Sd1...maybe we already have the best foveon for 90% of us...

I've been doing some thinking, ever since i got the sony a55, everything i did was much slower. why? because the files are much bigger since its 16 mp and i find that touching up and exporting also takes longer time on my mac.

Now, i also visited the Pentax site and tried to view the medium format file and it crashed my mac's safari twice while loading it up.

The SD1, with 4 times more information on each level, i wonder what kind of processing lag it will incur to existing system that people like me or some of us have. Perhaps getting SD1 for professional work is justifiable but for hobbyist, it could also means you will need to upgrade your computer system and spend double the time getting the same amount of images processed.

If you read the article below, even 2 mp is more than enuf for 20" x 13.5" print.
http://snapsort.com/learn/sensor/megapixels

The existing foveon we have is already at 4.7 mp, thats twice the size of the theorized 2mp and the print size that is good for 4.7 is probably much larger than some folks like me would ever want to use or print.

Now, i only owned the Dp2, Sony a55 and the GXR, and i found much joy when i was using the dp2 but was let down on using it for faster shootings and focusing on low light.

As much as i am waiting for the SD1, suddenly i am now thinking, perhaps the SD15 is the camera that i really need? Can some of the existing SD15 users here enlightened me as to how much better is the SD15 compared to the DP2 say if they both use the same lens.

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marcuslowphoto.blogspot.com

Now you now why I still bought the SD15 after the anouncement of the SD1.

Best regards ... jef

p.s. still looking forward to the Sd1
p.s. 2 don't have a DP can't hep you with that

Hi, I too have been wondering about file sizes. My sons wedding is next weekend and I would love the flexiblity of the 15, but I'll probably wait for the SD1.
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Rick Wilkinson
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You can never have too much detail... I look forward to the SD1 and its large output!

Its going to be a killer camera.

Rich
ny

16MP is barely more data than the current foveon so any delays in processing your Sony files should be very small.

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William Wilgus

From your post, I see that you bring up two possible reasons:

a) that current computers are too slow for the current MP sizes that cameras are trending towards
b) printing size

Personally, I find that the "the files are too big and make my computer slow" reason to be basically transient. Computer speed progresses, so in time, current 12/16/18/etc MPs won't become an issue for computers anymore. You can bet that half a decade ago, people were probably bemoaning the "huge" 6MP cams and the demands they were making on computers at that time.

But for your second reason, only you can really answer that. Are you printing your pics? What sizes do you print at? If 2MP print sizes are good enough for you, then yeah, the current Sigma DPs are good enough. If you're printing gigantic gallery sized pics, then no, you probably need something with more MPs. This is really dictated by your needs. But if youre only keeping pics for yourself or only uploading pics to the web, then you probably dont need a cam with more MPs.

Greetings Everyone

It's almost for sure you'll need a bigger, fast, 10mb memory computer for the SD1 or if you want to PP a file under 5 minutes. I tried a friends 24mp Sony A900 and the files really slowed down my Mac. If I get a SD1 I'll need a faster bigger Mac. Everyone talks about all the detail, 45mp ya ya ya but will they use it? Will they print that large? Do people print all these images they shoot? Do they sell them? For me I need a camera that is very sharp, very fast, weather sealed, and I need the lenses, flash, weather sealed as well. The camera/tool needs to work with out any issues a very good flash system and it needs to work all my other flashes, lenses, grips ect. As for the SD15 it works fine and is close to the DP2 but the flash system had issues my still does but I do not need Sigma flashes as I use a total different flash system. Your right 95% of the people never use what they have they'll never use the camera to it's fullest. Sigma has a great image but it isn't just about the image, if you can't get the shot for what ever reason the camera is worthless. I have a friend who shoots high end studio work and would love to travel with me on shoots outdoors in all types of environmental conditions but he won't because his camera equipment won't cut it. What good is it having it? It has a high MP count. At what point do people just use what they have? When is enough, enough?

Have fun
Roger J.

magneto shot said:

As much as i am waiting for the SD1, suddenly i am now thinking, perhaps the SD15 is the camera that i really need? Can some of the existing SD15 users here enlightened me as to how much better is the SD15 compared to the DP2 say if they both use the same lens.

Click to expand...

Just to cover this question since the other replies seem to be discussing the larger issue of needing more pixels...

The SD-15 and DP-2 are really very similar in output, I would say (they have pretty much the same generation sensor with the same size after all). The thing you do get with the SD-15 is the possibility of much longer exposures, I think up to two minutes in Bulb (perhaps longer, I forget) and up to 30 seconds in the normal modes. Also the SD-15 has a nicer and larger LCD.

On the larger question, I will welcome the increase in pixels for cropping options but I'm almost more excited about the possibilities of a truly new Foveon design that is a re-working of the photo sites. More pixels are good but higher quality data in those pixels is even better.

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---> Kendall
http://InsideAperture.com
http://www.pbase.com/kgelner
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If your computer is the bottleneck, upgrade it!

I don't know if Google Chrome is available for Macs (I'm a PC user) but i can tell you it's MUCH faster than Safari on a PC (but it's not color-corrected). Firefox is also faster but the difference is smaller.

You also want to optimize your computer. Ex: add all the memory you can, add a solid-state hard drive for faster cache, optimize memory allocation and limit how many "undos" you can perform in PP, limit "background" programs start at startup (SQL/web servers, mobile phone sync, anti-virus, 1/2 a dozen chat applications...) This will make a big difference! I am seriously considering a dedicated post-processing-beast-of-a-computer.

If images are destined for web use, convert to jpg sooner rather than later.

The SD1 might have 45 photosensors, but export to tiff, and you have images that are "only: 15 mpx, just like the a55 (give or take). They might be bit larger due to "denser" information. I'm pretty sure 24 mp bayer tiffs will be slightly bigger in size.

All this becomes painfully evident when you create & edit bracketed panorama stiches that are well over 100mpx!!!

Kendall Helmstetter Gelner said:

magneto shot said:

As much as i am waiting for the SD1, suddenly i am now thinking, perhaps the SD15 is the camera that i really need? Can some of the existing SD15 users here enlightened me as to how much better is the SD15 compared to the DP2 say if they both use the same lens.

Click to expand...

Just to cover this question since the other replies seem to be discussing the larger issue of needing more pixels...

The SD-15 and DP-2 are really very similar in output, I would say (they have pretty much the same generation sensor with the same size after all). The thing you do get with the SD-15 is the possibility of much longer exposures, I think up to two minutes in Bulb (perhaps longer, I forget)

Click to expand...

No, you were right the first time, its 2 minutes maximum in extended mode...And you get ISO50 too.

You forgot to mention that the SD15 also offers all the benfits of interchangable lenses, whereas your stuck with one lens with the DP2.

I have 3GHz Core 2 Duo iMac with 4Gb RAM. It can handle 100+ MP files, not very fast but without problems.

SD1 files will be about 3 times bigger and 3 times slower to process than current Foveon files. The SD1 will encourage user to shoot slower and pay more attention to composition, eliminating camera shake, etc., sort of like medium format film. I think it's good – fewer pictures but better ones. And for snapshots I will use small and light Samsung NX10.
--
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from Ferris Buehler-
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Barry Byrd
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I want to use it for say indoor shooting, not exactly dim but on my sony the auto iso choose 1600, would the SD1 be able to do this, i wonder with 3 times the size and just a year back they still havent solve the high iso and low light issue with Sd15?
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marcuslowphoto.blogspot.com

magneto shot said:

I want to use it for say indoor shooting, not exactly dim but on my sony the auto iso choose 1600, would the SD1 be able to do this, i wonder with 3 times the size and just a year back they still havent solve the high iso and low light issue with Sd15?

Click to expand...

I think they might have done with the latest version of SPP?

First thing that comes to mind for me is that if you can afford the SD1 and a few good lenses, you can definitely afford a computer that can handle the files. The file size from the SD1 is really not very big by today's standards, and almost any computer since the Pentium 4 should be able to handle it just fine. Just look at it as an opportunity to upgrade to the PC you've always wanted ;-)

You don't need a big boy computer until you're trying to stitch medium format images to create a 4GB panorama to print 17' long. Even that wasn't more than a few minutes on a Core2 quad with 8GB ram.

Kendall Helmstetter Gelner said:

The SD-15 and DP-2 are really very similar in output, I would say (they have pretty much the same generation sensor with the same size after all). The thing you do get with the SD-15 is the possibility of much longer exposures, I think up to two minutes in Bulb (perhaps longer, I forget) and up to 30 seconds in the normal modes. Also the SD-15 has a nicer and larger LCD.

Click to expand...

Hmm, that means really apart from using other lenses, it has no extra advantages in terms of focusing speed and usability in different lighting condition and image quality in say ISO 400-800?

magneto shot said:

Hmm, that means really apart from using other lenses, it has no extra advantages in terms of focusing speed and usability in different lighting condition and image quality in say ISO 400-800?

Click to expand...

I did forget to mention the focusing is much faster on the SD-15, as it's a DSLR and can use a much more advanced focusing system. In part of course it depends on the lens, any HSM lens focuses almost instantly.

But the ISO handling is almost identical, what you are used to on the DP-2 is pretty much what you would get on the SD-15.

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---> Kendall
http://InsideAperture.com
http://www.pbase.com/kgelner
http://www.pbase.com/sigmadslr/user_home

magneto shot said:

I want to use it for say indoor shooting, not exactly dim but on my sony the auto iso choose 1600, would the SD1 be able to do this, i wonder with 3 times the size and just a year back they still havent solve the high iso and low light issue with Sd15?

Click to expand...

The SD1 is a totally new sensor, in interviews they have said that the low light handling is improved. By how much, we do not know...

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---> Kendall
http://InsideAperture.com
http://www.pbase.com/kgelner
http://www.pbase.com/sigmadslr/user_home

We may not need all the pixels all the time, but once every 20 times is enough to justify the better tool. For the other 95% of the times, you may well use VPS, binning 2X2 to one super pixel for faster shooting and PP thereafter, and still have image quality as good as SD15, if you really can't afford to upgrade your PC.

Furthermore, it has a new sensor with new architecture and circuitry, better AF, weather sealed body, better LCD, and all that.

Are these not enough to have a SD1?
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Maple