The new FFF has some stiff competition

dellaaa wrote:

I was just thinking of the recent crop of 60MP + cameras that will be coming out soon (Leica fpL) alonng with the constant postponement of the FFF and it dawned on me is it possible that FFF will not be able to compete with these new high MP Bayer cameras, hence the reason for the delay and eventual scrapping of the project?

Sigma announced they scrapped the initial attempt at the FFF and restarted from scratch. They then introduce a 60 MP Bayer camera. Maybe after some in depth analysis, Sigma concluded that the Foveon advantage is no longer that big an advantage and the much more versatile 60M Bayer sensors have put the final nail in the coffin.

Let's face it, Foveon cameras are a niche camera in a niche camera market. In their day they were outstanding and still produce beautiful images under very limited conditions. I shoot my Fuji XPro2 effortless at very high ISOs with great results, something impossible with my SDQ and SD1.

Sadly, unless there is a huge breakthrough I'm thinking we have seen the end of Foveon. What do you think?

I think not. Sigma is just getting started with Foveon technology. At 20 MP per layer it will have more than four times the pixels vs. the first Foveon sensors, and those offered enough pixels to print pretty large (bigger than most people print the vast majority of their photos).

Until the Merrills, the cameras with Foveon sensors were never the resolution leaders, but people still bought them and loved them. Now that the megapixel race is basically over, and those who really want more pixels are just a small group, I think the 60 MP sensors will remain the top performers in the full-frame world. At 20 MP per layer, Sigma's FFF sensor will be close in its ability to capture detail, which may actually establish Foveon as a real competitor, when it comes to all but low light photography. Then, when Sigma finally introduces a full-frame Quattro, Foveon will really step out into its own, and offer L mount photographers something they just couldn't get before, and I think Sigma will sell a lot of FFF Quattro cameras.