The Ute
Well-known member
Peter-Huyless,
From what I can tell it's actually a VERY clever approach to dealing with several issues that have confounded this technology. As I discovered fiddling with SPP monochrome files by using SPP's 'color wheel' to select only top layer information, the files were surprisingly clean and sharp at ISO's as high as ISO 4000. Sigma apparently concluded that it was more important to retain luminance cleanliness and compromise color (R & G) just a tad (and that may turn out to be not a tad at all). This way the Foveon sensor with 19.6 million photo sites on the top layer provide nearly 80% of the image information (and blue channel) and relegating the lower G and R channels for providing ONLY color information and no luminance.
By letting the top layer essentially 'draw' the image while providing the traditional 'blue' channel information and letting the lower 'vertically aligned' layers stacked directly below it to supply the ONLY the corresponding Red and Green information I can see how this might result in some impressive files never thought achievable before with a Foveon sensor at higher ISOs. Black and white, like with a Leica Monochrom, should remain impressive if not even moreso with the increase in surface resolution/pixel count.
In other areas, while many may be aghast with the, shall we say, 'unconventional' product design, I can see the ergonomic benefits (think Dvorak keyboards for computers). Again, only hands on experience will tell but I suspect Sigma's penchant for minimalist engineering will bear them out. Plus, in their own unique way (as always), it appears Sigma may have also addressed the underpowered battery issue by allowing for (1) a larger unit and (2) with the new sensor and processing approach that needs far less image information to process files that are smaller than previously, less power is needed per shot--another battery capacity extending improvement.
Now if only the AF would be a tad swifter in lower light. Progress...progress...
P
Kudos to you for having discovered that on your own.
Any concern on the effect the new sensor will have on color rendition ?