounds like it could run against an entry level camera (3100, 1000d). It looked interesting back when not too much was known, but it really an higher entry level camera... Oh well, they still make great lenses.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@Meatmiester - That marketing ploy is likely going to cost them dearly. By the time they bring the price down to $1K or less, they'll likely be no one interested in buying it. :-(

[@tophtml1]

Great critical review. I was just on Google and noticed that the price for this camera is now between $1200 and $1800 and will, probably, further drop like a stone. I'm not sure that the final resulting images of a Foveon CMOS are any better than those produced by a Bayer CMOS, however, if they were, I would expect a flood of KZbin videos from the usual photographic talking heads which extolled the virtues of a superior product with pledges to buy this camera at any price. After all, a photographer relies on the quality of his images as his bread and butter. Sadly I have not seen any this. What I have seen is a camera whose price has dropped like a rock due to lackluster sales. In the technology field, giving the people what they want is measured in economic success which is clearly lacking in this camera. It represents the dream of its developer, a dream which is not being shared by the majority of those who have used it. If it were as revolutionary as it is being portrayed by Sigma, the price point would be going up, not down because of the demand exceeding supply. I do think that Sigma is on the right track with Foveon technology however if, someday, it can deliver as promised at a reasonable price point. I don't think that the future belongs to the resolution race as much as it does to sensors which produce less noise, aliasing, moire and rolling shutter. I think Sigma needs to put more serious R&D into this camera before they re-release it (and they will) with gratis loaners to the prominent photographic talking heads on the web once they have made the requisite improvements that justify the price tag.

[@Meatmiester]

I think it was a marketing ploy, its been dropped nearly 4 grand. As you said Matt, the 645D walks all over it for the original asking price. Hell, the full-frame Nikon, Canon cameras would walk all over it too; I'd also bet that the likes of the Pentax K-5 and Oly E5 will be better.

[@Rationalific]

Thanks for filtering out the B.S. The only reason Sigma's price is so high is that it simply can't compete with Nikon and Canon in the high range, so it has to come up with an albeit pretty impressive gimmick which, nonetheless, can't make up for its lack of innovation in other areas. Sigma knows that it can't sell as many as Nikon or Canon, so it ups the price, hoping that the huge profit from each camera purchased will make up for the small number sold.

[@Wingerlang]

@mp4podcastDOTcom You think? check the sample images at their website. It's freaking awesome.

[@jariol]

Camera and specs aside. Maybe the marketing team at Sigma are going for another strategy since they are in business to make money. Pice exclusivity i.e. if you price a Yugo high enough you can convince a few they are getting a Ferrari exclusive product. Or maybe like my gas station down the road. They are priced way to high but they don't need everybody to buy. They just need to catch a few. I'm sure it's good but the price is a little out there.

[@ShuffleSarul666]

i call bullshit on this ;) i got a SD9 and the images it makes are worlds better as a CMOS/Bayer Sensor/filter =) and the SD1 has got 46MP (45MP) because each color layer has a res of 15MP x 3! that's why it's a Foveon x3! 3x15Mp=45MP :)

[@GK-lf1ll]

Hey, would you please update your review and add latest Quattro series as well ? Let's keep the over ambitious prices out of the review. Then It seems that the IQ is under rated for contemporary bodies.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@markuslowe9 - Coming VERY soon! :-)

[@Wingerlang]

@ArtoftheImage Hey again, did you watch the sample photos? It beats every $1,000 cameras about 1000 times over and over. It's just super amazing awesome sensor. And agreed, it's not a $10,000 camera anymore. You can't say that D90 is a $2083 (changed from SEK to $), which was the price it was announced for here. It have dropped from $2000 to $750, over the time, which make it a $750 camera now ;)

[@sambam007]

Haha sigma had a brain fart. Lol!

[@aaronjai2]

I would say 46MP of data to output to 15MP of resolution

[@surrealchemist]

Sensor sounds awesome, but the camera does not. Does not accept canon or nikon mounts? If they just did that alone it would ad more worth.

[@ArnanCarmelo]

with that price?! just go for the Nikon D3s worth it!

[@scottelly2]

@ArtoftheImage - Visit Sigma's sigma-sd dot com site and read a little. Then compare the resolution of the images from the SD1 to what the ultimate in standard size DSLR cameras (the Nikon D3x) can make at the Imaging-resource dot come site (their "Comparator"). Then you will understand.

[@megnatarnorth2879]

How times have changed. SD1 has a cult following and still around 1k+ ...and D7000 is around $200.

[@anjithalk]

you have no idea what foveon sensor can do don't you ?

[@Federico84]

+Anjitha Senarath probably not

[@LinhTran-gf5yv]

Less 1k now from Sigma website, what you say now sir .?

[@mp4podcastDOTcom]

BH price as of right now is Price: $6,899.00. This camera does not even do video.

[@ArtoftheImage]

@Ndeira08 - Too bad Sigma's demo photos for the Sigma SD1 look worse than anything out of even the cheapest level DSLR's. :-(

[@sigmasd10]

Things Matt got wrong: The SD1 sensors resolution is actually equivalent to at least a 30mp Bayer sensor. FACT, not mentioned by Matt: There are NO APSc sized Bayer sensors, let alone full frame Bayer sensors, that have 30mp resolution!...So the SD1's resolution is clearly the highest in its class. Things Matt got right: The SD1 is way overpriced!!!. Sigma flat out lied to everyone about the price, so imagine the shock when it was released at about 10x more than that!!!

[@scottelly2]

Hello?

[@Wingerlang]

@ArtoftheImage Forgot to mention: add "h t t p : / /" in the url. (Google have that epic link filters nowadays...)

[@blacklovin]

damn, you guys got trolled good.

[@tqabdullah4202]

the foveon sensor is not a "little bit different" from the regular sensor Mat. the difference is like heartbeating vs nice colors. foveon captures not only the image, but the spirit of the image as well, like transparency film did. A spirit that reflects the dramatic effect of reality rather than not in the print. with good hands of course. the resolution of the sd2 aps-c size can easily be upsized to 40 MP (40x60cm-300dpi) in photoshop and still maintain stable and sharp detail, saturation also holds firmly heartbeating realism at +20, RAW of course, and in good hands again. the mistake they did is that they put it in a sporty slr body rather than a slow medium format style system for pro use. The other mistake is that they should have designed special fixed lenses for it and kept it under 400 asa, for pro controlled work other than sports and war journalism. it should've been double aps-c sized sensor in the system as well. But they didn't. they killed it

[@dethmerc]

why is it priced so high for what seems to be at par or lower then in some cases with 1k cameras. Y would anybody spend around 7-10k on the sigma when you can get a nikon D3s or D3x for the same price range.? Sigma has a bad marketing department i guess.

[@MasticinaAkicta]

This camera makes me ask one question WHY? I like new technology I like the idea of a Foveon Sensor.. but this is not the way to sell it. A local shop is selling one of those DP1's .. and yet at around $300 .. I am still WHY? Slow autofocus.. ..no just no! And yes the mount.. seriously that is a huge limitation of lens choice. Sigma is making weird choices.. and I don't understand them.. WHY?

[@henryyen1303]

I usually don't command on video, but you sir have no idea what you're talking about, it's a shame people like you are making review on KZbin.

[@Meatmiester]

@ArtoftheImage Well its their own wrong doing. Nothing about the camera is ground-breaking, whatsoever.

[@Wingerlang]

@rawdk The only April 1st is your post. Check the sample shots before making such stupid comments.

[@scottelly2]

Go to ffphotos.zenfolio.com slash sd1samples and download the first photo. When you look at it closely you will understand.

[@Wingerlang]

@ArtoftheImage Damn, forgot the other thing: make googl into goo.gl, then it works. Or simply google SD1 sample shots... h t t p + link and the dot.

[@Vanzanvang]

@mrbobjim99 Hell yeah, bout time u say tat, lol...Nikon got the ugliest n tiniest screem..bs, nikon camera are jsut plain ugly haha

[@Wingerlang]

Matt, how about: googl/xO5kY ? I think, the camera is looking super-awesome. And hopefully it will bring more competition to the game! Gogo Sigma!

[@PhuLy8788]

when you making the video, the question is What were you thinking man ! All of your videos are rated awfully low.