Sigma?s 45 Megapixel SD1 Costs Almost $10,000

Sigma's SD1 probably costs more than your car

Sigma?s flagship SLR, the SD1, has finally gotten a price and launch date. The 45-megapixel camera will go on sale in June 2011, and will cost a rather dizzying $9,700.

So what do you get for that money? It?s mostly about the sensor, which is either 15MP or 45MP depending on how you count the pixels. Sigma uses Foveon sensors, which stack red, green and blue pixels on top of each other instead of arranging them in patterns on a flat plane. This gives accurate color info for each pixel site. Other (usually Bayer-patterned) sensors use complex demosaicing algorithms to interpolate (or guess) what color the pixels should be.

The other result of this stacking is that the 45 million pixels give an image with the same dimensions you?d get from a regular 15MP sensor. Another surprise is that this is a cropped APS-C sensor, not a full-frame one. This will make any 35mm lenses longer by 1.5x.

One look at Sigma?s sample images, though, shows why people will buy this thing. It is effectively a medium-format camera with the size of a chunky 35mm SLR. Of course, Sigma has picked the best to put in its gallery, but the sharpness, color gradation and overall feel of the pictures is silky smooth.

And that?s just as well, as the other specs for the body are pedestrian to say the least. The ISO only reaches 6,400, there are 11 AF points and the rear screen only has 460,000 dots (even today?s high-end compacts have 900,000 dot screens). The SD1 certainly isn?t for you or me, but there might just be some studio photographers out there with their credit cards at the ready.

SD1 sample images [Sigma]

SD1 product page [Sigma]

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Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/05/sigmas-45-megapixel-sd1-costs-almost-10000/

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