Sigma SD14 review

The SD 10 was my first digital camera. Compared with this camera, the SD14 is a step forward on many fronts: better and responsive AF, silent shutter, long living battery.

Concerning image quality, there is also made significant improvements : brilliant , luminous and accurate colors.
Also dynamic range is improved considerable.
Details are well captured, it's important to use lenses as good as possible. Although zoomlens can be excellent sharp, I prefer for optimum results primes, general given better contrast (brilliance) and deeper colors.

For best quality use 100 ISO, although up to 400 ISO is usable, noise is visible, but it's pleasant, looks like film grain.
Nonetheless an huge improvement over the SD10.
There is even a 1600 ISO setting, but I can't recomend this.
For best results exposure must be spot on or slightly over. Avoid underexposure, this will give dull colors.

Another point of attention is the white balance.
Best results gives AWB or gray card/Expodisc. Of the fixed settings only Sunlight can be recommended.

Compared with most other DSLR's buffer and writing speed are modest, although in my professional practice this is seldom a restriction.

For me this camera is a must have for landscape, architecture and nature photography, so in all situations were accurate, saturated colors, details and bridging light contrasts are important.
N.B. I only use RAW.

Problems:

The SPP3 (for Windows) software has on many PC's problems concerning speed. Sigma is aware of these problems, so there is hope this will be managed.

Be aware that the camera fires even without a memory card inside.