An interesting camera from Sigma

[joey]

I want to share interesting news.

There’s an innovative compact camera from Sigma, http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/news/sigma_dp1.htm .

The camera features Foveon X3 APC-S size sensor (20.7 x 13.8mm). The sensor is made up 3 layers; each layer for each colour. I think Fujifilm designed or helped to design this chip.

The lens is 28mm (35mm equiv) fixed focal length. It weighs 220 gm, with a hot-shoe for external flashlight or optional external viewfinder. The camera comes with many features found on DSLR cameras.

It looks promising; I can’t wait to see lab reviews and samples images taken with this camera.

[Yi-P]

Woah a P&S with BIG sensor

[bumthology]

unfortunately its only f/4
if it was f/2 at least then i'd definitely get it !~
but who knows
iso 1600 might be awesome

[joey]

It'd be unfortunate if it'd be too expensive.

[Alpha_7]

Why use a fixed focal length ? (Does that not seem a little silly) its been over 12 years since I've used a camera that was a fixed focal length, with no option to change lenses.

[joey]

I am not an engineer; I can only speculate. I've never seen a small size zoom lens for APS-C sensor. The idea was to design a compact size camera.

As for featuring prime lens, Ricoh GR-D proved to be popular and it comes with a prime lens. Leica M8 and Epson (looks like Bessa) are used with prime lenses.

[Alpha_7]

Primes you can interchange ? Or just one camera that only shoots at 28mm or 50mm ? I can see a small market for it, but I would think most consumers these days are after zooms, the bigger the better, just like they hunger for more megapixels..

[joey]

who knows...if the price is right it'd sell well. imo, the camera is designed for a niche market. Nevertheless, innovations are always welcomed.

[Reschsmooth]

Primes you can interchange ? Or just one camera that only shoots at 28mm or 50mm ? I can see a small market for it, but I would think most consumers these days are after zooms, the bigger the better, just like they hunger for more megapixels..

True, it seems that in the P&S market, optical zoom and megapixels rule the market place.

P

[adam]

I like it very much! I would like one!
but it's probably way way out of my budget

[gstark]

Joey,

Thanx for sharing that. It's certainly an interesting use of the sensor.

By all reports, that is a very nice sensor, but it's a shame that nobody (except Sigma) have taken it up. The underlying concepts are not too dissimilar from how film imaging works, and theoretically, it should be able to produce images of a very high quality.

Sadly, I expect this to go the way of Beta video though - better technology that loses the marketing war.

Getting away from the sensor and on to the camera, as I've noted, this is an interesting vehicle for Sigma to announce. 14MP in a PHD will certainly please the <strike>bullshit purveyors</strike>marketing gurus, but the size, when PHDs are getting close to business-card dimensions, and the appearance - "can I have it in pink?" - will not be in this camera's favour.

If they try to place it at the pointy end of the market, the Leica and the Epson RD1 both take interchangeable lenses, which provides them a significant marketing advantage if this one doesn't offer that feature.

Let's see what happens when - if - it hits the streets.

[Killakoala]

It does have some other features I've not seen in a P&S, including a lens hood and a flash hotshoe.

The image it produces is only 4.6MP's though so touting it as a 14MP camera is wrong. (2640x1760=4.6MP)

I'd like to see the results of the CCD though. Multi layering of this and the other sensitive photosites on the S5Pro show that Fuji is ahead of the pack in CCD development. Good on them.

The link has some nice Engrish in it.

image sensor size small will result poor capture of the light poorly.

Good on you Sigma.

[moz]

The image it produces is only 4.6MP's though so touting it as a 14MP camera is wrong.

There seems to be consensus that the Foveon is ~50% more detailed than the same pixels in a bayer sensor, so it's probably about equivalent to a 6MP Bayer one.

My impression is that the Foveon sensors just don't work as well as the Bayer ones given the current tech, so people like Sony and Canon aren't willing to license them in order to do R&D on them. Who would own the result is a big sticking point I imagine.