Buy Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Product Description:
- 14-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 20 x 27-inch prints
- 2.5-inch LCD display; RAW capture plus four JPEG recording modes (includes Sigma Photo Pro 3.0 software for RAW conversion)
- Dust protector, set off from image sensor, protects sensor from effects of dust
- Continuous shooting at 3 frames per second
- Stores images on CF Type I/II cards; powered by Lithium-ion battery BP-21
Product Description
Capture the beauty of the world around you with the Sigma SD14 14 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera. The image sensor captures pure, rich light efficiently and gives the SD14 its high resolution and richly graduated tones. The mirror lock-up mechanism raises the mirror thus preventing vibration when the shutter is released. This prevents camera shake, and is especially effective for macro photography. FOVEON X3 Direct Image Sensor (CMOS) - 20.7mm x 13.8mm - approx. 7-12x larger than the image sensors used in ordinary compact digital cameras Lens Mount - SIGMA SA bayonet mount Compatible Lenses - SIGMA SA mount interchangeable lenses Angle of View - Equivalent to approx 1.7x the focal length of the lens for 35mm cameras Manual & Auto Focus Fast & precise focusing with 5-point AF Shutter Speed - 1/4000 - 30 sec. + bulb (up to 30 sec.) Image Sensor Dust Protector High speed continuous shooting at 3 frames per second 3 metering modes - 8-segment Evaluative Metering, Center Area Metering, Center Weighted Average Metering Built-in Flash Hot shoe (contact X synchronization at 1/180 sec. or less, with dedicated flash linking contact) Storage (Not included) - CompactFlash (Type I/II), Microdrive (FAT32 compatible) Recording Mode - Lossless compression RAW data (12-bit), JPEG ISO Sensitivity - Equivalent to ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 USB 2.0, Video Out (NTSC/PAL) Li-ion Battery BP-21, Battery Charger BC-21, Optional AC Adapter White Balance - Auto, Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom Exposure - Program AE (Program Shift is possible), Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Manual 144mm/5.7 W 107.3mm/4.2 H 80.5mm/2 D & 700g/24.7 oz (without batteries)
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
73 of 80 people found the following review helpful.
By Newlpost
The SD10 had problems. The battery charge system was just weird. The camera was not up to the hype when light was poor. But the images with good light were stunning. So it was with some angst, sustained by a delayed product release, that I opened my camera SD14. Very early on I knew I had a problem in that the camera hung... motion? But I got off some really spectacular images before sending it to NY repairs. They got it back quickly. I suspect something loose.Well the images are simply wonderful. Just so you know, I have cameras at 5 & 6 times the price considered high end professional. I can get lots more pixels, but the color quality is not better.The real test was low light. All the digital cameras fail in low light. So just a matter of how bad. OK, something is new here. This camera is far better in dim light than the SD10. When it starts to fail to low light the images become blotchy - like camoflage - rather than sandy as the GRGB cameras tend.The SD14 X3F RAW images do well in Adobe's new Lightroom, and interestingly with the many controls for image modification in that program, there are none that set this camera aside (for punishment for being different).The SD10 used a 1 GByte card but did not take larger. I tested the SD14 on 1 Gig (mechanical IBM type) and on 2 Gig, and 4 Gig, and 8 Gig CFII cards. Though, beware, some cards do badly with certain cameras across the board. So, I cannot say that ALL CFII's are OK. But I was able to find cards that worked a large range of memory capacity.The camera saves images as RAW or JPEG. You can select two "color spaces", sRGB or AdobeRGB. I found that odd. Why not a 16 bit option? I suspect that is simply understood for RAW.The booklet that comes with the camera may be the clearest such booklet of any camera. There were a few minor areas where referring the user to other sources seemed lazy(C1----v C2----v C3----v for camera strobes might be obvious to those who have these but ought to be explained to those who don't and maybe might want to).Also the SD14 can shoot "tethered" - a huge fact that gets barely any mention other than an arrow pointing at the port. Those who do that, know, but maybe some need to learn how?The camera body is nicely shaped, the controls are very logical, and shooting is easy.There is something about the color. The SD10 drove me nuts because I had to charge batteries in shifts (they didn't all fit in the charger at once... grrrr). I almost dismissed this camera from that experience alone. The low light limits of the SD10 were also hard to take. But, that color. Seems even better in the SD14. It is not like other cameras. Just isn't. Very pleasing rich deep textural color.So, down side? Well Sigma is not a magnet for lenses made by other manufacturers. So you will probably be a Sigma all the way person. But the Sigma lenses I used were quite good and cost way way less than other brands. There is a specific flash kind for the flash shoe. So, maybe your current flash might not work? The built-in flash, does what built in flashes do.The SD14 battery system is quite nice. There is a built-in dust protector to assist lens swaps - very nice.Want to do very high end photography with a wide array of lenses without going broke? Look at this model.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
By K. Wolff
I own this camera and it is true that it isn't the most elegant body on the planet, nor is it feature rich. It struggles at high ISO settings and its LCD display is sub-par. The fps speed is slow and it takes a long time to write to the CF card from the buffer. You are stuck with Sigma lenses and I can't say that the 14.1 MP rating is s true 14.1 MP. But at the end of the day, when used for what it is intended - to take pictures - it produces the most beautiful and stunningly real, film like, dynamic, true color results. If you want features and functionality but lower quality pictures, go ahead and buy another camera, one without a Foveon sensor. If your after the best digital pictures available, shoot with the different cameras and review the results in a blind test. Chances are you will be a Sigma owner like me. That is what I did and I chose the Sigma.
57 of 66 people found the following review helpful.
By Brendan Getchel
I've owned the SD9 and now the SD14. The only two lenses I own for the SD are the Sigma 150/EX Macro and the 10-20/EX zoom. I shoot predominately Canon (1Ds/2, 1D/2, 30D and assorted lenses) but have a soft spot for the Foveon X3 technology, which produces a "look" that is difficult to replicate using a non-X3 "CFA" sensor (the type used in all other dSLRs).First, don't be caught up in the various hyperbolic statements by Foveon/Sigma marketing and X3 zealots. The SD14 is really a 4.5 (not 14) megapixel camera. Photographs are two-dimensional (flat) representations. An 8x10 photo is still 8x10 even when you stack three red, green, and blues ones on top of each other. The SD14 has "only" 4.5MP in an X/Y space, which is all that matters. It's *how* the SD14 captures each one of those pixels that gives it an advantage over cameras with similar resolution. When it comes to resolving detail, the SD14 is roughly equivalent to the current crop of 8-10MP digital SLRs, and due to the unique nature of how its sensor captures those details gives it an edge to some believers. I like to use the SD for macro and some landscape photography, but since my acquisition of the 16MP Canon 1Ds Mk2 the SD14 has gotten little use. The SD14 easily matches both of my 8MP 1D/2 and 30D for both genres of photography, and in some ways produces images more to my personal tastes, but the 1Ds is clearly superior (as it should be for an $8,000 camera body).If you like the unique results the SD14 is capable of, and your style of photography does not require advanced features like fast shooting, a high-performance AF system, and some other features found in most competing brands then the SD may be just the thing for you. Since landscapes don't run around and most macro subjects don't either it is perfect for these tasks -- especially at its current low price around $800. However, if your photography style is mixed and you may just as frequently find yourself capturing quick, fleeting subjects, or you need a deep buffer with a fast frame rate (ie: a responsive camera) then the SD14 is definitely NOT the body for you. The autofocus (AF) system is generations behind those in even the low end of modern dSLRs such as the Nikon D80 or Canon 40D, and leagues behind the current crop of high performance offerings like the Canon 1D or Nikon D3 or D300 series.In short, most 10MP cameras can and do offer more compelling features, etc with likewise similar image quality, but for a narrow set of parameters the Foveon-equipped SD14 brings a "uniqueness" to the image capture that no other camera can offer. If that is your primary criteria then I can recommend the SD14. Unfortunately, much of this advantage evaporates once the image is put to print.So, thumbs up if you're a landscape or macrophile. Otherwise the average customer would be better served by most of the more capable brands' offerings.
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