Sigma SD14
Encyclopedia
The Sigma SD14 is a digital single-lens reflex camera
produced by the Sigma Corporation
of Japan
. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount
which takes Sigma SA lenses.
The camera was announced on August 29, 2006 with a "teaser" advertising campaign and was unveiled at the Photokina
trade show in Cologne
, Germany
on 2006-09-26. After production delays, Sigma announced the official release of the SD14 to be on March 6th, 2007. Sigma has released sample images on their website. Contrary to most consumer cameras, which use color sensors based on a Bayer color array
, the SD14 uses a Foveon X3 sensor. Also peculiar is the fact that the infrared filter is on the lens mount and doubles as a dust protector, sealing the mirror and sensor compartment, and can be removed easily, to allow infrared photography
.
, for which only Sigma itself manufactures lenses.
Physically, the SA mount is identical to the PK mount with a reduced back-focus of 44.0mm (equals Canon EOS) as opposed to the 45.5mm of Pentax PK and M42. The Sigma SA lens protocol is a clone of the Canon EF protocol. This provides a not so obvious but very interesting option that most Canon EF-mount lenses will work seamlessly after exchanging the mount plate with the Sigma DSLRs, but without image stabilization.
Pentax K-mount lenses physically fit, but should only be mounted when the rear protrusions have been dismantled. Such lenses will then focus beyond infinity and may contact the protective filter. A spacer ring (made e.g. of decopperized FR3 1.5mm circuit board) can be added between the K-mount lens body and its bayonet plate. Prime (as opposed to zoom) lenses often permit a simple resetting of the position of the focusing ring on helical inside. Zoom lenses converted this way will become vari-focals by losing the focus setting as they are zoomed. The spring that opens or closes the lens iris in the K-mount lenses may have to be reset to work in the opposite direction.
Although the Nikon F-mount
back-focus at 46.5mm is well above the 44mm of the SD14, there is no adapter for the infinity focusing possible as, unlike with Canon EOS, the Nikon bayonet of roughly the same diameter will not fit inside the SA–PK bayonet. The M42 thread does, as taken care of by Asahi when introducing K mount in the 1970s, and therefore all M42 lenses work as is without problems with the SA/M42 converter. Lenses with equal or shorter back-focus (pre-EOS Canon, Minolta, Konica, Miranda) can only be adapted by discarding the old bayonet, milling off extra metal from the lens barrel and adding an SA = PK bayonet flange. Due to the good quality viewfinder (for a crop-DSLR) of the SD14 the missing auto-iris is not a problem, and primes from 45mm up focus comfortably on the screen down to f/5.6. The camera meters automatically via the AV setting with anything mounted on it or being mounted on, such a microscope or a telescope. For this, the camera should be set to a virtual aperture of 1.0. The SD14's solid construction and decent size make it a desirable platform for laboratory and technical photography.
and SD9
. Like the previous models, it uses a Foveon X3 direct image sensor, this time with an improved pixel count of 2652 × 1768 × 3 photo-elements (4.7 million locations, 14.1 million total photo-elements). Since there are three layers of sensor elements for each pixel location, one each for red, green, and blue, Sigma and Foveon count 14 megapixels, counting all individual single-color sensor elements. Similarly, companies selling Bayer sensor cameras also count single-color sensor elements as pixels, as does Fujifilm
with its Super CCD
cameras, in which both large and small photo-sensors under the same color filter and microlens are counted as pixels.
Other improvements over the previous design include a built-in, pop-up flash, FAT32
support for larger-capacity CompactFlash
storage cards, a higher continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second, an upgraded auto focus
system with 5 sensors, an AF assist lamp, an improved viewfinder with a 0.9 × magnification, an almost silent and more durable shutter rated at 100,000 actuations, a larger 2.5" LCD monitor, a USB 2.0 interface (but no firewire interface anymore), and a proprietary rechargeable (Minolta NP-400 compatible) lithium ion battery
system with a claimed 500 shot capacity (user experience puts it closer to 150-200).
Sigma also states that the re-design of the shutter has eliminated the problem of particles flaking off of that mechanism and onto the sensor. Sigma has also revised the infrared filter (dust protector); it is now a round snap-in design rather than the square, sturdier screw-in version of the SD10.
In the RAW file, each of 4.7 million triples of digitized data from the sensor contains three measurements taken at three different depths within the silicon chip. The penetration of light into silicon is dependent on the wavelength of the light; therefore, the red, green, and blue values can be independently calculated at each of 4.7 million locations.
This is in contrast to the approach utilized in a Bayer sensor, which can only measure one color channel at each location, and must interpolate the remaining color information based on the neighboring values. The SD14 image quality has been compared to 9–12 megapixel Bayer-sensor cameras, depending on light conditions and types of colors present in the image.
Digital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
produced by the Sigma Corporation
Sigma Corporation
is a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount
Sigma SA mount
The Sigma SA mount is a design of lens mount designed by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their single-lens reflex camera designs. The SA mount uses a bayonet mount which is physically similar to the Pentax K mount but uses a flange focal distance of 44 mm, identical to that of the Canon...
which takes Sigma SA lenses.
The camera was announced on August 29, 2006 with a "teaser" advertising campaign and was unveiled at the Photokina
Photokina
The photokina is the world's largest trade fair for the photographic and imaging industries. The first photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, and it is now held biannually in September at the koelnmesse Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre...
trade show in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 2006-09-26. After production delays, Sigma announced the official release of the SD14 to be on March 6th, 2007. Sigma has released sample images on their website. Contrary to most consumer cameras, which use color sensors based on a Bayer color array
Bayer filter
A Bayer filter mosaic is a color filter array for arranging RGB color filters on a square grid of photosensors. Its particular arrangement of color filters is used in most single-chip digital image sensors used in digital cameras, camcorders, and scanners to create a color image...
, the SD14 uses a Foveon X3 sensor. Also peculiar is the fact that the infrared filter is on the lens mount and doubles as a dust protector, sealing the mirror and sensor compartment, and can be removed easily, to allow infrared photography
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about...
.
Lenses and focusing
The camera uses the SA mountSigma SA mount
The Sigma SA mount is a design of lens mount designed by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their single-lens reflex camera designs. The SA mount uses a bayonet mount which is physically similar to the Pentax K mount but uses a flange focal distance of 44 mm, identical to that of the Canon...
, for which only Sigma itself manufactures lenses.
Physically, the SA mount is identical to the PK mount with a reduced back-focus of 44.0mm (equals Canon EOS) as opposed to the 45.5mm of Pentax PK and M42. The Sigma SA lens protocol is a clone of the Canon EF protocol. This provides a not so obvious but very interesting option that most Canon EF-mount lenses will work seamlessly after exchanging the mount plate with the Sigma DSLRs, but without image stabilization.
Pentax K-mount lenses physically fit, but should only be mounted when the rear protrusions have been dismantled. Such lenses will then focus beyond infinity and may contact the protective filter. A spacer ring (made e.g. of decopperized FR3 1.5mm circuit board) can be added between the K-mount lens body and its bayonet plate. Prime (as opposed to zoom) lenses often permit a simple resetting of the position of the focusing ring on helical inside. Zoom lenses converted this way will become vari-focals by losing the focus setting as they are zoomed. The spring that opens or closes the lens iris in the K-mount lenses may have to be reset to work in the opposite direction.
Although the Nikon F-mount
Nikon F-mount
The Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35 mm SLR cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three lug bayonet mount with a 44 mm throat and a flange to focal plane distance of 46.5 mm...
back-focus at 46.5mm is well above the 44mm of the SD14, there is no adapter for the infinity focusing possible as, unlike with Canon EOS, the Nikon bayonet of roughly the same diameter will not fit inside the SA–PK bayonet. The M42 thread does, as taken care of by Asahi when introducing K mount in the 1970s, and therefore all M42 lenses work as is without problems with the SA/M42 converter. Lenses with equal or shorter back-focus (pre-EOS Canon, Minolta, Konica, Miranda) can only be adapted by discarding the old bayonet, milling off extra metal from the lens barrel and adding an SA = PK bayonet flange. Due to the good quality viewfinder (for a crop-DSLR) of the SD14 the missing auto-iris is not a problem, and primes from 45mm up focus comfortably on the screen down to f/5.6. The camera meters automatically via the AV setting with anything mounted on it or being mounted on, such a microscope or a telescope. For this, the camera should be set to a virtual aperture of 1.0. The SD14's solid construction and decent size make it a desirable platform for laboratory and technical photography.
Improvements from predecessors
The camera has a new body design with more rounded corners and is a little smaller than its predecessors, the SD10Sigma SD10
The Sigma SD10 is a digital SLR camera produced 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...
and SD9
Sigma SD9
The Sigma SD9 is a digital SLR camera 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...
. Like the previous models, it uses a Foveon X3 direct image sensor, this time with an improved pixel count of 2652 × 1768 × 3 photo-elements (4.7 million locations, 14.1 million total photo-elements). Since there are three layers of sensor elements for each pixel location, one each for red, green, and blue, Sigma and Foveon count 14 megapixels, counting all individual single-color sensor elements. Similarly, companies selling Bayer sensor cameras also count single-color sensor elements as pixels, as does Fujifilm
Fujifilm
is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
with its Super CCD
Super CCD
Super CCD is a proprietary charge-coupled device that has been developed by Fujifilm since 1999. The Super CCD uses octagonal, rather than rectangular, pixels...
cameras, in which both large and small photo-sensors under the same color filter and microlens are counted as pixels.
Other improvements over the previous design include a built-in, pop-up flash, FAT32
File Allocation Table
File Allocation Table is a computer file system architecture now widely used on many computer systems and most memory cards, such as those used with digital cameras. FAT file systems are commonly found on floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital cameras, and many other portable devices because of...
support for larger-capacity CompactFlash
CompactFlash
CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
storage cards, a higher continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second, an upgraded auto focus
Auto Focus
Auto Focus is a 2002 American biographical film directed by Paul Schrader that stars Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe. The screenplay by Michael Gerbosi is based on the book The Murder of Bob Crane by Robert Graysmith....
system with 5 sensors, an AF assist lamp, an improved viewfinder with a 0.9 × magnification, an almost silent and more durable shutter rated at 100,000 actuations, a larger 2.5" LCD monitor, a USB 2.0 interface (but no firewire interface anymore), and a proprietary rechargeable (Minolta NP-400 compatible) lithium ion battery
Lithium ion battery
A lithium-ion battery is a family of rechargeable battery types in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge, and back when charging. Chemistry, performance, cost, and safety characteristics vary across LIB types...
system with a claimed 500 shot capacity (user experience puts it closer to 150-200).
Sigma also states that the re-design of the shutter has eliminated the problem of particles flaking off of that mechanism and onto the sensor. Sigma has also revised the infrared filter (dust protector); it is now a round snap-in design rather than the square, sturdier screw-in version of the SD10.
Output data options
The camera can output a RAW file size of 14.1 million sample values, organized as 2652 × 1768 × 3, or a JPEG image up to 14 megapixels, or 4608 × 3072 (interpolated) pixels. The camera's ISO range extends from 100 to 800 (or 50 to 1600 in extended mode). There is not much degradation going from 100 to 200 and even 400.In the RAW file, each of 4.7 million triples of digitized data from the sensor contains three measurements taken at three different depths within the silicon chip. The penetration of light into silicon is dependent on the wavelength of the light; therefore, the red, green, and blue values can be independently calculated at each of 4.7 million locations.
This is in contrast to the approach utilized in a Bayer sensor, which can only measure one color channel at each location, and must interpolate the remaining color information based on the neighboring values. The SD14 image quality has been compared to 9–12 megapixel Bayer-sensor cameras, depending on light conditions and types of colors present in the image.
External links
- Sigma SLR Talk forum on dpreview.com
- SD14 users' image galleries