Its body-only dimensions are a tank-like 144x107.3x80.5mm. With 24-70mm lens screwed onto the front however it's like you're hefting a couple of bricks. Deceptive, because the camera actually weighs a not inconsiderable 680g without attached glass. Without lens attached, the SD15 feels deceptively lightweight, yet solid to the touch. Sigma claims the shutter release mechanism will last 100,000+ captures, so plenty of opportunity to capture that winning shot. This solid pairing could be conceivably the only set up the keen amateur may need, though they will have shelled out nearly £1600 for the privilege. A polite way of saying they can look a little soft.įor the duration of our test period we were also supplied with a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG Macro and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens, available from around £300 and £400 respectively the telephoto zoom stabilised to avoid blur at longer focal lengths. Certainly it delivers images with a different look and feel than we are used to, with subtle tones and shading that makes shots appear less obviously digital and in fact a little more painterly. Or to get more scientific, by utilising its three silicon-embedded layers of photo detectors, stacked to take advantage of silicon's ability to absorb red, green and blue light at different respective depths, Sigma claims it reproduces colour more accurately than conventional sensors. To combat this the Foveon chip features a unique three-layered pixel configuration - one layer for red light, one for green and one for blue. While conventional (non-Foveon) sensors are good at detecting the intensity of light, they miss a lot of colour information claims Sigma. Sigma's not so secret weapon, and to be honest its DSLR's main selling point, is the Foveon X3 CMOS sensor at the heart of the SD15 and its predecessors. So why should one take a chance and opt for the SD15 over what Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony could offer for the same price from their respective ranges? It's only Sigma's fourth DSLR since 2002, which seems like 100 years ago in the fast-moving world of digital photography.Įven after all this time, Sigma's system still feels untried and untested. While that may sound pricey and such a delay foreboding, it's worth recalling that its predecessor was launched at around £1,100, and the SD15 can now be picked up for a more realistic £780 online. The 14.06 effective megapixel SD15, which succeeds 2006's SD14, was mooted over a year ago but has only just made it to market at a suggested £900, body only. Sigma's three other DSLRs to date - the SD9, SD10 and SD14 - have enjoyed a mixed reception, falling short on delivering on the promise indicated at the time, and simply puzzling many. In practice it's worked out less smoothly for this plucky underdog. Back in 2002 Sigma decided that, since it already had optical expertise, why not partner with someone who can provide the requisite sensor technology, cut out the middleman and bring out its own class leading DSLR? Sigma's expertise and renown is in providing good value lenses and accessories to Canon, Nikon and Sony digital SLR users who don't want to fork out top dollar for those maker's own branded products. The Sigma SD15 is available now for around £900 / $989. Other key features of the long-awaited SD15, which was first announced way back at Photokina 2008, include the True II processor, a 3 inch, high-resolution 460k dot LCD screen, extended ISO range of 50-3200, 77-segment AE sensor, a continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second for up to 21 RAW images, and a 100,000 exposure shutter life. The Sigma SD15 is a new DSLR camera which utilises the the same 14.06 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor technology as its predecessor, the SD14, and the company's range of premium DP-branded compacts.
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