SIGMA SD14 / SD15
Reviews and photo examples regarding SD14 / SD15.
Table of contents
Gallery
Review
SD14 was released in 2007 and SD15 was released in 2010, a Sigma digital camera equipped with a second generation Foveon sensor.
Digital camera. The number of recorded pixels is 4.5 million pixels x3, and the actual pixels are 4.5 million pixels, but with JPEG recording and SIGMA PhotoPro, pixels can be combined and output with even higher pixels. Personally, I don’t use it because it takes a long time to process and it looks more created than a real image.
Unlike the SD9/10, this is a digital camera with a completely newly developed body, and I think that since the release of this camera, Sigma has gained some recognition among the public as a digital camera manufacturer. Before that, it was a camera that only enthusiasts knew about.
There are four differences between the SD14 and SD15: recording media, rear LCD, camera data buffer size, and image processing engine. Please see the specifications for the differences.
One of the improvements of the SD15 is that the buffer memory capacity is twice that of the SD14*1, and the ability to shoot 21 frames even when shooting RAW is what made it possible to shoot a certain number of consecutive shots when photographing a hawk at Shirakaba Pass. It was a pleasure.
*1: Source: Digital Camera Watch.2010 article
It is said that the image processing engines are different, but although I have not made a strict comparison with the same subject, I did not notice any difference as long as I processed RAW data with SIGMA PHOTO PRO (SPP).
Four years have passed since the SD10, and the EPSON R-D1 has become my favorite camera, and I hardly ever use the SD10, so I sell it at some point, get rid of the lens, and become estranged from Sigma. I remember it being released around the same time. The SD14 was released at a time when digital cameras were in full swing, and the LEICA M8 was released in 2006, and my personal photography was now centered around Leica M mount cameras. Still, I bought the SD14 when it came out and tried using it, but I ended up selling it after only using it for the hawk crossing at Shirakaba Pass. Looking at the photos taken at that time, the images taken after the SD10 have a sense of resolution, but the colors and contrast do not feel unique like the R-D1 or Leica M8, so the camera itself has become ordinary. I couldn’t find the motivation to take pictures of everyday scenes. If you make proper adjustments with SIGMA PHOTO PRO (SPP), you might be able to get a unique flavor, but SPP itself is difficult to use, so I couldn’t push it that far.
I bought the SD15 during the “falcon migration” season at Shirakaba Pass, but I ended up selling it and wasted my time buying it back the following year. I think it was also influenced by the fact that the main camera at that time was Sony’s last pure single-lens reflex camera, the α900.
If the SD15 had come out at the same time as the SD14, it might have been a little different, but the SD15 was a camera that I never really got to use, so it doesn’t leave a particularly strong impression on me.
As I was writing this, I happened to search for a used product and found that the SD14 was sold for just under 30,000 yen. Since I didn’t have a SIGMA-SA lens on hand, I ended up ordering a 24mm F1.8 HSM for a total of just under 50,000 yen. I’m well aware that nostalgia doesn’t outweigh practicality, but as I was sorting through my old photos, I felt like using the SD14/SD15.
I recently used the SD14 for the first time in a while, and the shutter sound is nice and I feel that its performance is sufficient for city photography that doesn’t require continuous shooting. However, I still have some problems with the viewfinder. First of all, the viewfinder is close to 100% of the sensor size, so when you look through the viewfinder, it feels very small. Someone once said, “It’s like looking into the bottom of a well.” It’s a strange thing to say.
Personally, I feel that the SD10 sports finder is preferable. Also, when using the same wide-angle lens as the SD10, it is difficult to see the peak of focus, which seems to be due to the use of a flat matte for AF with less undulations.
Also, if the SD14’s AF has high performance, this won’t be a problem, but the SD14’s AF becomes questionable when the amount of light in the surroundings becomes insufficient.
The camera displays a focus mark in the viewfinder, but if I trust this and release the shutter, I may end up with an out-of-focus photo.
When I looked into this finder, I felt that it resembled a finder somewhere, and after searching my memory, I realized that it was similar to the finder of a Four Thirds camera, Olympus, or E-1.
The sensor size of the SD14 is 20.7 x 13.8mm, and the Four Thirds sensor is 17.2mm x 13mm, and the height direction is almost the same, so I don’t think this assumption is all that wrong.
Also, the year 2007 when the SD14 was released coincided with the release of the Four Thirds camera Olympus E-3, and if Olympus had chosen this Foveon sensor at that time, the history of digital cameras would have changed slightly. It’s interesting to imagine historical what-ifs.
Specification and Compare
| Items | SD9 | SD10 | SD14 | SD15 |
| Camera Effective Pixels | 10.29 million pixels (2,268 x 1,512 x 3 layers) | ← | 14.06 million pixels (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers) | ← |
| Camera mount | SIGMA-SA baynet mount | ← | ← | ← |
| Image sensor | FOVEON X3®(CMOS) 20.7×13.8mm | ← | ← | ← |
| Back LCD | 1.8-inch Low-temperature polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor 130,000 pixels | ← | 2.5-inch 150,000 pixels | 3-inch 460,000 pixels |
| View Finder | Pentaprism type single-lens reflex viewfinder | ← | ← | ← |
| Battery | Main 2 x 3V lithium batteries (CR-V3) 4 x AA Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries 4 AA nickel batteries Sub 3V lithium battery (CR123A type 2 pcs.) | 2 x 3V lithium batteries (CR-V3) 4 x AA Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries 4 AA nickel batteries | Lithium-ion battery (BP-21/BP-22) | ← |
| Record Media | Compact flash Micro drive | ← | Compact flash | SD-card(SDHC) |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 152 × 120 × 79 | ← | 144 × 107 × 81 | ← |
| Weight(g) | 805g (Ext battery) | 785g (Ext battery) | 700g (Ext battery) | 680g (Ext battery) |
| Release date | Year 2002 | Year 2003 | Sep.2007 | Jun.2010 |
Options
- Vertical grip・PG-21
- All Sigma SA mount lenses
Reference links
- Live action report of SD14 by Digital Camera-Watch
- New product review of SD15 by Digital Camera-Watch
Update
- 2024.02.12:Update
- 2023.02.12:First draft
Affiliate Link
- Some external links are advertisements and clicking them may generate income for the site administrator.
