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[OM] Re: [OT] Re: Sigma SD10

Subject: [OM] Re: [OT] Re: Sigma SD10
From: Tim Hughes <timhughes@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 03:26:32 -0700 (PDT)
Richard wrote:  

     >>... miss a major point: Sigma DSLR pictures suck, and that's a technical 
term :-)

<<

    In general I can't tell any of these higher end cameras apart when looking 
at typical prints (unless WB is wrong), but I sure can see some photographers 
whose work I much prefer.  So as always, "its the photographer stupid" to 
paraphrase a presidential campaign slogan.  

    In general I agree with Skip's view , choose the camera based on handling 
auto-focus,lenses or other issues that are important to you, the sensors are 
likely all acceptable.   

     On the other hand as a technologist, I am interested in the the 
fundamental limits of things, and the Foveon sensor is something different from 
the rest of the pack, with a significantly different set of trade-offs.  It 
will be interesting to see if any of the big camera manufacturers use the 
Foveon sensors when the Sigma exclusive ends at the end of this year.  Cannon 
has a big investment in it's own chips and so has a big financial incentive to 
use it's in-house chips. Nikon might be a more likely partner. Olympus 
currently has close ties to Kodak getting some sensors and making some cameras 
for K.  The really big market is lower resolution phone cameras,but this is 
commodity stuff so tough to compete in. National Semi has Foveon IP rights for 
low resolution.

      A problem for Foveon is the off the shelf post processing chips are 
organized for Bayer interpolation, not  Foveon color orthogonalization. This 
makes it tough for the whole package to be as highly integrated, low 
power,cheap and fast as a Sony,Cannon or Kodak sensor chip set solutions.  
Foveon apparently uses an Arm processor and semi-custom hardware, but this lack 
of special hardware is probably why they don't save to JPEG as an option, and 
why the burst speed is not good. 

Richard, maybe if your Imagecraft ARM compiler is really efficent, you could 
trade them a copy for a free camera!

Tim Hughes




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