Foveon Technology and the SD9
Written: Dec 05 '03 (Updated Nov 15 '04)
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Pros: 10.2 Megapixel resolution, natural aesthetic to the images, Excellent build quality, AC adapter for indoors
Cons: Not for low-light, iso 200/400 are noisy, Requires two sets of batteries
The Bottom Line: Higher resolution than other 6Mpixel DSLR's. Very solid construction. However...noisy long exposures, skin tones that require color desaturation and limited iso versatility make it questionable.
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| antonio777's Full Review: Sigma SD9 Digital Camera |
The Sigma SD9 is a specialty item for those seeking the highest quality images who are willing to work with limitations. The Foveon sensor of the Sigma SD9 offers a resolution higher than other 6Megapixel DSLR's but the camera suffers from lack of versatility. The only useable iso speed is iso100. Iso 200/400 are ridiculously noisy.
Make no mistake...this is a significant limitation. Even at iso 100, the images get noisy at the slower shutter speeds...and you will be using slower shutter speeds. There is also a tendency for too much yellow in portraiture which has to be post-processed out by desaturating the color. In room light, a color cast correction is also necesssary.
That being said, with good lighting conditions, the SD9 can produce breathtakingly accurate images. What it does well, it does extremely well. The full size images on the monitor will appear as natural as if one were looking through a window. No other digital camera(at any price!)can make such a claim.
(Sigma has just released the SD10 which has greater versatility, lower noise, and less saturated colors)
SD9 specs
Megapixels: 3.4 x3 = 10.2 Megapixels
(Resolution slightly higher than 6.5Mp DSLR's)
ISO: 100,200,400 (Only the 100 is worth using)
Crop Factor: 1.7 (a plus if you like telephoto)
Mount: Sigma SA
Price: $999 with two sharp lenses.
24-70 F3.5/5.6 HF
70-300F4.0/5.6 II Macro Super
Recommended Accessories:
Two sets of batteries(CR123 and CR-V3)
RS-21 remote controller for SD9/SD10
ST-11 for triggering strobelighting(studio work)
(256MB 16x Compact Flash will hold 36 images)
and also A TRIPOD:
(A good stable, yet reasonably light tripod that you will not mind actually using.)
The Sigma SD9 was the first digital camera to offer a three dimensional Foveon sensor, which captures all the light at each and every pixel. It essentially mimics the way film captures light. This Foveon sensor provides a sharper, truer image than anything offered by the so-called camera giants(Canon, Nikon,Fuji and the rest). Canon, Nikon, Fuji, etc... all use 'Bayer' sensors which have to mathematically reconstruct the image color based on sensors that capture only one color at a time. The Foveon sensor has no need for this 'artificial' reconstruct. Hence the images appear more natural...and less 'digital'.
The format is RAW only and the data is then optimized with custom software(Sigma Photo Pro). You can easily save the files to the TIF(or JPG) format to further optimize in Photoshop. However, the software provided is powerful and the entire optimization, (from sharpening, exposure compensation, contrast, etc.. )can be accomplished in the SPP software. I prefer Photoshop for my image processing. And unfortunately, there is a bit too much post processing required.
The SPP software has been upgraded from version 1.0 to 2.0 which provides better noise reduction, eliminates any unnatural discolor in overexposed areas. Problems that were reported early on are no longer valid.
LOW LIGHT ISSUES:
Iso 200/400 are essentially worthless because they impart high levels of noise and even some softening of the image sharpness. It would be better to underexpose with iso100 and then just brighten the image later with the software. Of course this will add tremendous noise as well...but not as much as the iso 200/400 setting. This is unusual because normally raising the analog sensitivity of the sensor is more efficient than a mere digital brightening of an underexposed image. But the normal rules of thumb do not apply here.
Using iso100 in low-light, there are instances of 'yellow banding' noise. This seems to happen in underexposed shots or w/ shutter speeds slower than 1/4th second. Proper exposure is essential to avoid this. With a bit of tweaking(desaturation of the 'yellow' or colorchannel work in Photoshop), this can sometimes be overcome. Sometimes the yellow noise is endemic throughout the image and cannot be easily remedied. Even a noise reduction program such as 'Neat Image' may not be able to salvage an underexposed shot in room light.
That having been said, night-time photography using iso100, with shutter speeds of many seconds, will yield good images. The noise level may be higher in shadow areas than other DSLR's for this application...but the SD9 can still yield a good night-time image even with very slow shutter speeds. A camera like the Canon Rebel would be far better suited for low-noise night exposures.
CONCLUSIONS:
I purchased this camera for two purposes...indoor studio portraits and outdoor landscapes. With proper exposure, and with quite a bit of color desaturation, the skin tones can be made to be very natural. However, there is extensive post-processing to get rid of the tendency to go yellow. Initially this didn't perturb me...but it does get tiresome considering point and shoots can do a better job.
The high resolution of the Sigma SD9 makes it very well suited for landscape work. This is where the SD9 is really at its best and outshines its mainstream competitors. The fantastic color resolution means that leaves or grass in the distance will appear accurate with complex texture. Other digital cameras will artificially just 'paint' colors into such details that it cannot resolve. That is why they have an artificial look. The SD9 does no such thing. Also, such naturally lit scenic images appear to need little to no postprocessing.
Should you buy the kit with the 24-70,70-300mm lenses, you should know that they are both adequate to make full use of the sensor resolution.
The 70-300 Macro Super is particularly good... and with the 1.7 crop factor is equivalent to 119-510mm. And even at full length (510mm equivalent)...its very sharp. So the kit package is really an excellent value
Final Thought:
The SD9 is a good camera and it is selling very cheap these days. As I've said, it is a specialty item and I suspect that it will not be versatile enough to be one's only camera. I think many people would find the competition's images to be very satisfactory...and therefore might be better off getting a more mainstream DSLR like the D100 or the 10D. They'll get the job done...and with less processing.
But,if you are very discriminating, the SD9 alone will give the images that have the 3-dimensional quality of the best film images.
Update: 5/04 From the low-light images I've seen with the SD10, I would NOT recommend purchasing the SD10. The SD9 kit is a good bargain because of its low price. Its limitations can therefore be tolerated. However the SD10 is selling for top dollar and is nowhere near as versatile as the other mainstream dslr's of comparable price. Consider the Nikon D70 instead.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 999/kit
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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Epinions.com ID:
antonio777
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 3 members
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