Why I chose the SD1M over an M9.

[Keith]

I was very close to getting an M9 because the outlay for a used example is close to what an SD1M and three decent SA mount primes will cost. The attraction of the M9 was it's file quality and the fact that I have a trio of Zeiss lenses in the cupboard in M mount.

I love the Foveon sensor's monochrome output but find the little Merrills rather limiting with their fixed lenses and clunky focusing, though you can focus them manually via the LCD when shooting from a tripod. I'd narrowed my options down to an SD1M and three lenses or a used M9 and was starting to favour the M9 until I compared the monochrom output from the two cameras. IMO the foveon sensor wins hands down and this was brought home to me when I compared what I was seeing in the thread I started for M9 black and white images and the foveon monochrome thread that has been running for some time.

There's an SD1M on the way from C R Kennedy here in Oz and I have one lens on the way that I stumbled over on eBay last night ... that being the 35mm f1.4. I'll add a 50mm f1.4 and 24mm f1.8 and I'll then have the three focal lengths (crop corrected) that I value the most: 35mm, 50mm and 75mm.

This is a decision I've been vacillating over for many months now and I'm pleased that I finally went with the Sigma ... having that incredible sensor in a reasonably small and light DSLR is going to be far easier than battling the DPMs and their quirks. I know the SD1M still has that god awful write speed and I'm not expecting the viewfinder to be up to the one in my D700 ... but the over all usability of the camera will be more in line with my personal needs. 🙂

 

[Bobfrance]

 

[sc_rufctr]

Good for you Keith. It sounds like you did your research. Enjoy!

 

[ricnak]

You know that I enjoy reading about your love/hate gear experiences. Please continue the good work.

 

[Keith]

You know that I enjoy reading about your love/hate gear experiences. Please continue the good work.

I think I have a bit of a love hate relationship with photography Helen, come to think of it I'm probably not alone there! 😀

 

[Sparrow]

Look, I don't think it ought to be blasphemy, just saying "Sigma"

 

[ChrisN]

All part of the learning experience!

 

[Keith]

All part of the learning experience!

True Chris ... and somewhere along the way I learned that the output from the foveon sensor is the one that suits me the best in the digital photography world. 🙂

 

[jarski]

nice! am using one generation older Sigma (SD15) with two zoom lenses. really like the files it produces, and been on fence for SD1M as well. would be nice to read user experiences, especially how the autofocus works on this camera (my complaint in SD15).

 

[johannielscom]

Hahahaha😀😀😀

 

[j j]

Keith: It's a very tempting camera and that 50mm is superb. The sensor records subtle atmospherics in a way that my Canon SLR rarely matches. Were it not for my favourite long lens being a Canon I would swap over to Sigma.

There's a guy on Flickr called Felix Wesch who does superb landscape and wildlife with a previous generation Sigma SLR. I recommend you take a look.

 

[yanchep_mike]

Keith, Your Money, you done research, your gig.

 

[sanmich]

perfect 😀

 

[noimmunity]

I think from now on we can economize enormously around here at RFF. At least 20-30% of comments here could be reduced to the pic from Bobfrance!

Great decision, Keith! I'm not sure it's the one I would make.

In terms of output, there's no question that the Foveon Merrill sensor has qualities that the M9 Kodak CCD cannot match. Resolution, detail, and depth of tonal transitions, to name a few. The Kodak CCD, however, is much more reliable across a wide variety of lighting situations, in my experience, in both color and mono.

But I do feel that the Foveon produces more startlingly beautiful images more often than even the Kodak CCD (which is so much better than most everything else out there from what I've seen).

 

[Keith]

.... but all I said was "This camera is fit for jehova!"

😀

 

[sanmich]

How does the sigma sensor compare to the MM?

 

[Keith]

Interestingly I think I have a slight preference for the colour of the M9 over the Merrill ... but I'm predominantly a black and white shooter so that was the deciding factor.

 

[Keith]

How does the sigma sensor compare to the MM?

I think the foveon monochrome and the output from the MM are very similar ... of course the MM has greater capacity at higher ISO's.

The advantage of the SD1M over the DPMs is lens speed of course ... I can get three SA mount primes all faster than f2 in 35, 50 and 75mm equivalents. Not to mention Sigma currently have a 24-70 f2 zoom in the pipeline ... due for release in a few months.

 

[dogberryjr]

And this is in camera monochrome, or are you relying on post processing?

 

[Keith]

And this is in camera monochrome, or are you relying on post processing?

Post processing.

The raw file is diplayed as black and white in the camera and in SPP when you set the camera to monochrome. You can revert back to the colour file in post if you choose. Although Sigma Photo Pro is rather limited in its functions it really is very good at processing the raw output.