Sigma Corporation
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
, flashes
Flash (photography)
A flash is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light...
and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
factory in Bandai
Bandai, Fukushima
is a town located in Yama District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 3,931 and a density of 65.86 persons per km². The total area is 59.69 km².-External links:*...
, Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Although Sigma produces several camera models, the company is best known for producing lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.
Sigma produces products to work with cameras from Canon
Canon Inc.
is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, camcorders, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.-Origins:...
, Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
, Pentax
Pentax
Pentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
, Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta
is a Japanese manufacturer of office equipment, medical imaging, graphic imaging, optical devices, and measuring instruments. It is headquartered in the Marunouchi Center Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with a Kansai office in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Olympus
Olympus Corporation
is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
and Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, as well as for their own cameras.
Sigma lenses are usually less expensive than the equivalent offering from the manufacturer of the camera body in question, so are therefore often sold bundled with a camera body as a less expensive alternative to the manufacturer's body and lens kit.
Sigma also makes lenses under the Quantaray name, which are sold exclusively by Ritz Camera. Similarly, Sigma lenses were sold exclusively by the former Wolf Camera, but following the merger of Wolf and Ritz, both brands can be purchased.
Sigma's digital SLRs
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
, the SD9
Sigma SD9
The Sigma SD9 is a digital SLR camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. The camera was launched at the Photo Marketing Association Annual Show on February 18, 2002. It was Sigma's first digital camera, and was the first production camera to use the unique Foveon X3 image sensor, which...
, SD10
Sigma SD10
The Sigma SD10 is a digital SLR camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It was announced on October 27, 2003 and is an evolution of the previous SD9 model, addressing many of the shortcomings of that camera...
, SD14
Sigma SD14
The Sigma SD14 is a digital single-lens reflex camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount which takes Sigma SA lenses....
and SD15
Sigma SD15
The Sigma SD15 is an updated version of Sigma SD14 DSLR produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan and featuring the improved TRUE II image processing engine, but with the same image sensor as its predecessor. As such, the SD15 features the 14.7MP Foveon X3 sensor...
are unusual in their use of the Foveon X3 image sensor
Foveon X3 sensor
The Foveon X3 sensor is a CMOSimage sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. and manufactured by National Semiconductorand Dongbu Electronics....
. All use the SA
Sigma SA mount
The Sigma SA mount is a design of lens mount designed by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their single-lens reflex camera designs. The SA mount uses a bayonet mount which is physically similar to the Pentax K mount but uses a flange focal distance of 44 mm, identical to that of the Canon...
lens mount
Lens mount
A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a photographic camera body and a lens. It is confined to cameras where the body allows interchangeable lenses, most usually the single lens reflex type or any movie camera of 16 mm or higher gauge...
.
The Sigma DP1
Sigma DP1
The Sigma DP1 is a high-end compact digital camera introduced by the Sigma Corporation. It features a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor , a fixed 16.6 mm F4.0 lens , a 2.5” LCD and a pop-up flash...
and DP2
Sigma DP2
The Sigma DP2 is a high-end compact digital camera introduced by the Sigma Corporation. It features a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor , the same sensor used in its predecessor, the Sigma DP1 and in the Sigma SD14 DSLR, a fixed 24.2mm F2.8 lens , a 2.5” LCD and a pop-up flash.With its predecessor, the...
, high-end compact P&S cameras, also use the Foveon X3 image sensor
Foveon X3 sensor
The Foveon X3 sensor is a CMOSimage sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. and manufactured by National Semiconductorand Dongbu Electronics....
, which gives them a much larger sensor than other cameras of this type.
Cameras
Sigma has made a number of film SLRSingle-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
cameras, including the SA-300, SA-5,SA-7, and SA-9. They have recently released the Sigma SD15
Sigma SD15
The Sigma SD15 is an updated version of Sigma SD14 DSLR produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan and featuring the improved TRUE II image processing engine, but with the same image sensor as its predecessor. As such, the SD15 features the 14.7MP Foveon X3 sensor...
, the successor to the Sigma SD9
Sigma SD9
The Sigma SD9 is a digital SLR camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. The camera was launched at the Photo Marketing Association Annual Show on February 18, 2002. It was Sigma's first digital camera, and was the first production camera to use the unique Foveon X3 image sensor, which...
, Sigma SD10 and Sigma SD14
Sigma SD14
The Sigma SD14 is a digital single-lens reflex camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount which takes Sigma SA lenses....
, all of which use the Foveon X3 sensor
Foveon X3 sensor
The Foveon X3 sensor is a CMOSimage sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. and manufactured by National Semiconductorand Dongbu Electronics....
.
During Photokina 2010, Sigma announced their new flagship DSLR camera, the SD1. SD1 features a new 46MP Foveon X3 sensor with 1.5x crop, as opposed to the 1.7x crop of previous models..
All Sigma SLR and DSLR cameras use the Sigma SA mount
Sigma SA mount
The Sigma SA mount is a design of lens mount designed by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their single-lens reflex camera designs. The SA mount uses a bayonet mount which is physically similar to the Pentax K mount but uses a flange focal distance of 44 mm, identical to that of the Canon...
, which is mechanically similar to the Pentax K mount
Pentax K mount
The Pentax K mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK mount", is a lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs since...
and electrically an adaptation of the Canon EF lens mount
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
lens control system.
Sigma also produces high-end compact digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s, the Sigma DP1
Sigma DP1
The Sigma DP1 is a high-end compact digital camera introduced by the Sigma Corporation. It features a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor , a fixed 16.6 mm F4.0 lens , a 2.5” LCD and a pop-up flash...
and Sigma DP2
Sigma DP2
The Sigma DP2 is a high-end compact digital camera introduced by the Sigma Corporation. It features a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor , the same sensor used in its predecessor, the Sigma DP1 and in the Sigma SD14 DSLR, a fixed 24.2mm F2.8 lens , a 2.5” LCD and a pop-up flash.With its predecessor, the...
, using similar 14 MP Foveon X3 image sensors to that in the Sigma SD14
Sigma SD14
The Sigma SD14 is a digital single-lens reflex camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount which takes Sigma SA lenses....
DSLR.
Lenses
Sigma makes autofocusAutofocus
An autofocus optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus fully automatic or on a manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has to be done manually until indication...
lenses for the Sigma SA
Sigma SA mount
The Sigma SA mount is a design of lens mount designed by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their single-lens reflex camera designs. The SA mount uses a bayonet mount which is physically similar to the Pentax K mount but uses a flange focal distance of 44 mm, identical to that of the Canon...
, Canon EF
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
, Nikon F
Nikon F-mount
The Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35 mm SLR cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three lug bayonet mount with a 44 mm throat and a flange to focal plane distance of 46.5 mm...
, Minolta
Minolta AF
The Minolta Alpha camera system was a collection of photographic equipment from Minolta. The system used a lens mount called A-mount, with a flange focal distance 44.50 mm. The new mount was larger than the older SR-mount making old manual lenses incompatible with the new system...
/Sony α, Pentax K
Pentax K mount
The Pentax K mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK mount", is a lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs since...
and Four Thirds
Four Thirds System
The Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera design and development.The system provides a standard that, with digital cameras and lenses available from multiple manufacturers, allows for the interchange of lenses and bodies from different...
lens mount
Lens mount
A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a photographic camera body and a lens. It is confined to cameras where the body allows interchangeable lenses, most usually the single lens reflex type or any movie camera of 16 mm or higher gauge...
s. Each lens may not be available in all mounts, and may lack certain features (such as HSM) on certain mounts. There have been some complaints of quality control and assurance issues of lens manufacturing.
Designations
- ASP — AsphericalAspheric lensAn aspheric lens or asphere is a lens whose surface profiles are not portions of a sphere or cylinder. In photography, a lens assembly that includes an aspheric element is often called an aspherical lens....
lens elements - APO — ApochromatApochromatAn apochromat, or apochromatic lens , is a photographic or other lens that has better correction of chromatic and spherical aberration than the much more common achromat lenses.-Explanation:...
ic lens element(s), originally for "Advanced Performance Optics", not necessarily apochromatic - OS — In-lens "Optical Stabilization", analogous to Nikon VR or Canon IS
- HSM — "Hyper-Sonic Motor", either in-lens ultrasonic motorUltrasonic motorAn ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
or micro-motor, analogous to Nikon SWM (AF-S) (ultra-sonic or micro-motor), Canon USM (ultrasonic or micro-motor), Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony SSM (ultrasonic motor) or Sony SAM (micro-motor), etc. - EX — "Excellence", EX-finish, high performance series.
- DG — "Digital Grade", coatings optimized for DSLRs, full-frame as well as APS-C, also usable on 35mm film SLRs
- DC — "Digital Compact", lenses for DSLRs featuring APS-CAPS-CAdvanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives...
size sensors, only - DF — "Dual Focus", lens features clutch to disengage focus ring when in AF mode
- HF — "Helical Focusing", front element of lens does not rotate (useful for polarizing filters and petal lens hoods)
- RF — "Rear Focusing", lenses employing rear-focusing, no length changes during focussing, no rotating front elements
- IF — "Inner Focusing", length of lens does not change during focusing, no rotating front elements
- UC — "Ultra-Compact"
See also
- List of Nikon compatible lenses with integrated autofocus-motor
- List of digital camera brands
- Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)