Sigma Announces the 24mm f/1.4 Art and dp0 Quattro Camera

Just announced by Sigma is the newest in their covenant Art series of lenses with the 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. In the past couple years now, the Sigma Art lenses have been considered by many the best in their class in terms of sharpness, so the news of a 24mm Art has gotten photographers everywhere excited. Along with this announcement is the dp0, an update to their mirrorless camera systems.

The Sigma Art lens has impressed us in the past, to say the least. Infact, nearly every review of the Art series of lenses (particularly the fixed lenses) has placed them on top of their competitors in terms of sharpness and color reproduction. With the newest 24mm Art, Sigma hopes to create a new standard for the 24mm lenses on the market.

Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art Series

Announced today at midnight is the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art series lens. With 15 glass elements in 11 groups, Sigma promises a lens with little to no chromatic aberration with the use of Low Dispersion glass. As expected from the other lenses in the Art series, Sigma also plans to take the crown for the sharpest 24mm lens available for both Canon, Nikon, and Sigma shooters. No info yet in terms of the price or availibility, but Sigma should have more info on this lens soon.

Sigma dp0 Quattro Camera

The dp0, latest in the mirrorless line, incorporates a 14mm f/4 fixed lens used to maximize the performance of the specialized Foveon “Quattro” Direct Image sensor. This unique camera is small, lightweight and certainly interesting to those who are looking for something other than your traditional DSLR systems. Like the 24mm f/1.4 Art, no news yet on availibility or price.

Press Release --

Sigma Corporation of America Introduces New 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens at CP+ Imaging Show

Latest Global Vision Art lens offers highest-quality optical performance in its class

YOKOHAMA, Japan — February 10, 2015 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced the new Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens, the ninth Global Vision lens to join the company’s iconic Art line-up. The announcement comes at the start of the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2015, which begins on Feb. 12 in Yokohama, Japan.

 

The much anticipated 24mm F1.4 Art wide angle lens is designed for full-frame DSLRs, and when used on digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, it effectively becomes a 38mm. The lens is ideal for capturing a variety of photography subjects, including cityscapes, mountain ranges, astrophotography and weddings and is great for videography work as well. The 24mm also excels at indoor photography in low illumination thanks to the combination of exceptional focal plane sharpness, and gorgeous bokeh rendered by nine rounded aperture blades. The lens achieves a maximum magnification of 1:5.3 with a minimum focusing distance of 9.8 inches. The 24mm incorporates both "F" Low Dispersion (FLD) glass and Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass in a design of 15 elements in 11 groups to minimize chromatic aberration of magnification especially in the edge of the image field. Moreover, the optimized power layout includes aspherical elements that are positioned in the rear of the lens for improved wide open performance. This helps to ensure minimal distortion through the correction of axial chromatic aberration and sagittal coma flare. The new lens element design also delivers excellent peripheral brightness.

 

“The Sigma Art lenses are recognized by photographers for world-class performance, and the new 24mm F1.4 DG HSM will be a significant contribution to our selection of fast aperture prime lenses which is quickly becoming a strong force in the industry” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “Sigma is redefining the expectations of fast-aperture full-frame prime lens performance, especially wide-open, and the results the 24mm F1.4 will deliver will be up to the exacting standards set by the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM and 50mm F1.4 DG HSM .”

 

Other updates to this lens include a new full-time manual focusing mechanism that switches to manual focusing, simply by rotating the focus ring, even when AF is being used, first introduced on the 50mm Art. This allows the photographer to make focus adjustments quickly and easily. As with all new lenses under the Global Vision categories, every 24mm will be tested using Sigma’s own MTF measuring system, “A1,” in the company’s factory in Japan.

 

Other lenses in the Art line include 35mm F1.4 DG HSM, 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM, 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM,50mm F1.4 DG HSM, 19mm F2.8 DN, 30mm F2.8 DN and 60mm F2.8 DN.

The 24mm F1.4 is compatible with Sigma’s USB dock, allowing photographers to update the lens’ firmware and change focus parameters as well as manual focus over-ride using Sigma's Optimization Pro software. It is also compatible with Sigma’s Mount Conversion Service. The lens will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts, and timing, pricing and availability will be announced at a later date.

 

 

Sigma Corporation of America Announces Fourth Camera in dp Quattro Series at CP+ Imaging Show

New compact dp0 Quattro offers wide angle view with 14mm F4 fixed lens

YOKOHAMA, Japan — February 10, 2015 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced the new Sigma dp0 Quattro, the fourth compact camera in the series that was announced last year. The news comes at the start of the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2015, which begins on Feb. 12 in Yokohama, Japan.

 

The dp0 Quattro incorporates a fixed, high performance 14mm F4 lens, which is equivalent to a 21mm lens on a 35mm DSLR and is optimized to maximize the performance of the series’ Foveon “Quattro” Direct Image sensor. The Quattro line is great for photographers seeking a unique product, and the 14mm F4 lens is meant to take full advantage of the Foveon sensor.

 

“The Quattro series is such an unique line of cameras and we couldn’t be more thrilled to add the dp0 Quattro camera to the line-up,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “It’s this wide angle lens combined with the high resolution sensor, that makes this perfect for architectural and landscape photographers, and something the dp fans can be excited for.”

 

In order to achieve the highest optical performance, the dp0 lens features four “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite, two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements, and two aspheric lenses, including a wide double-sided aspheric lens. This reduces chromatic aberration and distortion, which are characteristics typically present in super wide angle photography. The camera offers sharp rendering performance from the maximum aperture, and the superior telecentric optical design improves image quality throughout the frame and maximizes the sensor’s ability by passing on information about subjects to the sensor. In addition, the wide angle of view of 91 degrees and depth of field are ideal for architectural structures, interior photography and landscapes. With this powerful lens and sensor, numerous glass elements to reduce distortion, and a 91 degree angle of view, this lens is ideal for landscape and architecture photography. 

 

As with all the cameras in the Quattro series, the dp0 Quattro features the distinctive styling of the line. The Quattro sensor is the equivalent of a 39 MP conventional Bayer sensor in resolution testing. The next generation sensor builds on the distinctive properties of the X3 technology, which uniquely records red, green and blue wavelengths at each pixel location within three layers.

 

The Quattro sensor is a three-layered, panchromatic silicon chip whose green-sensitive middle and red-sensitive bottom layers each have 4.9 MP and record only color/chrominance information. The top blue layer captures chrominance and resolution/luminance information with 19.6 MP, resulting in greater detail capture and resolution capabilities that are higher than the Merrill DP camera line. The Quattro sensor’s architecture also contributes to true color rendition, more detail capture, and faster image processing, all of which delivers even more realistic images.

 

With four cameras now in the line-up, photographers can select the most suitable camera based on their photographic needs with the Sigma dp0 Quattro 14mm F4 lens, Sigma dp1 Quattro 19mm 2.8 lens, Sigma dp2 Quattro 30mm 2.8 lens, Sigma dp3 Quattro 50mm F2.8 lens and Sigma dp3 Quattro with dedicated conversion 1.2x lens 90mm.

 

The dp0 Quattro camera will also feature:

·         Optional dedicated Optical Viewfinder VF-51 that offers accurate framing and makes composition easier as it is unaffected by external light conditions

·         The TRUE III Image processor, providing ultrafast processing of an immense volume of image data without any deterioration of the final image

·         Better high ISO performance with one to two stops of improvement

·         Improved 3A performance: Auto Color Mode, Auto Focus and Auto White Balance