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Sigma SD14 Digital Camera —
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva;">The Sigma Sd14 is a digital single-lens-reflex with interchangeable lenses. On first impression the Sigma SD14 is a big clunky camera; wider and taller than the Canon XTi, and XSi, and much much bigger than the Panasonic G1. However, it doesn’t feel extremely heavy which makes me think that it’s mostly plastic. It does give the overall feeling that it was designed for people with big hands, but in practice, while a fist-full, the controls fell nicely under my fingers—a comfortable grip that balances well. The 2.5 inch LCD screen, 150,000 pixels, is coarse and barely adequate for seeing the histogram and exposure info. The stop-down preview button is excellent, as is the QS (quick-set) button which makes it easy and fast to alter ISO, Format, and White Balance. The viewfinder is very clear and bright, and I really like Sigma’s choice of placement for the Drive and Mode Dials at top. I was surprised at how well-dampened the camera was for vibration and noise.
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva; min-height: 16.0px;"> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva;">Image quality: Highly detailed, rich, nuanced color. Usually amazingly beautiful. Even stunning at times. I find myself wowed by its quality, depending on the lens. The Foveon sensor loves light and I found a big difference in the midtone tonalities just by adjusting from ISO 200 to 100. In sunlight at ISO 100 midtones are silky-smooth; but shooting at ISO 200 on an overcast day produced big, ugly, blotchy noise patterns in the midtones and shadows. (Here the Sigma DP1 is superior at ISO 200 and even 400.) Limiting oneself to shooting at ISO 100 especially when the camera lacks image-stabilization (only available in certain Sigma lenses) is annoying. Hopefully noise issues will be fixed with the new TRUE II processor in the Sigma SD15. <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva; min-height: 16.0px;"> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva;">My gripes: Autofocus isn’t always accurate; the “C” Dial (command Dial) collar surrounding the shutter release is WAY too stiff for single-finger pressure to change aperture/shutter speed/exposure-override combinations which require pressure from thumb-at-the-back and turning the dial at front. It felt awkward. (The design of the Canon Rebel series or the Panasonic G1 is superior in this respect.) The SD14 dial seems like it was designed for someone wearing gloves, which is strange because the camera is not weather-sealed for extreme temperatures. And processing shots is VERY slow. About 5-to-7 seconds (!) to save a RAW file, and if you shoot a burst of six-shots in RAW it takes a whopping 40 seconds to process all of them (30 seconds for JPEG burst). And while it’s processing the camera is disabled. If you shoot one, then another, as “single-shots” you may not feel the pinch until you exceed the sixth shot. This is NOT the camera for sports or photo-journalism. <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva; min-height: 16.0px;"> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva;">All in all, the Sigma is the “only game in town” if you want the Foveon sensor quality. (I find the Sigma DP1 to be faster at processing RAW files than the SD14.) Would I buy it again? Yes. The quality of its stunning images is unsurpassed (IMHO) but I’m definitely looking forward to improvements in the SD15.
Sigma SD14 Digital Camera is recommended by richmond
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Best Price $550.00 or Buy New $704.98
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