Sigma SD1M ... any users out there?

I have held camera at Yodobashi Camera. I have to say it is the best ergonomic SLR or dSLR I have ever held. As for the senor/ picture quality I have no idea.
 
FA Limited said:
as much as i am against the SD1M, for the price of all DPMs you could get a SD1M and some decent lenses especially on adapters .... the lack of live view is pretty disappointing though, to me the Merrills are tripod cameras
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I have had the dp2m since around maybe around the beginning of year and the dp1m about 3-6 weeks after that (never had greatest memory). In that time I have put it on a tripod less than maybe 20 times. I would venture to guess I am probably over 95% using these cameras hand held.

Like any other camera whether film or digital, just because u are using lower iso, does not mean u need a tripod. Of course u are going to get much sharper pictures if u use a tripod, but I am getting good enough sharpness hand held.

Anyway, tripods are not my style. I known Jon and others uses a tripod. I am willing to loose some sharpness..

Not sure why everyone assumes that these cameras are tripod only cameras. In b&w, I have no problem shooting at iso 1600.

Anyway each to their own.
Gary
 
for high resolution photography the extra accuracy of high magnification live view has been a real boon though.

very slight defocussing actually DOES matter. you can see it at f8 @ 10m if you are looking at 10x view. depth of field is great and all but controlling the plane of best focus is really important to getting optimal results from an iq standpoint.

honestly before I heard there was no live view I would have said to go ahead and get one if you like the output and do a mount swap to F so you can have both the new Sigma primes as well as Zeiss, Leica R, Olympus, etc glass for when you want a proper helicoid to take advantage of your high resolution capability. with no live view, what's the point exactly?

I do not personally believe that relying on AF systems with their inherent slop is a good way to go about deliberate photography where you are investing the time, money and effort to get critical sharpness.
 
redisburning said:
for high resolution photography the extra accuracy of high magnification live view has been a real boon though.

very slight defocussing actually DOES matter. you can see it at f8 @ 10m if you are looking at 10x view. depth of field is great and all but controlling the plane of best focus is really important to getting optimal results from an iq standpoint.

honestly before I heard there was no live view I would have said to go ahead and get one if you like the output and do a mount swap to F so you can have both the new Sigma primes as well as Zeiss, Leica R, Olympus, etc glass for when you want a proper helicoid to take advantage of your high resolution capability. with no live view, what's the point exactly?

I do not personally believe that relying on AF systems with their inherent slop is a good way to go about deliberate photography where you are investing the time, money and effort to get critical sharpness.
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Some interesting points.. But dslrs for the longest did not have live view and manual focus was achieved thru the prism.. Granted the focusing aid of most dslr via manual focus prisms are pretty bad especially if u have the astigmatism that I have.

My preference is actually evf w/ both mag and peak focusing available. I doubt that given my poor eyesight I can use manual focusing, so I will have to depend on the af on this camera.

The mag on the LCD of the dp Merrill's works very well.. Btw.

Gary
 
Gary,

I dont know how bad your eyesight is, but I have a bit of issue getting cameras 100% focused with RFs and matte screens. close enough to place the plane mostly where I want it, with a few exceptions. I still mainly shoot RF because its much easier for me to get any focus in low light with one.

anyway, live view is great for me since I look at it with both eyes which helps me. but even with the above, I get better results than AF which is like a sad joke except on particularly well aligned lens / camera combinations.
 
I have been using the SD1M for about 3 months now. The people expressing opinions about terrible autofocus and poor handling have not used the camera, because it really is a fine handling camera. The body shape is probably the most ergonomic I have used in an SLR. The controls and menus are well thought out and give you everything needed and no more! Image quality is so good that you notice the slightest bit of focus error or camera movement. The lack of live-view doesn't bother me, because I used SLR cameras for 40 years without live-view - what's the big deal? Sigma makes some fine lenses in the SA mount, so that hasn't been a problem. I get all my gear on-line anyway, so it's never difficult to find what I need. If you have specific questions, let me know. ---john.
 
Legally blind w/o glasses or contacts. W/ contacts correctable 20/100 in left eye and 20/40 in right. 🙁

Gary
 
jbrubaker said:
I have been using the SD1M for about 3 months now. The people expressing opinions about terrible autofocus and poor handling have not used the camera, because it really is a fine handling camera. The body shape is probably the most ergonomic I have used in an SLR. The controls and menus are well thought out and give you everything needed and no more! Image quality is so good that you notice the slightest bit of focus error or camera movement. The lack of live-view doesn't bother me, because I used SLR cameras for 40 years without live-view - what's the big deal? Sigma makes some fine lenses in the SA mount, so that hasn't been a problem. I get all my gear on-line anyway, so it's never difficult to find what I need. If you have specific questions, let me know. ---john.
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Thanks John. Keith started this thread for me due to a thread in the advance compact other forum.

My list of questions
- af speed compared to other dslrs
- any comments about
-- 30 f1.4
-- 35f1.4
-- 50f1.4
- what lenses do u recommend?
- how is the battery life?
- have tried removing the dust protector (doubles as ir filter) to do some ir photography?

Thanks again
Gary
 
jbrubaker said:
The people expressing opinions about terrible autofocus ... have not used the camera
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I dont recall anyone saying that about the SD1? we had a comment from an owner of an earlier model who was unhappy, however.

jbrubaker said:
Image quality is so good that you notice the slightest bit of focus error or camera movement. The lack of live-view doesn't bother me, because I used SLR cameras for 40 years without live-view - what's the big deal?
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well, your first point is exactly why you want live view, especially with something like a 10x zoom in.

your second point, given that logic you must shoot lenses without AF, auto diaphragm, linkages to the meter, multicoating, weather sealing, impact resistant bodies and front elements, etc. because lots of people used cameras for 40 years without any of those things, so they must not be a big deal, either, right?

seriously this camera is a high resolution solution, and high resolution systems require certain efforts to utilize enough to justify their ownership. there are some tools which have really helped out in regards to simplifying the process which the camera lacks.

it is true that MFD cameras do not have live view. but people complain about that actually, and a ton of owners shoot tethered to check critical focus on the spot. a lens that is well focused but not the greatest is better than a monster focused poorly when it comes to IQ.
 
GaryLH said:
Thanks John. Keith started this thread for me due to a thread in the advance compact other forum.

My list of questions
- af speed compared to other dslrs
- any comments about
-- 30 f1.4
-- 35f1.4
-- 50f1.4
- what lenses do u recommend?
- how is the battery life?

Thanks again
Gary
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Gary,

sorry to hear about your vision. Im in the -8/-9 category for r/l eye so I cant walk around the house without my glasses on lest I step on something since I cant make out my toes.

I can actually tell you about the 35 and 50 f1.4 lenses. I dont happen to own them myself, but I have a friend who recently purchased them and has shown me some high res samples. VERY impressive. I like those two a lot for resolution, Im less warm on the 50/1.4 overall but the 35/1.4 is a real legit yoloswag420 winner. both I feel are substantially better than the CaNikon offerings.

best lenses will probably always be stuff like the Zeiss 25/2 distagon, 135/2 Sonnar, the upcoming 55/1.4 distagon, the Canon 24 TSE-II, regardless of the sensor behind the lens.

maybe not helpful on the latter, but if youre considering the 35 and even the 50 1.4 lenses in ANY mount I highly encourage you to give them a go.
 
FA Limited said:
why did you bring the M9 into this? aren't we talking about DSLRs?
what features do you think on an SLR can be removed to save weight? a 6D albeit with a plastic body is lighter than the SD1
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My point was that the D800 may be a better camera than the M9, but I'd rather have an M9. There are other reasons to choose a camera other than feature lists.

I'm not saying the SD1 is better than the D800, spec for spec, it isn't, but the benefits of a very simplistic camera, for me, are more important than AF points, frames-per-second, etc...

I've not used an SD1, but used an SD15 extensively. If the SD1 is a merely a higher resolution/better high ISO version of the SD15, then it'll be an awesome camera.
 
FA Limited said:
as much as i am against the SD1M, for the price of all DPMs you could get a SD1M and some decent lenses especially on adapters .... the lack of live view is pretty disappointing though, to me the Merrills are tripod cameras
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I have to agree with Gary here regarding tripods .... I was quite prepared to use the camera this way if need be but after a couple of months of ownership I have yet to put the thing on a tripod. I have plenty of hand held images down around 1/15 sec that I'm totally satisfied with ... but I'm no sharpness junkie I must admit! 😛

I'm starting to find it a very enjoyable camera to use hand held and haven't yet bothered with a grip or accessory finder.
 
Image stabilization on many SA lenses makes it far less necessary to use tripod with the SD1 compared to the DPMs.
I have also read that the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens is truly stellar. The 24mm f/1.8 seems to be average.
 
FA Limited said:
i think it would be nuts to use any sigma camera as a full time camera including the SD1M. it's features are completely lacking even (like no live view, same slow write speeds, poor AF) to cameras a few years ago and getting sigma lenses is difficult. there is most likely almost no second hand market if you don't like the camera.

check out the DPR conclusion
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigmasd1/20
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Respectfully, I disagree with everything you're saying. My Zeiss Super Ikonta has no live view, write speeds are fast, but moving to the next frame is slow by digital standards, and the AF is rubbish.

Sigma lenses are easy to get, you just order them, same as anything else.

If you compare specifications (other than image resolution at low ISO), Sigmas are not so hot, but comparing specifications would reflect poorly on pretty much any camera that is popular on RFF.
 
I agree with thegman. The only thing I miss on the SD1 and DPMs is low noise at ISOs above 400. But I can even work around that much of the time.
For low light situations there are plenty of excellent, inexpensive alternatives. For example, the Panasonic GX1 is less than $250 new these days.
But be careful, if you try it, the Foveon sensor can quickly spoil to the point where you use little else!
 
Eric T said:
But be careful, if you try it, the Foveon sensor can quickly spoil to the point where you use little else!
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I'm a living proof of that. For me, DP2M is that good.

I rarely used anything above 400 with film (trix and portra). With Merrill I can always immediately switch to 800 or 1600 and shoot excellent quality B&W if needed, so I don't feel shortchanged at all, rather the opposite.

SD1 is not suited for my needs, though.
 
Some of my current thoughts...
- sd1 gives me access to lenses that I want
-- something wider than 28 and longer then a 75 equiv.
--- A dp w/ 21 or 24 and at least 100 would make getting a sd1 less likely
-- faster lenses are tempting
-- w/ my poor eyesight manual focus w/o mag view (evf or lv) not going to happen
- while af speed may not be as good as a Nikon dslr, it is phase detection so should be faster than the dp series
- has mirror lockup and remote shutter release (dp needs this)
- bulb setting
- can do ir (still debatable in terms of how good - 450 cost of converting a camera like xe1)
- CF instead of SD cards (for equiv size card slightly more expensive)
- built in flash (maybe good for daylight fill work)
- bigger battery (should be able to handle more shots)
- built in grip (I usually use a rrs grip normally around 160 on my dp Merrill)
- menu and UI setup similar but slightly different then the dp Merrill's
- compared to Nikon d600
-- about same size essentially
-- d600 weighs a bit more
- dp Merrill's are so much more compact
- given that I have already learned to live w/ the dp Merrill and I have Fuji x mount for everything else, the things that sd1 lacks, is not a big deal to me.
- foveon sensor is the big attraction
- noisier due to mirror and shutter
- weather sealed body

So at end of the day I am trading compactness for better lens selection and what should be faster af w/ potential added bonus of saving on over 600 bucks worth of work I would have eventually done such as rrs grip and the ir. if I do end up getting this camera, I plan to keep the dp Merrill's though. The only reason I am hesitating is the rumor about the announcements in q4 of this year about a dp4m/dpz...

Thanks everyone for your input and Keith for starting this thread for me. Please keep the input coming.

Gary
 
Gary,
I am impressed by the mirror slap on the SD1. It is dampened quite a bit. Perhaps even smoother than my Leica R8. Much smoother than a Canon 5D Mark II.
Eric
 
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