Sigma SD10 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Pros:

1. The software, especially the "fill light" function will let you quickly massage even your badly exposed pictures.

2. The great resolution.

Cons (I'm spending more space on these because Sigma's text waxes eloquent on most the pros (and they're not lying)):

1. The software. The SD10's only format is a proprietary RAW format, so you need to run everything through their raw converter before you do anything else with it.

2. The kit lenses are OK, but not great. The 18-50 in particular is vulnerable to a lot of chromatic aberration. If you're going to shoot with EX-series lenses (and you really should), you might as well just buy the body.

3. Low light performance is not stellar. ISO 800 is practically unusable, and ISO 400 is dicey.

4. The buffer is not huge, and the write speed is slow. The camera will take only 6 high-resolution shots in burst mode, and after that it can take more than a minute for the camera to recover.

All in all, however, this is a great camera, and if you get it you're likely to one-up all those folks buying digital rebels.


An Amazing Camera   January 28, 2004
32 out of 35 found this review helpful

First off I want to say this is an Amazing Digital SLR.. the picture quality is outstanding.. if your in the market for a pro level digital slr you can't go wrong especially with the 2 lenses that were designed for this camera..

On another note.. amazon's features list is wrong.. the camera doesn't accept xd memory and it doesn't come with a 32 meg card.. its a compact flash format camera.. i'd recommend a 512 meg or higher CF card as it fills up quickly at its highest resolution.. my old 64 meg CF card can take about 6 pictures on its highest resolution.. i've ordered a 1 gig card i'm just waiting for it to ship now..


Possibly the best Digital SLR Camera ever !   December 25, 2004
MM TAUHIDUR RASHID (Ethiopia)
28 out of 30 found this review helpful

I first read about Foveon X3 two years ago. Long before reading about the X3, I always wondered why we had to be content with 25% Red, 25% Blue and 50% Green on an Image Sensor -- why not 100% of all colours? However, business was booming for all Digital Camera companies despite the fact that there wasn't really a CCD that could be seriously taken till the X3 arrived on the market. I knew instantly, the SIGMA-Foveon joint venture would break through a newer kind of Digital Photography, so I decided to wait. I skipped SD9 when I realized Foveon was working on a combined 10MP X3 Chip.

The wait was worth every second! I ordered the SIGMA SD10 with the standard twin Lens Kits (18-50mm F3.5-5.6 and 55-200mm F4-5.6) and separately ordered a 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC Lens. I wish SIGMA had packaged the kit with at least one F2.8 large aperture Lens. Anyway, I will give my 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 to a friend who just bought a NIKON D70 with a NIKOR 18-70mm Lens.

I have not yet received my shipment from AMAZON, but have had the chance of using my friend's SD10, including the SIGMA Photo Pro software and some sample X3Fs and some of my own. The RAW format of SIGMA has some outstanding advantages over the JPEG type of files. With a RAW file, you will feel like as if you're truly dealing with a "Negative", whereas the JPEGs will feel like "Polaroid" shots -- equivalent to getting prints from a Camera. SIGMA should never revert to traditional file formats and stick to this great RAW format which allows the best possible artistry with digital negatives.

I know why NIKONs, CANONs and other brands won't want to use X3 -- they want to maximize their profits by using their proprietory CCDs no matter how badly they compare to a superior product. I think they are also complacent that their "devoted" customers will not change sides because of their famous names. But I can tell you, there would be a lot of migrations now towards the X3 and SIGMA -- those popular brands have already compromised their quality by not developing something equivalent to X3.

Well, I have used NIKON, CANON, Fuji and the rest --- but to tell you the truth, SIGMA is like a Rolls Royce of a Camera. They have only two Models, but they speak volume of quality and they are also the only sellers of X3 sensors at the moment.

So, if you want to experience something quite special and differnt than the rest, then SIGMA is the only option currently available --- I suggest, you give it a try to judge for yourself.




This camera is past it's prime   September 19, 2005
K. Gullicksen (Menlo Park, CA)
28 out of 36 found this review helpful

The review "A great camera with a few drawbacks, February 26, 2004 Reviewer: A customer (St. Paul, MN USA)" is exactly what I would have written a couple of years ago when I first bought this camera. In the right conditions, especially landscape and close up photography you can produce some really spectacular images. Indoor family snapshots with this camera are no better than average, but never-the-less adequate. Overall I got some great use out of the camera.

The problem is that the world has passed this camera by. Cameras in the same price range offer superior images in a broader range of conditions with none of Sigma's drawbacks. Besides those mentioned by the other viewer (poor low light performance, mediocre lenses if you buy the kit), the fit and finish of the camera isn't up to the standards of first tier manufacturers. Documentation is poor. The camera is highly susceptible to vibration, so it takes some practice to learn how to take sharp images without a tripod in less well lit situations. All those quirks could be forgiven if it were not for one fatal flaw: the image sensor is extraordinarily susceptible to dust and debris whether it finds its way inside the camera or results from small bits of the shutter mechanism. Sooner or later you will have this problem if you buy this camera. The aficionados who all hang out at the dpreview forum seem less bothered by this than I do -- they become experts at using sensor brushes and cloning out spots with Adobe Photoshop CS2. My problem was a little worst than usual and has been difficult to fix. It has taken 4 repair shops. #3 was the Sigma factory in NY -- nice folks, but totally incompetent.

Overall I liken this camera to a vintage British roadster. It has some distinctive qualities that keep the fan clubs alive, but the world has moved well past it. You can buy superior performing cameras in the same price range like the Canon 20D with none of the drawbacks. My one star isn't because I'm not happy with the great images I produced with this camera, it is because I have lost patience with it and moved on to the better products that are now available.


Great quality and easy to use controls   March 7, 2004
stan marshall (canton, oh United States)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful

Sigma has a winner with the Foveon chip. Excellent images and far superior to ordinary chip cameras. The best feature of the camera itself, in my opinion, is the ease to which to operate the controls. The controls are very intuitive compared to the other 4 or 5 digitals I have owned or operated. Simplicity is the secret, not a lot of "junk" that will never or rarely be used. I was a professional photographer in the 80's and 90's and always found other digitals too complex even for someone with a comfortable knowledge of photography. The only negative I have found in the month and half I have owned the SD-10 is battery usage. You have the option of using rechargable AA or the CRV-3 batteries. With the AA, I get intermittent operation, something Sigma stated was characteristic of Metal Hydride batteries, especially if new. I'm a little skeptical of that assessment. I did just purchase the CRV batteries to try them. The only other issue I have is that I try to use the camera in a professional setting and there is not a way to get the flash off the camera. I purchase the Sigma DG 500 Super, which is a great flash if you don't need it off the camera. I bought the pc adapter and use it with a Metz 60ct2 flash. It would be nice if they (or someone) would produce a TTL cable or compatable flash. Overall I'm very happy with the camera and hope that more compatable accessories follow.