Sigma SD15 user reviews

Marlen Karakushi 19 February 2012

Comment: hi folks im a very fan of sigma becuse is japanese & they are very serius of making stuf . since i see your rewiews here i wanted to ask if the sigma UC ZOOM lens 70-210mm 1:4-5.6 of older film sigma SA-300 are compatible with sd14/ or sd15 ???
any help i apresciate very very mutch

photogenius_uk 2 January 2011

Good: User revirews

Bad: Expert reviews

Comment: I am confused ! How can the difference between the expert reviews and user reviews differ to the extremes you show??? I would like to actually have an image (of highest resolution) to actually see for myself who is correct - the two opposite views cannot both be right! Anybody feel like taking the trouble to send me the highest possible quality image for me to get the real low-down and make my own mind up? I'd be very grateful?

Edward Garcia 6 September 2010

Good: It's hyper-realistic photo output

Bad: It doesn't try to appeal to lazy photographers

Comment: The Sigma SD15 is not a camera for everyone. It's not geared towards the causal shooter that needs preset menus with icons featuring babies, fireworks, mountains, face, face with star behind it, etc.
The Sigma SD15 would be best described as a digital film camera. It is meant to be shot in Raw format. When used only to shoot jpegs, there is nothing really special about it. Just a normal digital picture, not distinguishable from the countless other cameras out there. When used as intended by Sigma for Raw, then you can see what you spent your money on.
The amount of detail and clarity is incredible. Raw on Sigma is truly high definition photography. It can capture the "peach fuzz" on sunflower stems. It can pick up individual eyelashes and let you count them if you are so inclined.
I don't understand why reviews focus on features that really have no point on a photo camera. So it doesn't do video? From what I have read, video from digital cameras never really gets good marks anyways. The reviewers always say you should buy a camcorder if you want to shoot good video. It doesn't have live view? Last I checked my 15 came with a viewfinder. How much more "live" than that do you need? I doubt Ansel Adams switched his 4x5 to live view to capture El Capitan. By the time you're done composing on a screen, you probably missed your picture. Spotty autofocus? The Leica M9 at 7000$ body only doesn't even have have auto focus period! Or video, or birthday cake options.
What you get when you purchase a Sigma camera is a unique photographic tool that produces stunning images provided you know how to operate a manual camera. You have to do the work. You have to make an effort and therefore are rewarded with an image that exceeds conventional digital images.
You can easily enlarge the Raw files to 11x4 with no loss of quality. How people enlarge over 4x6 in the first place? If you're going to make wallpaper rolls out of your images, the you know you need different software to enlarge to such proportions.
The screen works fine to show you what you shot and that's it. Nobody does post production on camera. You import it to your computer and fix your images.
Also, why does it need to shoot both Raw and jpeg at the same time? Isn't it the same image just times two?
Personally, I think it's a genius camera. It does what I need it to do. It takes amazing pictures.
I think if this camera was reviewed under the terms it was meant to be used on it would have a much higher score.

ChuckL 3 September 2010

Good: Best, truest colors. Best native sharpness. Best overall image quality.

Bad: Nothing that I can find.

Comment: I'm SO tired of these uninformed, quick and dirty reviews of a truly unique and wonderful digital camera system. Any review of the Sigma that doesn't once mention that it is designed primarily to shoot RAW images is far from a serious review.

I chose Sigma over all other DSLR systems years ago when the SD9 came out, and I now own the SD14 and SD15 and I haven't regretted it a bit.

The color, sharpness and overall camera operation is perfect for what I shoot. I don't need all the extra bells and whistles offered by Nikon, Canon and the rest. Speed, aperture, ISO, white balance and basic AF will get you any shot you want, and Sigma's Foveon sensor will supply the truest colors and sharpest images you could hope for. And those colors and sharpness will translate well at any enlargement size, contrary to your review's claims that it's "only" a 4.6 meg image.