Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

SD14 Was worth the wait. 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 ...

Publisher : Sigma Corporation
Company : Sigma
Our Price: $599.99
Used Price : $585.99

Features

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)

SimilarProduct

Customer reviews

SD14 Was worth the wait. by .. Newlpost (NJ)
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.

Isn't it about the picture? 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.

Best Image Quality for the Price by .. Michael J. James III ()
I own a Canon 5D and Nikon D3 and my Sigma SD14's image quality is on par with both of these cameras.

However,...

... it does have a few shortfalls. Such as:

1. In low light conditions,... shadows will have "blotchy" noise and speckles of magenta compared to the same shot taken with a 5D/D3 at the same ISO settings. This can even happen in daylight conditions where there is a very wide dynamic range. The SD14 will expose correctly for the image, but the deep shadows will at times fail to render details in the shadows and those blotchy/magenta characteristics will appear.
2. Poorer AWB in mixed lighting than the 5D/D3.
3. Small buffer. If you need to keep up with action (sports, etc..), then you will be disappointed that after a burst of 6-8 shots the camera will lock up and take 5-20 seconds to write all that data to the card. And faster CF cards won't help. It is the buffer. The fact is that the processing is complicated and does not process quickly for fast shooting environments. Yes it will shoot 3fps, but the buffer is so small that you only get a little over a handful of shots and then the camera needs time to process that burst.

The positives?

1. ISO 50-200 in daylight conditions is spectacular. I prefer the SD14 over my 5D/D3 up to 200 ISO.
2. Image sharpness is amazingly crisp and has a 3D type feel that you can only appreciate if you have shot with this camera and a Canon/Nikon in the same shooting conditions. I have done so from the same tripod to compare shots taken with similar lenses in the same lighting conditions and can attest to the differences.
3. You can use Canon speedlites to use within wireless ETTL setups. I have two Sigma EF 500 DG flash units and three Canon 580EX II speedlights. I set the Canon's to ETTL slaves and the two sigma's to wireless and then the camera to wireless. You can set all of the flash units to either channel 1, 2 or 3, then match that with the camera's channel output to fire off all the flashes. The camera meters properly using this mix of flash units. I found all this out by accident. I was testing out the 5D and wireless flash setup VS. the SD14 and wireless flash setup. I had left the 2 Canon speedlights on while I fired off the SD14's and expected only the sigma EF 500 DG units to fire. The canons did as well and the SD14 metered for all four properly.

I'd have to go further into details to review all the pros and cons. I'll just say that as a 5D and D3 owner, the SD14 can hang in image quality. And in good daylight environments I prefer it to the IQ of either the 5D or D3. The SD14 is at a minimum, on par with both respectively and often trumps those two when lighting is strong.

Also, the dynamic range of the SD14 seems to be wider than reported. I don't know why. In lightroom I'm amazed at the amount of details I can recover in the highlights VS. 5D/D3. Maybe it is the fact that because the SD14 captures R,G,B on each pixel, those hightlights are of better quality and it is able to pull those details out of the highlights for that reason. I don't know. It just "is what it is".

Well worth the purchase. The far lower price point makes up for it's low light performance. Using flash or strong daylight environments, the SD14 can hang with ANY $2000-$5000 DSLR.

super camera by .. William J. O'Connor (Larkspur, CO USA)
I am a long-time Sigma digital camera user. I have used an SD9 in my fine-art photography business for four years. When the SD-14 came out, I was figuring out how to budget for the $1500 purchase price of the new body, when its price started dropping. Imagine my surprise when I found it on AMAZON for a third of its original price!
The camera has had lukewarm to lousy reviews, largely because the reviewers of digital cameras want a camera to shoot at ASA 5000 at 8 frames per second. Of course they never show us any of the fabulous images they've shot under those conditions.
The Sigma is an honest camera, at ASA 100, 200 or 400, it shoots beautiful files with its unique Foveon chip. Printers, who reproduce the images I shoot, love my files because they are so clean and free of digital artifacts.
The increased file size from the SD9 is very welcome and Sigma has always had the best software in the business. Sigma lenses test out as fine as anything made by Canon or Nikon, and are, at times, superior.
My only complaint comes from the fact that an AC converter is not sold with the body. My SD9 came with one. Sigma will gleefully sell me one for $135, an outrageous price for a $35 dollar item.
The new Sigma is faster, has a bigger screen in the back, has a pop-up flash, a PC connection for external flash and is a joy to use.
At this price, and while they last, there is no better deal in photography.

SD 14- Wouldn't trade it for... by .. J. Kunkel (Brooklyn, NY)
I sold my Canon 40D and lenses (Including L glass) to fund my purchase of the Sigma SD14. I miss the low light ability and the all around speed of the 40D. I miss the superior battery life and the ability to shoot full frame (If I bought another camera body) with the same lenses that I invested in for the Canon. I miss the stable operation (No lock-ups) of the 40D. The Canon 40D is an excellent camera, and is hands down a highly recommended option for many people who are into photography, I really do miss it in many ways.

But wait, this isn't a review of the Canon 40D, it is a review of the Sigma SD14. I would not trade back my SD14 with all of it's quirks (You must have read about them all if you got this far, and are interested in buying one) for the 40D. The reason is that when I look at my photos, I realize that nothing in my budget could get me anywhere near the quality of the images that I get from the SD14. I'm not a very good photographer, I'm still learning every day. But the learning experience is full of excitement with what this camera can produce. I don't care about all of what this camera cannot do when I sit down and have a look at what it can do- which is reward the effort of taking pictures with images that invoke everything from thoughts of "wow, did I really take that picture?" to a deep feeling in my gut that I really can one day arrive at my goal of producing images that reflect how I see the world.

For those of you who can afford to add the SD14 to your current system- you are in a fortunate position to explore this little gem without giving up on the stronger points (High ISO, high speed, stability, etc.) of your current camera.

For those of you who are thinking about getting started with digital SLR's, keep reading everything you can on the internet before making your decision, you will be giving up a lot of capabilities of the other camera systems, but if you have the same experience that I have had with the images, you may just find the SD14 to be the camera for you.

For those of you (like me) who would have to sell their current camera and lenses to purchase the SD14, all I can say is- I'm not in a position to tell you if it is the right decision for you, but I don't regret it for a second.