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To SD9 or not!

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Ken N said:
I had the 3030Z, and I wish I had never sold it. Comparing the
amount you spent for the 3030Z versus what you'll have to spend on
the SD-9, I hope you know exactly what you hope to achieve. If you
include the price of the SD-9 body, whatever lense(s) you hope to
buy, a flash unit, and the rest of the goodies, you're going to be
in a completely different arena. Just make sure that you know what
you hope to achieve by making the move. The SD-9 has some
fantastic capablities, but it's far from perfect as noted here in
the forum. The 3030Z was a darned good little camera. Don't take it
for granted that spending several thousand extra is going to be
worth the extra money. There'll be more Foveon based cameras
showing up later on. (maybe Canon......no more D60's....I wonder
why)
Click to expand...
Ken,

Thanks for the response. I have yet to make a decision. Heard the news about Canon, not sure what to believe. I still own the 3030 and probably always will. I am no strange to spending Big money on equipment. Don't get me wrong..if I could afford it I would already own a D1s. My pockets are not that deep. But if the SD9 lived up to its promise I would put every spare nickel I had to get one. Not spending the kids college fund if you know what I mean. After reading more reviews and responses such as yours I feel more informed. I think I am going to look into the Fuji S2 Pro. Would have liked to get it before my next trip to the west coast but not gonna happen. Maybe I need more time to think about it . In the mean time I'll bring the 3030 and my Contax RTS III just to be sure. I can't let go of film completely. I don't think I ever will.

Thanks again,

Joe
Ken N said:
Joe Catizone said:
Greetings! I am brand new to this forum but not to photography. I
am currently between cameras and just recently became aware of the
SD9. I have read all of the specs put out by Sigma and have read up
on the X3 technology. You people are the true critics. Please help.
I'v tried others Olympus E20n not happy. Still shooting with
Olympus 3030. I know, Iknow , you can't be serious. But I have
taken some pretty good shots with this little point and shoot. I am
ready to move up to the big time in digital. Without spending a
fortune. Actually, looking at the Canon D60 as a potential buy.

Joe
--
Always aim for perfection!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Always aim for perfection!
 
Kim Bomstad said:
Joe Catizone said:
--Yet another happy customer, now all I need to do is get my hands
on one to help make my decision.
Click to expand...
when I finally got the SD9, and -
truly it was with a bit mixed feeling because of all the bashing -
but I ended up very happy with it.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you waited. Sounds like it was worth the wait
Kim Bomstad said:
If you decide, then I recommend you also take the flash (probably
goes for whatever dslr you choose) I feel it is really important
and I use it quite a lot.
Click to expand...
Without a question flash is a must.

But if "very low light" and a low contrast target the focus
Kim Bomstad said:
hunt a bit (so far I think the 24-70 do better than the 105).
Click to expand...
Hey, at this point even tried and true AF film cameras have problems in low light why should Digital be any different?
Kim Bomstad said:
Im pretty new at this, only done some shots in my work to document construction progress, errors etc.
Click to expand...
Sometimes less is more. If you are new at it then your not sure what to expect and have no pre-concieved notions. I have some experience and have great expectations.....and then get easily disappointed. Had a real bad experience recently with 3 seperate Olympus E20n's. Now being very careful.
Kim Bomstad said:
You can find some of my SD9 samples here
http://home.no.net/kbomstad/sd9/
Click to expand...
Great shots AF or MF? I mistakenly gave Steve credit for your shots sorry.
Kim Bomstad said:
I see you're mainly interested in landscape, macro and portraits -
then I honestly think the SD9 will make you smile.
Click to expand...
I've heard a lot of talk about the poor quality of the glass in the lens. Come to think about it the lens has to be better than what is currently in my 3030 and I've printed 16x 20's with acceptable sharpness from those shots. Even sold a few. I am a stickler for sharpness. Other than my 3030 all other cameras I've owned or still own are MF. What is the big hang up on AF?
Kim Bomstad said:
For some SD9 landscape you shod see these shots from Alexander Toth
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1027&message=4068613

Ps: About blown out lights, I did read the following about Nikon
D100 in a "learn to use digital" article.
"You can also turn the Exposure Compensation setting up 1/3 to 1
full f stop if you want to offset possible underexposure caused by
these new camera's Matrix metering being perhaps a bit too
aggressive in not allowing any blown highlights."
Click to expand...
I've delt with this problem before... have to know how to deal with it. I agree.

When it comes down to it...just how long has Digital Photography been around? Look how far it's come already. Imagine what the future will bring.

Thanks for your response and intuitive help.

Regards,

Joe
Kim Bomstad said:
Regards
KimB
Proud SD9 owner
Click to expand...
--
Always aim for perfection!
 
Joe Catizone said:
Stephen Waits said:
Kim Bomstad said:
You can find some of my SD9 samples here
http://home.no.net/kbomstad/sd9/
Click to expand...
Cute kitty.

--Steve
Click to expand...
You've got some great shots there.Thanks for sharing. So much for
low light focusing problems. I'm guessing you like the equipment.
I just hate the idea of being one of the first on the block with a
new technology.

Any feedback is helpful.
Click to expand...
I think you've got me mixed up - I was quoting Kim and complimenting her on her cute kitty cat.

I don't like the equipment; and I don't own it either. Take that FWIW.

--Steve
 
Stephen Waits said:
Joe Catizone said:
Stephen Waits said:
Kim Bomstad said:
You can find some of my SD9 samples here
http://home.no.net/kbomstad/sd9/
Click to expand...
Cute kitty.

--Steve
Click to expand...
You've got some great shots there.Thanks for sharing. So much for
low light focusing problems. I'm guessing you like the equipment.
I just hate the idea of being one of the first on the block with a
new technology.

Any feedback is helpful.
Click to expand...
I think you've got me mixed up - I was quoting Kim and
complimenting her on her cute kitty cat.
Click to expand...
Kim, are you a woman?! :)
Stephen Waits said:
I don't like the equipment; and I don't own it either. Take that
FWIW.

--Steve
Click to expand...
--
Carl Rytterfalk
http://www.pbase.com/rytterfalk
Proud SD9 owner.
 
Rytterfalk said:
Rytterfalk said:
I think you've got me mixed up - I was quoting Kim and
complimenting her on her cute kitty cat.
Click to expand...
Kim, are you a woman?! :)
Click to expand...
No

(In norway Kim is a normal boy name, its not the first time this missunderstanding has happen on a web forum)

--
Regards
KimB
Proud SD9 owner
 
Joe Catizone said:
joe catizone said:
You can find some of my SD9 samples here
http://home.no.net/kbomstad/sd9/
Click to expand...
Great shots AF or MF? I mistakenly gave Steve credit for your shots
sorry.
Click to expand...
No problem.

MF/AF - both, the page now is updated with text under the thumbnail for the manual focused ones.
joe catizone said:
I've heard a lot of talk about the poor quality of the glass in the
lens.
Click to expand...
Pore quality. I don’t know - some sigma lenses do very well in test etc, and plenty of canon/nikon etc bodies are dressed up with sigma lenses. So - how bad can it be... Also for me it seams that often when quality is discussed price is not that big of issue. Think more important in the lens issue is if you have any bodies/lenses from before, and what mount they are in.
joe catizone said:
own are MF. What is the big hang up on AF?
Click to expand...
I would personally do think AF is important, even though I see that its nice to use MF quite a bit more than I did believe when ordering the system.
joe catizone said:
When it comes down to it...just how long has Digital Photography
been around? Look how far it's come already. Imagine what the
future will bring.
Click to expand...
Yes - full frame, and really fast fps is still unchecked from my wish list...

but then again - in 1 year time - we will still say exactly the same... what’s next... "Glad you did not think like that with your computer decision, ore we would not have this discussion" ;-) (sorry) ...

--
Regards
KimB
 
If you want total detail and clarity in outside photos, go to Steve's Digicam Review and check out the full size downloads of his samples. Steve frequently takes the same photo of a building, playground toys, etc. using each of the cameras he reviews. This makes comparison testing very easy, and they're photos of things that we would all take under circumstances that we all encounter. The Sigma SD-9 blows them all away, and that includes the S2-Pro, and the Canon's too. I would put the SD-9 up against the EOS 1DS as well, but that's just my opinion. I don't own the SD-9, and probably won't. It just seems too high priced for what you get. One thing sure, the Foveon sensor delivers high resolution. Anyways, if clarity is your thing and you're willing to pay the extra bucks, the SD-9 is a good bet.
Joe Catizone said:
Ken N said:
I had the 3030Z, and I wish I had never sold it. Comparing the
amount you spent for the 3030Z versus what you'll have to spend on
the SD-9, I hope you know exactly what you hope to achieve. If you
include the price of the SD-9 body, whatever lense(s) you hope to
buy, a flash unit, and the rest of the goodies, you're going to be
in a completely different arena. Just make sure that you know what
you hope to achieve by making the move. The SD-9 has some
fantastic capablities, but it's far from perfect as noted here in
the forum. The 3030Z was a darned good little camera. Don't take it
for granted that spending several thousand extra is going to be
worth the extra money. There'll be more Foveon based cameras
showing up later on. (maybe Canon......no more D60's....I wonder
why)
Click to expand...
Ken,

Thanks for the response. I have yet to make a decision. Heard the
news about Canon, not sure what to believe. I still own the 3030
and probably always will. I am no strange to spending Big money on
equipment. Don't get me wrong..if I could afford it I would already
own a D1s. My pockets are not that deep. But if the SD9 lived up to
its promise I would put every spare nickel I had to get one. Not
spending the kids college fund if you know what I mean. After
reading more reviews and responses such as yours I feel more
informed. I think I am going to look into the Fuji S2 Pro. Would
have liked to get it before my next trip to the west coast but not
gonna happen. Maybe I need more time to think about it . In the
mean time I'll bring the 3030 and my Contax RTS III just to be
sure. I can't let go of film completely. I don't think I ever will.

Thanks again,

Joe
joe catizone said:
Joe Catizone said:
Greetings! I am brand new to this forum but not to photography. I
am currently between cameras and just recently became aware of the
SD9. I have read all of the specs put out by Sigma and have read up
on the X3 technology. You people are the true critics. Please help.
I'v tried others Olympus E20n not happy. Still shooting with
Olympus 3030. I know, Iknow , you can't be serious. But I have
taken some pretty good shots with this little point and shoot. I am
ready to move up to the big time in digital. Without spending a
fortune. Actually, looking at the Canon D60 as a potential buy.

Joe
--
Always aim for perfection!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Always aim for perfection!
Click to expand...
 
Ken N said:
If you want total detail and clarity in outside photos, go to
Steve's Digicam Review and check out the full size downloads of his
samples. Steve frequently takes the same photo of a building,
playground toys, etc. using each of the cameras he reviews. This
makes comparison testing very easy, and they're photos of things
that we would all take under circumstances that we all encounter.
The Sigma SD-9 blows them all away, and that includes the S2-Pro,
and the Canon's too. I would put the SD-9 up against the EOS 1DS
as well, but that's just my opinion. I don't own the SD-9, and
probably won't. It just seems too high priced for what you get.
One thing sure, the Foveon sensor delivers high resolution.
Anyways, if clarity is your thing and you're willing to pay the
extra bucks, the SD-9 is a good bet.
Click to expand...
Ken,

Thanks for the link, I will check it out before I do anything. I am on my way to the airport in an hour headed for the west coast. Maybe while I'm there I'll hit a few camera shops and actually get to hold the SD9. If not, I will vist Sigma's facility here in NY when I return, since it's only 3 miles from my house. I'll keep you informed of my findings and final decision. Thanks for the sound advice.

Joe

Always aim for perfection!
 
Ho joe,

You just canspend the money, not only for the body, but for all other gear too, just once.

TH eSD9 is a real waste of money, you will find out looking very carefully at all resolution charts, looking at the camera settings used in comparison with ehich camera settings could have been used.

The D60 seems to be not longer in production, the D100 is nice, but well you will find out yourself, well I do hope, as the toatal system will drain your account heavily.

A very hapy ... owner.

Well those on this forum will see me as a troll, but they are the trolls themselfs, trying to find as many people doing the same stupid thing and buy a SD9.
 
jacques said:
Ho joe,

You just canspend the money, not only for the body, but for all
other gear too, just once.

TH eSD9 is a real waste of money, you will find out looking very
carefully at all resolution charts, looking at the camera settings
used in comparison with ehich camera settings could have been used.

The D60 seems to be not longer in production, the D100 is nice, but
well you will find out yourself, well I do hope, as the toatal
system will drain your account heavily.

A very hapy ... owner.

Well those on this forum will see me as a troll, but they are the
trolls themselfs, trying to find as many people doing the same
stupid thing and buy a SD9.
Click to expand...
Jacques,

You are a troll

--
Regards,
Gavin
Canon Pro90IS, B-300 Canon Pro 70
 
This week's edition of the British Journal of Photography ("the professionals weekly") is - how can I put it? - not exactly enthusiastic about the SD9 or its picture quality. The D60 seems to have been discontinued.

I'd suggest a Fuji S2.

RIL
Joe Catizone said:
Greetings! I am brand new to this forum but not to photography. I
am currently between cameras and just recently became aware of the
SD9. I have read all of the specs put out by Sigma and have read up
on the X3 technology. You people are the true critics. Please help.
I'v tried others Olympus E20n not happy. Still shooting with
Olympus 3030. I know, Iknow , you can't be serious. But I have
taken some pretty good shots with this little point and shoot. I am
ready to move up to the big time in digital. Without spending a
fortune. Actually, looking at the Canon D60 as a potential buy.

Joe
--
Always aim for perfection!
Click to expand...
 
After big disapointment I sold my Nikon D100(didn't wont to waste my time for fixing images, custom curves downloading).
I was really considering SD9 , but Fuji S2 won with both hands!
Actualy, why don't you read Nikon-Fuji-Canon forums and you will
see who has the most complains. I think that would help.
 
Joe, like you, I have a very good consumer 3mp digital camera.
I can and have sold shots taken with it, and with the 420ex, it is
just a flat out nice consumer grade camera. G1 by the way. You
have to learn the camera tho. Understanding that any such
change means starting the learning curve over is pretty basic.
I have always needed more zoom, and tend to walk around at full
zoom most of the time. I almost got the D7 because of the
lens. Not enough improvement to justify the cost. I still need more
zoom, and I am looking at the SD9 also. Here is the
killer. I can buy this camera with a quality 50-500 lens for
about 200 more than the cost of one of the other bodies. Price
a Canon, Nikon, or Fuji with a 50-500 lens that is not a Sigma
lens. It kind of puts things in a different light all together. I will
most likely buy the SD9 with the 50-500. If the trade shows
bring out anything interesting, that might yet change, but
I dont think so at this point.
reanimator said:
After big disapointment I sold my Nikon D100(didn't wont to waste
my time for fixing images, custom curves downloading).
I was really considering SD9 , but Fuji S2 won with both hands!
Actualy, why don't you read Nikon-Fuji-Canon forums and you will
see who has the most complains. I think that would help.
Click to expand...
 
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
 
SD9 with 50-500 as of today's best prices, $2200.
I woulde not use a jpg mode on a 2mp consumer camera.
I don't use red eye flashes.

No focus assist light on any of the present DSLR's has ever been shown to be worth the time so far. I prefer flash with Ir assist myself.

Been limited to a usable ISO 100 for the last 10,000 images or so, so why is 400 so limiting?

Locked into lenses I can afford? Still trying to figure the down side to that complaint!

You are right. Better image quality. Better price. Cheaper lenses. Pro RAW setup. The line really does change when you look at it that way!
Mike Ditta said:
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a
D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with
the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
Click to expand...
 
and continues - D100 today's best best prices with 50-500 lenses - $2325.

I was using a well established photo retailer (B&H) for comparable pricing, but, as you can see, the "discount" houses are out there for the D100 as well.

The option to use JPG and Tiff are an option which are the media management tools of many photographers.

Don't use "red-eye" flashes ... a little condensing IMO, but ... at least you have something if you need it. Of course you will get the EF-500 DG Super SA for $200 and get those close, family shots that would have been missed because you wouldn't use "red eye flash".

On the contrary ... the focus assist lamp on the D100 works EXTREMELY well. Of course it is like the landing light for a 747, but it definitely works. You should try it.

Why be ,limited, expand your potential .... or not. But if the limitation wasn't there, maybe you would know why the higher ISO is offered by the other DLSR's.

The D100 will accept Tokina, Tamron as well as Sigma and Nikon. 4 choices rather then 1. Once again, options available with the D100 (and others), not available on the SD9.
Just my observations .... as you can see, rwo sides to every window.
Bob Williams said:
Mike Ditta said:
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a
D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with
the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Mike
 
Yes but think about how much more you get with Sigma.
Mike Ditta said:
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a
D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with
the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
Click to expand...
--
http://www.lightreflection.com
 
Oh Bob...You are just biased (and don't like soft images). You probably own 2 SD9's and sleep with one, just in case!
i
Bob Williams said:
Mike Ditta said:
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a
D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with
the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.lightreflection.com
 
Naw, the time of year when the other part of my life rules
all is just past. As soon as the finances get healthy again,
and some of the expected announcements are more clear, then
I will most likely be buying the SD9. I hunt with bow, muzzleloader,
and with a camera. The G1 is a pretty nice tool, but unposed
nature is not it's strong point. Wait till summer and I will invite
ya over for a day on the boat shooting the cranes and other
water birds. Hopefully I will be ready to shoot the same without
using the film cameras.
rick decker said:
Mike Ditta said:
But, offering another point of view ... consider the price of a
D100 with the Sigma 50-500 lense... $2897, and compare the SD9 with
the Sigma 50-500 .... $2697.
Then consider:
no built-in flash
no JPG or Tiff capabilities
no built-in AF assist
ISO limited to 400
locked into Sigma mount only offered by Sigma

Well, the bottom line may become blurred just a shade.
--
Mike
Click to expand...
--
http://www.lightreflection.com
Click to expand...
 
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