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The Sigma SD1 was an APS-C DSLR that featured the then-new 15MP (times three) Foveon X3 sensor. Previous models, such as the SD15, had 4.7x3MP sensors with a 1.7x crop, so this was a pretty big jump in resolution as well as a move to a more common sensor size. Foveon sensors capture color in a completely different way than Bayer sensors, with each 15MP layer capturing a primary color. Thus, 45MP of total data is captured at 15 million locations, to give what the company claimed was equivalent to a 30MP Bayer sensor.
Other features on this SA-mount camera include an 11-point ‘twin-cross’ AF system, 3″ 460k-dot LCD and a weather-sealed body. The SD1 was originally announced in 2010 with an MSRP of $ 9,700 but the company then emphasized that it expected it to have a ‘street price’ nearer $ 7,000 by the time it hit the market in mid 2011. Early the following year, the camera was renamed the SD1 Merrill and relaunched for a more down-to-earth $ 2,300.
As with all Foveon ‘X3’ sensors, while the SD1’s low ISO resolution was great, image quality fell apart quickly as the sensitivity climbed.
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For those who wanted to carry around something a bit more ‘classy,’ Sigma released a model with a burl wood veneer, which was priced at €10,000, at least in Germany, where it was announced. The body was described as ’emphasizing the camera’s premium appeal by adding a casing made from Amboyna Burl, an expensive and decorative veneer taken from complex growths on a Southeast Asian tree. The case takes around 60 hours to cut, mill and polish.’ Wow.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)