Provia_fan
Senior Member
Well where can I start....
I waited way too long to get one,this camera is from 2003 and I just recently bought one. I own both a Minolta 7D and a Fujilm S3 pro along with the Sigma.
I only rated the features at 3 because it has less features in relation to others, but this camera does not really need any more. It is a totally no nonsense camera and this really helps you concentrate in picture taking.
Image quality on the whole is excellent going down to good at ISO800 (with carefull processing). Knowing how to process your images with this camera is essential and my impression is that many reviewers don't know how to do this and will rate this camera low. My advice is, use the camera and see for yourself. I have used mine for press work (yes, something that many deem impossible) and it takes excellent images with excellent sharpness even with average lenses. But couple this camera with some very good lenses, the image quality is outlandish. Ignore the pixel count too, with the 3.4 MP of this camera you can print some very good A3 up to A2 prints. This sensor is not your usual sensor. Another excellent gimmick of this camera is that if you remove the hot mirror you got an instant infrared camera.
I don't think I can live without this camera even though I have another two very good cameras; it just offers something the others can't.
Problems:
None really. I get what I expect from the camera and many times much more. On another note:
Well, mine was bought second hand, and upon cleaning the sensor, I found out that mine had a scratched sensor.
If you do end up buying this camera these days, it will surely be second hand, so don't forget to give it the dust test as this test will also reveal scratches (waddayaknow, I didn;t do this test).
Just stop down the lens to its smallest aperture and take a picture aiming at the sky or preferrably to a smooth bright white surface. Review the image, it should reveal any dust or scratches on the sensor.
For most uses a scratch or two in the sensor won't be visible but if you do intend to work with very small apertures, they will be very visible.
I waited way too long to get one,this camera is from 2003 and I just recently bought one. I own both a Minolta 7D and a Fujilm S3 pro along with the Sigma.
I only rated the features at 3 because it has less features in relation to others, but this camera does not really need any more. It is a totally no nonsense camera and this really helps you concentrate in picture taking.
Image quality on the whole is excellent going down to good at ISO800 (with carefull processing). Knowing how to process your images with this camera is essential and my impression is that many reviewers don't know how to do this and will rate this camera low. My advice is, use the camera and see for yourself. I have used mine for press work (yes, something that many deem impossible) and it takes excellent images with excellent sharpness even with average lenses. But couple this camera with some very good lenses, the image quality is outlandish. Ignore the pixel count too, with the 3.4 MP of this camera you can print some very good A3 up to A2 prints. This sensor is not your usual sensor. Another excellent gimmick of this camera is that if you remove the hot mirror you got an instant infrared camera.
I don't think I can live without this camera even though I have another two very good cameras; it just offers something the others can't.
Problems:
None really. I get what I expect from the camera and many times much more. On another note:
Well, mine was bought second hand, and upon cleaning the sensor, I found out that mine had a scratched sensor.
If you do end up buying this camera these days, it will surely be second hand, so don't forget to give it the dust test as this test will also reveal scratches (waddayaknow, I didn;t do this test).
Just stop down the lens to its smallest aperture and take a picture aiming at the sky or preferrably to a smooth bright white surface. Review the image, it should reveal any dust or scratches on the sensor.
For most uses a scratch or two in the sensor won't be visible but if you do intend to work with very small apertures, they will be very visible.