Sigma's SD14: Not Dead But Not 14 Mpixels, Either

Last month, in one of the website addendums to my 'Imaging Beyond Pixels: Enhancing The Elementary Picture' feature article, I shared some thoughts on image sensor supplier Foveon (along with reviewing a book written about the company) and its camera partner, Sigma. One week earlier, I'd shared with you a snapshot I took at PMA of the repeatedly-delayed Sigma SD14 '14 Mpixel' DSLR. And now, Popular Photography (showing that it gets early access to more than just Kodak inkjet printers) weighs in with its hands-on impressions of the camera (commentary by Gizmodo).

Upsides: "We found our initial field shots to have very pleasing color—highly accurate, but still with a good dollop of saturation. You might even describe the colors sometimes as translucent."

Mixed impressions: "Our roving camera tester Jack Howard commented, “the design is chunky, and satisfyingly large. This is an unabashed DSLR that won’t get confused for an oversized EVF camera. Hard edges have a classic feel that bucks the current trend toward graceful sweeping lines and curves.” In other words, a little tank."

Downsides (as I suspected from my longstanding coverage of Foveon's X3 sensors): "You can continue snapping at will until the buffer fills up, which happens around frame 6, the burst limit. “A 6-shot burst is well below average for modern DSLRs,” Jack Howard says. “This is not a sports camera by any means.”….The resolution, as gauged by the Eyeball Method, appears to be about that of a 9MP sensor, which is what we were expecting."

Worth it, particularly considering the lower prices of other manufacturers' 10 Mpixel DSLRs? I'm frankly skeptical, but I'll be curious to see what the market decides.