SIGMA SD1 shots

[darr]

Could not find a dedicated thread for the Sigma SD1, so here is the start of one. I hope it grows over time!

 

[darr]

Echoing Universal Order
Sigma SD1 + 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro + Profoto D1


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[Malina DZ]

Has anyone seen any image samples taken with SD1 + 50/1.4 Art? I can't find anything even on Sigma's special websites. I'd like to check out some RAW samples and hear user opinions about this combination and whether it offers the clarity of DP3M @ f/2.8.

 

[xpatUSA]

I have a SD1M coming, not that there's any good shooting round here.

It's coming with a 17-50mm EX DC OS HSM. Any good?

Ted

 

[Malina DZ]

I have a SD1M coming, not that there's any good shooting round here.

It's coming with a 17-50mm EX DC OS HSM. Any good?

Ted

Great! :thumbup:
That lens may not rival IQ of DP primes, but more image samples in this thread won't hurt

 

[darr]

Has anyone seen any image samples taken with SD1 + 50/1.4 Art? I can't find anything even on Sigma's special websites. I'd like to check out some RAW samples and hear user opinions about this combination and whether it offers the clarity of DP3M @ f/2.8.

I have the SD1 and the 35/1.4 Art lens. As soon as I can, I'll make a RAW file and put it up for inspection.

 

[Malina DZ]

Darr, I'd appreciate if you can share a landscape shot at f/1.4 & f/2.8 to evaluate sharpness.
What's your impression of AF accuracy at f/1.4?

 

[darr]

Darr, I'd appreciate if you can share a landscape shot at f/1.4 & f/2.8 to evaluate sharpness.
What's your impression of AF accuracy at f/1.4?

Marlina DZ,

I will do my best to make a landscape shot as soon as I can.

As far as AF goes, I purchased the lens used in December, gave it a quick tryout in my backyard, then contacted the seller to say, "thank you", and stowed it away. So not a whole lot to report other than I saw no problems with the lens on my initial tryout. Like I said, as soon as I can, I will go make a few landscapes shots and will shoot at 1.4 and 2.8 for you at your request, although they are not what I normally would shoot a landscape at.

Kind regards,
Darr

 

[xpatUSA]

Here's a quick Full-Spectrum shot from my front yard:

No masterpiece, just a test. LO res SOOC, 17-50mm OS HSM, dustcover removed.

Ted

 

[capital]

Very nice image of the spiral shell, Darr.

 

[xpatUSA]

Great! :thumbup:
That [17-50mm EX DC OS HSM] lens may not rival IQ of DP primes, but more image samples in this thread won't hurt

I ended up with 3 similar lenses and have been doing shoot-outs this week. Just test shots, nothing worth posting. With the higher resolution Merrill sensor, lens comparisons become more meaningful - compared to the SD9 where you can slap any old lens on and almost ignore the effects of diffraction!

But, anyway, the 17-50mm ended up almost equal to the 18-50mm f/2.8 macro, with a slight edge going to the 18-50mm for IQ, close focusing and curved blades.

The 24-60mm DG f/2.8 came nowhere near those two

Ted

 

[xpatUSA]

Here's a puzzler:

A LO res raw shot of our street, opened in RawDigger with the over-exposure detector set to 4059 [sic] while investigating some banding:

As Crocodile Dundee might have said "Banding, mate? Call that banding? etc."

The sky was lightly overcast with only a slight range of tones in it.

Any thoughts?

(no comments on saturation, please, that's how RawDigger renders raw data as RGB without SPP's heavy matrices).

Ted

 

[adsf]

Thats common for merrill sensors. I always see some Lines anywhere.

 

[Malina DZ]

Any thoughts?
Ted

I have no explanation as to why X3F Merrill files suffer from banding that much. It was a real problem visible in some random shots until Sigma introduced the latest version of SPP 5 that took care of banning very well, better than other plugins could.
Ted, show us your final/processed image, please.

 

[xpatUSA]

Ted, show us your final/processed image, please.

Sure Malina, this is the TIFF out of SPP 5.5.3, converted to JPEG for posting. LO res shot is full size.

I usually go from SPP as a 16-bit ProPhoto TIFF to RawTherapee for keeper images. I shoot LO because I don't print and I view on my monitor only.

Hmm . . should have downsized it but not sure of the image posting rules here. Over on DPR, they think nothing of posting 4704x3136px Merrill jpegs!!

Anyway, there is some slight tone variation in the sky, by which I mean the banding isn't just at one or two tone level.

Meanwhile, my recently acquired SD1M is back in the drawer, grrr!, and the trusty SD14 has returned to favor

Ted

 

[darr]

Windy Sunset on Apalachee Bay
Sigma SD1M + 35mm DG HSM Art lens + 1/30 sec @ f /1.4

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Test for evaluating sharpness at f/1.4 on the foreground. This lens is incredible IMO. It was very windy, but the auto-focus held it's own!

 

[darr]

Shooting at the Sun
Sigma SD1M + 70-300MM F/4-5.6 DG OS + 1/500 @ f/8

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I purchased this lens used and tried it out for the first time during this visit to Apalachee Bay. Not bad for the price ($100 after 20% off at KEH) as focus was accurate and color fringe is not bad. A good lens to take when I want to leave an expensive one behind.

 

[darr]

It's Complicated!
Sigma SD1M + 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro + 1/200 @ f/2.8 @ 100 ISO
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Another test this time doing a walk-around handheld with the 70 macro. I will not be doing too much of this type of shooting as the SD1M is not your typical DSLR and IMO, works best on a tripod while waiting for the processing time to catch up. I generally shoot bracketed exposures in 2/3 stops and the processing time gets a bit annoying, but when the desired results are there, no other DSLR I have used comes close to the resolution, especially coming from an APS-C size sensor. This is a heavily cropped image that is about 1/4 of original size. The f/2.8 was not my desired f-stop, but due to ISO requirements it landed there. Focus was on the shadows of the pistols and the AF worked well.

 

[darr]

Spring Leaves
Sigma SD1M + 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro + 1/160 @ f/2.8 @ 400 ISO

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[darr]

Trying out a new to me 50-500MM F/4-6.3 DG EX APO HSM at my local NWR. Unfortunately I forgot to do MLU while running through the f/stops because the bugs were biting and I wanted out of there ASAP. An alligator appeared after a few minutes and starred at me until I packed it up. These images are soft, but pushed to 800 ISO, and one shot at f/16.

I feel confident the SD1 can handle 400 ISO and 800 ISO in an emergency. There is noticeable diffraction with this particular lens past f/11. The next day I ran tests in my backyard with MLU, and at f/5.6, f/8 and f/11 this lens is sharp.

Sunset at the Swamp
Sigma SD1M + 50-500MM F/4-6.3 DG EX (161mm) | 1/160 @ f/8, 800 ISO

Lily Pads and Clouds
Sigma SD1M + 50-500MM F/4-6.3 DG EX (226mm) | 1/25 @ f/16, 800 ISO

Curious Alligator
Sigma SD1M + 50-500MM F/4-6.3 DG EX (313mm) | 1/60 @ f/8, 100 ISO

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