SD10 vs SD9

By  Pegasus

　

Preface

For those who know me already know that I am a fan of Foveon X3 sensor technology.

The reason that I mention Foveon instead of Sigma is that, I am a technology follower and not a name brand follower.

That is also the reason that I chose Sigma SD9 over the other brands as my first DSLR.

　

So……why is the X3 sensor so intriguing to me? Before I got the SD9, I have been using a Minolta Dimage 7 for quite a while for quick and dirty web and special effect purposes.

　

 I always found that digital cameras, including DSLR, Prosumer and Consumer DCs were not able to come close to the traditional 135mm film, needless to say the 120mm medium format that I am accustom to.

　

When I first learned about the X3 technology, I was immediately amazed.

 Finally, someone was able to simulate the film concept in the digital world.

　

The X3 sensor works in a very similar fashion as film, it has 3 layers of sensors, one of each R,G and B color,

 that is exactly the way how the film works, 3 layers of light sensitive layers for R,G and B.

I will not go into the technical details on how the X3 sensor work ass the information at www.foveon.com and www.sigma-photo.com are a lot more comprehensive than what I can provide.

　

When I first saw the sample images taken by the SD9, I was stunned and knew immediately that this is the camera for me.

 I must mention that I have test drove just about all available DSLRs in the market before I made this decision.

I have never in my life, seen this the kind of sharpness, details, resolution and natural color from a digital camera.

　

 Prior to the purchase, I knew the short comings of the SD9 such as limited ISO range, noisy at high ISO, inability to produce Jpeg straight from the camera, need of 2 sets of batteries, etc. However, the picture quality makes up more than the short comings of the SD9.

Without boring you with further details on the SD9, lets move on to the center stage, ladies and gentleman,

 I am proud to present the first Sigma SD10 in Hong Kong.

　

　

The Body

I am honored that Sigma Hong Kong was kind enough to make the special arrangement for me to have the first SD10 in Hong Kong. I have always had good relationship with Sigma Hong Kong, and they know that I am a big fan of their products.

　

The SD10’s body is largely the same as the SD9 with the same mechanical specification such as frames per seconds.

The control is almost the same. The major change that any SD9 old timer would immediate notice is, there is no need for the CR123A batteries.

　

All operations of the camera are supported by 4X2A batteries. Because of this new arrangement, the battery life would also be shorten, but not by much. I was able to shoot 800 frames with casual viewing on the LCD, using a battery grip with 8X 2100mah 2A batteries,

 now I am getting about 650-700 with the SD10.

　

 I would highly recommend using rechargeable CRV3 and if you must use 2A batteries, then the Panasonic 2100mah and 2000mah work best with the SD10 and SD9, they are also recommended by Sigma Hong Kong.

　

 I have had problems with the Sanyo 2100mah before.There is also a small change on the body, without further need of CR123A,

the grip is now a bit smaller and where a normal size full grown male hand index finger will lay on a notch for better gripping.

In this connection, the body itself is also a bit lighter but I also found the construction to be more sturdy.

　

I have noticed that the SD10 shutter release to be a little lighter than the SD9.

However, I still recommend the use of the mirror lock up function for longer handheld exposures.

　

 The SD10 AF is noticeably faster than the SD9, especially in low light situation even when compared to the latest 2.0x version of the SD9 firmware, it is still a tad faster.

　

　

The Picture

Many say, a picture is worth a thousand words, to me it is worth a lot more as I am not good at expressing myself with words. I found that my camera is a very good tool for communication. Before I purchased my SD9, I have compared the pictures of just about all DSLRs in the market. I have even compared to cameras that cost almost 6 times as much as the SD9 and still find it hard to beat.

　

The comparison that I saw which really amazed me was at www.outbackphoto.com where a comparison of the Canon D60, 1DS and Sigma SD9 was carried out. The result of the comparison is for you to judge and my vote of course went to SD9.

　

What influenced me most to get the SD10 was not the improvement in resolution and details as there was no improvement at all in this area over the SD9. I found that the SD9 already performs very well in this area. I do expect the new breed of Sigma Pro DSLR to excel in this area. The SD10 uses an improved version of the Foveon X3 7X3-C9110 Pro 10M CMOS Image Sensor.

　

The major changes was the use of micro-lenses which allow the sensor to achieve higher ISO and less noise. In addition, the SD10 also improves in better accuracy in white balance and more vibrant colors.

　

The following pictures provide a comparison of the same picture taken at different ISOs.

These pictures were taken at the roof of my apartment.

While I took these pictures, I also noticed that the SD9 tends to under-exposed by 0.5 stops.I have also confirmed this with a light meter.

The SD10, however, is very accurate.

　

　

The Flash

I used to use the Sigma EF500 DG Super for the SD9, and I noticed that there are times that the TTL is not very accurate and manual adjustment was required. Although the flash worked fine on the SD10, however, Sigma has released a new flash for the SD10,

the EF500 DG Super SA-N which significantly improved the TTL accuracy.

　

 In addition, the wireless off camera flash function now works the way that it should. Now I am using a combination of the old and new flashes that give me fantastic results.

　

　

The Software

Sigma has done a very good job with their RAW conversion software, the Sigma Photo Pro. Now, with the 2^nd version,

the noise reduction is further improved. In addition, the Xfill light function provides exposure adjustment as much as +/- 2 stops.

The improvement over 1.X is quite substantial. In short, the Sigma Photo Pro 2.0 is a very capable digital darkroom and it can work wonders. Most of my pictures require very little adjustment in Photoshop at all.

　

　

Conclusion

The SD9 is a very good DSLR which can give the most expensive DSLR a good run of the money. However, it is not an easy camera to use as the learning curve is rather steep. But, once you get the hang of it, you will absolutely love the camera and it would become a very useful tool.

　

Now that SD10 has taken care of most of the shortcomings of the SD9, it is a more capable camera. It performs very well even in extreme conditions such as low light and high ISOs. The learning curve for SD10 is much flatter than the SD9 which makes it, in addition to the strength of the SD9, a fun camera to use. It is the DSLR of my choice at any price, well until Sigma release the next pro DSLR.

　

　

　

　

　

　

SIGMA   SD9      ISO100   70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0080 s (1/125)

　

　

　

　

　

SIGMA SD9       ISO200     70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0040 s (1/250)

　

　

　

　

SIGMA SD9       ISO400       70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0020 s (1/500)

　

　

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SIGMA SD10       ISO 100       70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0080 s (1/125)

　

　

SIGMA SD10               ISO200         70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0040 s (1/250)

　

　

　

SIGMA SD10       SD10 ISO400        70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0020 s (1/500)

　

　

　

SIGMA SD10     ISO800       70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0010 s (1/1000)

　

　

　

　

SIGMA SD10     ISO1600    70.0mm, f/13.0, 0.0005 s (1/2000)

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

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