Sigma SD10 review

I've had my camera for a little while now and on the whole am very pleased with my purchase. Most people who are unhappy with the Sigma SD9 and SD10 bought them for the wrong reason (they didn't understand what this camera is optimized for).

The SD10 (and SD9) aren't Everyman's camera. Instead, they are a specialized tool meant for the photographer who wants the best possible color fidelity and resolution without paying the high 4-figure prices of the 12MP-to-16MP Canons and Nikons. Quite honestly the camera is slightly sharper than any 6 MP competitor and is as good or better than the 8 MP cameras recently introduced.

How is this possible? Well, when you realize that conventional Bayer-sensor cameras have a true resolution equivalent to the # of green pixels (50% green pixels for GRGB sensors, plus 25% red, 25% blue), so therefore conventional 6 MP cameras have slightly less resolution than the 3 MP Foveon, and 8 MP cameras have slightly better... but this is before you include the deleterious affect of the anti-aliasing filter (necessary for Bayer sensors) that further decreases the resolution. A lot of games have to be played (in software or firmware) to transform an incomplete image from a Bayer sensor into a full-color picture, and some detail is unavoidably lost.

Unlike a Bayer sensor-equipped camera, the SD10 can phtograph items that resolve literally to a single pixel wide on the sensor (like fine hair on an animal). I didn't believe this either, until I spent some time examining photos from the SD10 3.4 MP as compared to the Nikon D70 6 MP and Olympus E-300 8 MP cameras. Sure, the 8 MP Oly wins on specs... but one look at the test target photo here on dpreview.com and you can see that the SD10 is as-sharp or sharper (and the SD10 resolves about 20% further on the test target than the D70). It's this ability to resolve fine detail that sets the Foveon-equipped SD10 apart from the rest of the 6MP to 8MP field.

This camera thrives on good light and good lenses, and is especially well-suited for landscapes and studio photography, and for the avid photographer who understands the technical aspects of the craft. It's not hard to use, but proper exposure seems to be a little more critical with the SD10 in order to get the absolute best out of it. It is NOT the camera for the high-speed sports shooter who needs to fire a burst of a dozen photos at high ISO ratings in poor lighting conditions.

If you want a good general-purpose dSLR or you do a lot of high-speed multiple-shot work (like newspaper photojournalism) then you'd probably be happier with a Canon or Nikon offering. If you love exquisite detail and beautiful colors, if you're into landscapes, portraiture, or studio photography, or if producing beautiful photographs is more important to you than producing lots of photographs, then you should take a good long look at the SD10.

The Foveon is a better mousetrap, and if Foveon ever comes out with a full-frame Foveon sensor at around 10 MP of raw resolution (with the same pixel size they have now) they'll blow the doors off of EVERYTHING else out there... including some very specialized medium-format stuff. That chip would give 4x5 cameras a run for the money, and it would be superior to a 30 MP Bayer sensor-equipped dSLR.

Problems:

• You will need good AA rechargeable Ni-MHs that are properly conditioned, or rechargeable CRV3s to take several hundred shots on a single set of batteries. The camera literally eats alkaline AAs... good for an emergency for several dozen shots only. The supplied AC power adapter works well when you're close to an outlet (studio). (One of my projects is to make up a portable battery pack that I can hang from the tripod.)

• Sigma needs to flesh out the accessory line better. However, one really neat thing about this camera is the ability to obtain an SA-mount to M42 adapter, which allows you to use macro extension tubes and bellows as well as manual-focus lenses from such manufacturers as Leitz and Pentax. These older lenses are generally inexpensive yet they are some of the sharpest lenses every manufacturered. For instance, you can pick up a Pentax Takumar SMC 50mm/1.4 lens (a very sharp lens) for around $20, which effectively becomes an 85mm/1.4 lens (due to the 1.7x sensor magnification factor). What a great, cheap, bright portrait lens!