No. No dealer can buy Sigma brand lenses directly from the Sigma factory. Also, the Sigma factory does not make special Sigma brand lenses for any retailer. The cost for such customized products would be prohibitive. Sigma Corporation of America is a wholly owned subsidiary of the factory (Sigma Corporation) in Japan, and we buy all Sigma brand products, which the factory manufactures.
Lens Questions
Please refer to our compatability chart: http://www.sigmaphoto.com/sigma-lens-chart Please contact Sigma Corporation of America at 1-800-896-6858 or via email info@sigmaphoto.com
Sigma no longer manufactures lenses for most manual focus camera. However, in some cases (e.g. Nikon and Pentax) AF type lenses can be used for manual focus on the manual focus cameras.
Sigma offers both a 1.4X and a 2.0X autofocus APO teleconverter. These are dedicated teleconverters, designed for use with certain compatible lenses.
FLD ("F" Low Dispersion) glass is the highest level low dispersion glass available with extremely high light transmission. This glass has a performance equal to flourite glass which has a low refractive index and low dispersion compared to current optical glass. FLD glass offers superior optical performance, equal to flourite, at an affordable price.
ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass has lower dispersion characteristics than SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass, which Sigma has been using in its APO lenses (and some non-APO lenses as well) for many years now. It has other advantageous properties as well.
The DG designation applied to most newer Sigma lenses indicates that the lens is especially suited for use with digital SLR cameras. The DG lenses feature improved (more even) light distribution from image center to edge, and incorporate the latest multi-layer lens coatings to avoid reflections of the sensors of digital cameras. This is important in digital photography, but is also useful in 35mm photography, especially when slide film is used. Lenses designated as DC are designed exclusively for use with digital cameras having APS-C size image sensors. They feature smaller image circles and often feature shorter focal lengths (e.g. 10-20mm DC, 17-70mm DC, 18-50mm DC, 18-200mm DC, etc.). The shorter focal lengths are desirable, because most digital SLR cameras have image sensors whose dimensions are considerably smaller than a 35mm negative (usually by a factor of 1.3X to 2.0X), making the lens’ angle of view equivalent to that of a longer lens on a 35mm cameras.
Apochromatic lenses are telephoto and telezoom type lenses which use special optical designs and optical materials (SLD or ELD glass) to improve their performance. The result is images which have greater contrast, sharpness and color definition than a comparable non-APO type lens . All Sigma apochromatic lenses are identified by the APO designation in their descriptions. Please see the Lens Chart for this and other specific lens information.
Many Sigma lenses make effective use of Aspherical lens elements. This technology allows one Aspherical lens element to perform the functions of two or more conventional spherical elements, thus allowing the lens to be made more compact and lightweight, while retaining high levels of performance. In the 20mm f/1.8, 24mm f/1.8, 28mm f/1.8 EX DG lenses, for example, these Aspherical elements eliminate the sagittal coma flare that accompanies large lens diameters. They effectively suppress the flare. In zoom lenses, where the wide angle range is extended - such as the 15-30 f/3.5-4.5 EX DG - distortion control can be enhanced by the use of Aspherical elements.
Macro lenses are those which can focus unusually close, providing large reproduction ratios (e.g. 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, etc.) Sigma offers more lenses with macro capabilities than any other lens or camera maker. The choice of which lens to use depends on the application.
The shorter lenses, 50mm and 105mm provide greater magnification (reproduction ratio) capabilities (1:1 without accessory), and shorter working distances. These are desirable for photographing inanimate or slow moving subjects or for copy work. The 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro lens can also be useful for portraiture.
Longer Macro lenses like the 180mm f3.5 EX APO Macro can allow even greater working distance while still providing up to 1:1 reproduction. Greater working distances are useful when photographing animate subjects which may become evasive or aggressive if approached closely by a photographer.
Sigma offers several zoom lenses (e.g. 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro) which combine reproduction ratios up to 1:2 with the convenience and versatility of a zoom lens. These can be invaluable for general photography including extreme close-ups, while carrying only one lens around.
HSM stands for Hyper Sonic Motor. It is a new type of motor used in some of Sigma’s newer lenses. The technology employed is similar to that used in certain lenses made by other camera manufacturers. The benefits of HSM system are: virtually silent autofocus function, very quick responsive autofocus function. Sigma is the only independent lens maker offering lenses with this technology. We have a number of HSM type lenses for Canon and Sigma AF cameras, and we also have several HSM lenses for Nikon AF cameras (N55, N65, N70, N75, N80, N90, N90S, F100, F4s, F5, D1, D1X, D1H, D100 and D70, as well).
All Sigma products, lenses, cameras and flash units are manufactured exclusively by Sigma in Sigma’s own factory in Aizu, Japan. No Sigma Corporation product - lens, camera or flash - is manufactured outside of Japan. This is very unusual these days, as most companies have at least some of their products produced outside of Japan because of cost considerations.
Discontinued Cameras
The SD10 digital SLR camera has mirror lock-up capability. This can be very useful to minimize image-degrading vibration, when using long lenses or longer shutter speeds. Once this function is turned on, the mirror can be locked-up by simply depressing the shutter release button fully. Pressing the button a second time fires the shutter and returns the mirror to the normal viewing position. The mirror also can be locked up, and then the shutter fired remotely, if the optional RS-21 remote controller is used. This sequence can be repeated indefinitely, until the function is turned off.
The Sigma SD10 uses Sigma’s exclusive SA lens mount, the same as used on Sigma’s 35mm SLR cameras. There is a full array of lenses available, from 8mm Circular Fisheye to 800mm APO telephoto, including three 1:1 macro lenses; and zoom lenses from 10-20mm to 300-800mm. By the way the SD10 features a stainless steel camera mount , and all lenses for it feature metal lens mount.
Yes, like Sigma 35mm SLR cameras, the SD10 digital SLR features an electronic depth-of-field preview button, which can be used in any exposure mode.
The SD10 can shoot approximately maximum 1.9 frames per second in bursts of up to 6 frames at high resolution, approximately maximum 2.4 frames per second in bursts of up to 14 frames at medium resolution, and approximately maximum 2.5 frames per second in bursts of up to 30 frames at low resolution mode.
The shutter release lag time has be estimated to be about 58 milliseconds. This is comparable to the faster 35mm SLRs, so the SD10 should be well suited capturing images of lightning. Sigma (and other camera makers) does not offer a remote triggering device, suitable for this application; however, such devices are offered by other independent companies. One such company is Stepping Stone Products, in Colorado (www.lightningtrigger.com). They can also be reached at (800)452-4167 for more information.
No, the dust protector in the SD10 camera is located near the camera’s lens mount, at the front of the camera, so it is far away from the image sensor. Any dust or debris on the dust protector will never come into sharp focus at the image plane. The dust protector virtually seals the entire mirror box, protecting not only the image sensor, but also the reflex mirror and the viewing screen as well.
The SD10 digital SLR camera has a unique feature pertaining to its viewfinder. It allows the finder to show 130% of the picture area. This is very useful, as it enables you to see what is happening outside the picture area, allowing you to anticipate people or objects entering the picture. This can be especially desirable for action photography, like sports, etc. The active picture area is visible at normal brightness, while the peripheral areas are masked with neutral density, making it easy to differentiate the two.
The SD10 camera actually has three metering systems, an eight-zone evaluative system, plus center-weighted averaging and center area (about 7.5%). Users can select any metering system while in any exposure mode.
Sigma makes all of our own products, lenses, flash units and cameras, in Sigma’s own factory, in Japan. However, the X3 image sensor in the SD10 is made in America, by Foveon.
General Questions
No. No dealer can buy Sigma brand lenses directly from the Sigma factory. Also, the Sigma factory does not make special Sigma brand lenses for any retailer. The cost for such customized products would be prohibitive. Sigma Corporation of America is a wholly owned subsidiary of the factory (Sigma Corporation) in Japan, and we buy all Sigma brand products, which the factory manufactures.
I recently purchased a new Sigma lens from a dealer. When I received the lens I noticed that it came without a warranty. When I inquired to the dealer about this, he told me not to worry as Sigma will still honor the warranty. I’m uncomfortable about this situation and am asking you to confirm this. The lens I received is a XXmm f/XX lens for my XXXXX brand camera, and has serial number #233XXXX.
The lens you received has a serial number which has not been issued by Sigma’s factory in Japan. It appears that the lens you received is a "Gray Market" lens, and has been tampered with having its serial number changed. This would explain why you received no factory warranty card with the lens; the serial number printed on the warranty card at the factory, would not match the number on your lens. The Sigma lens should always be supplied with the factory warranty card, which is necessary to help verify the factory warranty. This altered serial number has implications for the Sigma one-year international warranty, as well as any extended warranty, since tampering or modifying the product can cause the warranty to be voided. We suggest that you contact the dealer regarding this situation, immediately. Perhaps they will accept the lens back from you and supply you with a legitimate US import lens with full Sigma factory warranty.
Yes, Sigma Corporation generally answers e-mails within 24-48 business hours.