Sigma ended the week by officially unveiling its flagship medium-format DSLR, the SD1. First introduced late last summer, the camera now sports a 46-megapixel sensor thanks to the three layers, each rated at 15.4 megapixels. The SD1 is alone in using Foveon’s 23.5×15.7mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor.
The camera also sports dual Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine (TRUE) II image processing engines for faster processing and subtler color tones. It’s also the first Sigma camera that can shoot RAW and JPEG format images at the same time. RAW images can be shot in full, half or quarter size.
As the sensor uses three silicon-embedded layers of photo detectors, there is no color moiré generated so low-pass filters are not needed. The optical format has a 1.5x focal length. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 6,400. An 11-point autofocus system has a shifted twin-cross type sensor for improved accuracy. It can accommodate Type 1 CF cards and has UDMA compatibility.
The camera sports a magnesium alloy body sealed with O-rings. A three-inch, 460,000-pixel LCD provides the previews. The body is compatible with over 40 Sigma SA-mount lenses.
The camera ships early in June and carries a large $9,700 sticker.
