SIGMA SD9

Reviews and photo examples regarding SD9.

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Gallery
Review
Specification and Compare
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Gallery

The lens used was the APO-LANTHAR 180mm F4 Close Focus SL

Review

When talking about SD9, it connects with SD10, so I used to have it on the same page, but since I collected the junk SD9 in 2023, I started a new page. This is why there is some overlap in content.
The junk SD9 was still junk, and I couldn’t get a decent image out of it, probably because the sensor was dead or the circuit was dead.

SD9 is a digital camera equipped with Sigma’s first generation Foveon sensor, released in 2002 and SD10 in 2003.
Sigma equipped the SD9 with a Foveon 3-layer sensor from Foveon (later acquired by Sigma and made a subsidiary), which other companies had not touched.
The unique depiction produced by this 3-layer sensor created sigma enthusiasts, and I think the image quality is still sufficient even today with the SD9/SD10. In particular, when taking pictures of landscapes or birds with clear boundaries that required color separation, the unblurred images were a clear departure from the 6-megapixel images that were equipped with low-pass filters at the time.
The actual pixels are 3 million pixels x 3, but it was possible to output even higher pixels by compositing with SIGMA PhotoPro.
The viewfinder seems to have been borrowed from the film camera SA-7, and was a 35mm full-size viewfinder with the peripheral area masked, so-called a sports finder. I’ve heard some complaints about this method, but I personally found it useful to be able to see things that aren’t visible.

As time progressed and sensors with higher pixel resolution and Bayer sensors without low-pass filters came out, I started to think that I didn’t need to be so particular about Foveon (still, when comparing photos of the same subject, Foveon has better color separation) ), but I used all the previous Foveon sensor machines.
Anyway, this camera requires a lot of patience in terms of operational response, and SIGMA PhotoPro is a software that requires patience when it comes to developing it after taking pictures.
I think it’s thanks to this camera that I don’t have to worry about using a slightly slow camera anymore.

The SD9 required four AA batteries to drive the camera, two CR-V3 batteries, and two CR-123V batteries for camera control, making it a difficult camera to use as a power source. . In particular, if the voltage of the AA battery used to drive the camera was less than 1.5V, the camera would hardly function, so nickel-metal hydride batteries with a battery voltage of 1.2V were almost useless.
The solution is to use a disposable CR-V3 lithium battery or a rechargeable CR-V3.
Many rechargeable CR-V3s have battery voltages exceeding 1.5V, and there is concern about damage to the camera board.
The SD10 no longer requires CR-123V, but the main battery problem remains.

I bought the SD9 at Yodobashi Camera in Ueno right after its release. At the time, there didn’t seem to be many people who wanted to buy this camera, so I received a business card from the person at the camera store. I contacted Yodobashi Camera Ueno from time to time due to problems with the power supply, which will be described later, but due to the number of problems, it became too troublesome to go through the dealer, so I ended up communicating directly with Sigma. Since it was a Sigma SA mount camera, it was difficult to obtain interchangeable lenses, so I remember buying it online from a camera store in Osaka.

The Sigma SA mount was compatible with the Pentax-K mount in shape, although the flange back was different, and M42 mount lenses could be used via the Pentax K-M42 adapter. There is a 1.5mm difference in flange focal length between the SA mount = 44mm and the K mount = 45.5mm, but many of the old M42 mount lenses were over-inflated, so focusing was rarely a problem in practice.
I was also able to use the Penta-K mount lens with the SD9/SD10 as long as there were no interfering objects such as an aperture lever.

Shortly after the release of the SD9, a hobbyist released an SA-M42 mount adapter (CSM42), which allowed you to use an M42 lens with the correct flange focal length.
The one on the left in the photo below is a LEICA R-VISO mount adapter 14167 whose Leica-R mount part has been modified to M42.I bought it secondhand, but with this, the LEICA VISO lens can be used with the SIGMA SD series. became. I used Elamar 65mm Viso, Hektor 125mm Viso, etc. in the SD series.
Some people released SA-NikonF mount adapters, and there was a time when they used NIKON AI 85mm/F1.4. This adapter uses the external claw around the mount, which is only available on the SD9 and SD10, so it cannot be used with cameras after the SD14. The external claw of the SD9/SD10 is an option that Sigma itself did not use, so I think it can be helped that it is discontinued, but it is a shame that the Nikon-F adapter can no longer be used.
There was also a plan to convert the SA mount of this camera to a CANON-EF mount, and I invested a small amount, but the plan fell through and my investment was returned. It was an idyllic time that is unimaginable today.

SIGMA-SA/NIKON-F mount adapter

SIGMA-SA/M42 mount adapter

I tried to develop SD9 images with SIGMA PhotoPro 6.8.2 on my Mac for the first time in a while to make this page, but could not do it due to an error. I think there are many SIGMA users who fell in love with the colors of the SD series but dropped out because of this software. I don’t know if DNG is equivalent to X3F, which is weird.

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