sigma

Sigma updates high-end 14MP compact camera

Sigma has announced the DP2, a high-end 14-megapixel compact camera and a follow-up to the DP1. It's almost identical to the DP1, in fact, except with a 41mm f2.8 fixed lens, compared with the DP1's 28mm f4.0 lens. It also incorporates Sigma's new True II image-processing engine for a performance boost over the DP1. It should be available in the spring of 2009. No pricing is yet available, but for reference, the DP1 can be had for around $699.

IBM launches 'Green Sigma' business consulting

Big Blue has devised a consulting service to profit from corporate initiatives to "go green."

IBM on Monday detailed its "Green Sigma" consulting practice for reducing energy and water usage at businesses by using networked sensors and data analysis software.

It's based on the Lean Six Sigma management strategy that was originally designed to focus on operational efficiency and customer requirements.

The idea with Green Sigma is to do an accounting of a company's water and energy usage, both at its own facilities and also its supply chain partners. IBM is piloting the method … Read more

Sigma releases another DP1 firmware update

Sigma this week has released another firmware update to its high-end compact camera, the 14MP DP1, which became available in March 2008. The firmware update, version 1.04, adds several improvements to the camera. The zoom buttons can now be customized to control other functions such as ISO. A feet indicator has been added to the display in MF mode. For more details and information click here.

We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the … Read more

Sigma's vaunted DP1 camera due soon--for $999

LAS VEGAS--Sigma announced its delayed DP1 camera Thursday, a high-end compact model whose unusually large image sensor is matched by an unusually large price tag.

The 14-megapixel camera likely will ship this spring for a retail price of $999, said a Sigma representative, Desiree Gaige, at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here.

The camera uses the same Foveon X3 sensor as Sigma's SD14 SLR camera. In comparison, compact cameras almost invariably have sensors that are much smaller and cheaper, but that are at least theoretically responsive for a given megapixel count.

The camera uses a 16.6mm f/… Read more

Sigma expands stabilized lens line

LAS VEGAS--Sigma, a third-party maker of lenses for SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, has expanded the range of Optical Stabilization (OS) lenses, those with a moving lens element that can compensate for camera shake.

Of eight mainstream lenses the Japanese company announced at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here, three new telephoto lenses include OS. (I'm not counting Sigma's 200-500mm f/2.8 super-telephoto behemoth as mainsream.)

The three stabilized lenses are the 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM, the APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM, and the APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM. … Read more

Sigma's big green monster telephoto zoom

LAS VEGAS--Riddle me this: What's green, is 28.6 inches long, weighs 34.6 pounds, and wears a custom-fitted hood?

The answer: a mammoth supertelephoto zoom that Sigma announced this week at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here. The product is geared for photographing wildlife, sports, and astronomical objects.

The lens, called the APO 200-500mm F2.8/400-1,000mm F5.6 EX DG, has a 200-500mm zoom range and an f/2.8 aperture that's very wide for this class of lens. It also comes with an extender that pushes the range to 400-1,000mm but reduces … Read more

Underexposed blog: links of the day

Camera Test: Nikon D300 - - PopPhotoDecember 2007 - Camera of the year for PopPhoto. Likes: low noise up to ISO 3200, great autofocus, included raw-processing software. Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G, tested on a Canon 5D - A rave review of Nikon's new full-frame, wide-angle zoom--on a Canon. Comparison to Canon 24mm prime lens and Sigma 12-24 zoom. Photo Business News and Forum: Nikon vs. Canon - A side-by-side comparison of the Nikon D3 and the Canon 1Ds Mark III, plus some closing words anticipating a higher-end D3x supposedly due in the spring of 2008. National Press Photographers Association objects to filming ban in national parks … Read more

Foveon still has a place in Sigma DP1

Sigma has delayed the release of its DP1 to revamp the high-end compact camera, but one thing that won't change is the Foveon sensor at its heart.

When Sigma said last week that it was changing the DP1's image processing "pipeline" to meet quality and performance goals and that the Japanese company "had to change some of the specifications that we had announced," I naturally wondered whether the changes might have evicted the image sensor.

Not so, according to Richard Turner, vice president of marketing and applications at the San Jose, Calif.-based start-up. … Read more

Sigma unveils two higher-end telephotos

Sigma announced two higher-end telephoto lenses this week for digital SLRs with smaller image sensors.

One has a range of 70mm to 200mm and the other 50mm to 150mm, but both have a large f/2.8 aperture for faster shutter speeds in lower-light conditions and a hypersonic motor for quiet focusing. The lenses are designed for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma SLR cameras.

The two lenses highlight the growing sophistication of technology for digital SLRs with sensors smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Though Canon and now Nikon sell full-frame cameras, the vast majority of models sold use less … Read more