Sigma SD10

Sigma SD10
Overview
Type	Digital single-lens reflex
Lens
Lens	Interchangeable (Sigma SA mount)
Sensor/medium
Sensor	20.7 mm × 13.8 mm Foveon X3 sensor
Maximum resolution	2268 × 1512 × 3 (10.3 million effective pixels, 3.43 megapixel output image size)
ASA/ISO range	100–1600 in 1 EV steps
Storage	CompactFlash (CF) (Type I or Type II) and Microdrive (MD)
Focusing
Focus modes	One-shot, Continuous, Manual
Focus areas	1 point
Exposure/metering
Exposure modes	Programmed, shutter-priority, aperture priority, manual
Exposure metering	TTL, full aperture, zones
Metering modes	8-segment evaluative, center area (about 7.5%), Center-weighted average
Flash
Flash	none, sync at 1/180 second
Shutter
Shutter	electronic focal-plane
Shutter speed range	30 s to 1/6000 s
Continuous shooting	up to 2.5 frames per second
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical, pentaprism
Image processing
Custom WB	6 presets, auto, and custom
General
Rear LCD monitor	1.8-inch (45 mm), 150,000 pixels
Battery	4×AA NiMH or 2×CR-V3
Weight	785 g (body only)

Last updated April 19, 2019

The Sigma SD10 is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) manufactured by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It was announced on October 27, 2003, and is an evolution of the previous SD9 model, addressing many of the shortcomings of that camera. The Sigma SD10 cameras are unique in the digital DSLR field in using full-color sensor technology, and in that they only produce raw format images that require post-processing on a computer.

A digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film. The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between a DSLR and other digital cameras. In the reflex design, light travels through the lens, then to a mirror that alternates to send the image to either the viewfinder or the image sensor. The traditional alternative would be to have a viewfinder with its own lens, hence the term "single lens" for this design. By using only one lens, the viewfinder of a DSLR presents an image that will not differ substantially from what is captured by the camera's sensor. A DSLR differs from non-reflex single-lens digital cameras in that the viewfinder presents a direct optical view through the lens, rather than being captured by the camera's image sensor and displayed by a digital screen.

Sigma Corporation Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories

Sigma Corporation is a Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan. Although Sigma produces several camera models, the company is best known for producing high-quality lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.

The Sigma SD9 is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. The camera was launched at the Photo Marketing Association Annual Show on February 18, 2002. It was Sigma's first digital camera, and was the first production camera to use the unique Foveon X3 image sensor, which reads full color at each pixel site. Other sensors detect only one color at each site and interpolate to produce a full-color image.

Foveon X3 image sensor

Like its predecessor, the SD10 uses a sensor with the unique Foveon X3 sensor technology. The 10.2-million-pixel raw file generated from this sensor is processed to produce a 3.4 megapixel size image file. Although the image file is smaller than images from competing 10 megapixel cameras, it is made from the same number of measured data values because the Foveon sensor detects full-color data (three values) at each photosite; the actual resolution contained in its 3.4 MP images is about the same as a conventional Bayer/CFA sensor of 7–9 MP.^[1] Sigma and Foveon count each red, green, and blue sensor as a pixel, and state the camera has 10.2 million pixels; similarly, companies selling Bayer sensor cameras also count each single-color sensor element as a pixel.

Raw output only

Unlike other DSLR cameras marketed concurrently, the SD10 performs no in-camera processing to common image formats such as JPEG and TIFF. Instead, it saves images in its own .X3F format, which retains all the information the camera captured. Processing on a computer is required to use these files. Sigma provides the Foveon-written SIGMA Photo Pro application for this purpose; in addition, Adobe Photoshop CS2 supports the format, as do several other image-processing applications.

JPEG is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality.

Tagged Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is a computer file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning, faxing, word processing, optical character recognition, image manipulation, desktop publishing, and page-layout applications. The format was created by Aldus Corporation for use in desktop publishing. It published the latest version 6.0 in 1992, subsequently updated with an Adobe Systems copyright after the latter acquired Aldus in 1994. Several Aldus or Adobe technical notes have been published with minor extensions to the format, and several specifications have been based on TIFF 6.0, including TIFF/EP, TIFF/IT, TIFF-F and TIFF-FX.

Shooting modes

The camera supports single-shot, continuous, 2 or 10 second self-timer, mirror lock-up, and auto exposure bracketing.

Exposure modes

Four different exposure modes are supported: aperture priority (A), shutter speed priority (S), manual (M) and program automatic (P).

Lens availability

The SD10 supports only Sigma SA mount lenses. Only Sigma produces lenses to fit this mount, although their range is fairly broad. Third-party converters exist for a number of other lens mounts, although no automatic features are supported. Many Canon EF mount-based lenses can be converted to Sigma AF mount retaining autofocus and camera controlled aperture setting, however optical stabilisation will not work.

Software

Sigma Photo Pro

Postprocessing of raw X3F and JPEG of all digital SIGMA cameras

Version 6.x is no-cost download for Windows 7+ and Mac OSX 10.7+ (6.3.x). Actual versions are 6.5.4 (Win 7+) and 6.5.5 (MacOSX 10.9+).^[2]

Pros and cons

The SD10 is an unusual camera with both advantages and disadvantages compared to most other digital SLRs, and tends to polarise opinion. It has a fiercely loyal base of support and some rather vocal detractors. Commonly cited advantages and disadvantages of the camera include the following:

Pro

Excellent color in daylight and good light.
Excellent detail, comparable to 6.5 MP Bayer-sensor DSLR cameras.^[3]
Noise-free image of the at low ISO speeds
Pixel sharpness achievable
Moiré effects less visible when photographing high-detail patterns compared to Bayer senor based cameras; thus no need for sharpness-degrading antialiasing filters to reduce moiré effects
High-quality PC software allows images to be tuned easily to the best quality
Takes easily obtained AA or CR-V3 batteries instead of proprietary format
Dust protector stops dust entering the mirror box while changing lenses
Sports finder allows viewing area outside picture area, letting photographer see if a better composition could be made by zooming out
Inexpensive when it can still be found
Shooting-priority user interface means always ready to shoot
Unique histogram feature shows distribution of RGB values in zoomed-in area of image
Simple and intuitive menu system
Mirror lock up on dial
Removing the dust protector converts the SD10 into an infrared-sensitive camera

Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with longer wavelengths than those of visible light, and is therefore generally invisible to the human eye, although IR at wavelengths up to 1050 nanometers (nm)s from specially pulsed lasers can be seen by humans under certain conditions. IR wavelengths extend from the nominal red edge of the visible spectrum at 700 nanometers, to 1 millimeter (300 GHz). Most of the thermal radiation emitted by objects near room temperature is infrared. As with all EMR, IR carries radiant energy and behaves both like a wave and like its quantum particle, the photon.

Con

Does not produce JPEG files in-camera
Fewer photographs per image card because no JPEG mode available. Raw files are compressed to about 8 MB per image
Slow to clear the shot buffer
Originally expensive, listing at $1599 in U.S.
Only takes Sigma lenses; no third party support except via adapters
Poor low-light performance; high-ISO modes produce noisier images
Image quality degrades in long exposures (over 4 seconds)
No built-in flash
Single autofocus sensor instead of three or more in competition

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References

↑ "DPReview studio test of Sigma SD10". Sigma SD10 studio test. DPReview.
↑ http://www.sigma-global.com/en/download/cameras/sigma-photo-pro/ ^{[ verification needed ]}
↑ Michael J. McNamara, "Hands On: Sigma SD14", Popular Photography, Nov. 27, 2006. online Archived 2006-12-07 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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[1] "DPReview studio test of Sigma SD10". Sigma SD10 studio test. DPReview.

[2] ttp://www.sigma-global.com/en/download/cameras/sigma-photo-pro/ ^{[ verification needed ]}

[3] Michael J. McNamara, "Hands On: Sigma SD14", Popular Photography, Nov. 27, 2006. online Archived 2006-12-07 at the Wayback Machine