Sigma sd Quattro Mirrorless Digital Camera

The real world as you see it. If you manage the sigma raw files the right way, you'll get unbelievable images. Natural colours all the way.
That's the goal of this camera.
An advise, use sigma art lenses. Wow !!!

I wanted the camera for its amazing image quality and the uniquely quirky nature of it. The simple industrial design and premium build quality and materials used speaks to my soul.

To my complete surprise, everything is what it should be and the camera is everything I thought it would be and more. It is a bit slow as it's not a sports camera, nor a street photography camera, however, under the right conditions, I think it could be a great street photography camera. Unfortunately, there is no video mode. That would have been incredible but that was never the reason I wanted this camera.

Overall, I am delighted with the Sigma SD Quattro and the 30mm lens is a great focal length. I look forward to using it for portraits and landscapes. I will possibly, sometime in the future, order large prints. If and when I do, I'll be sure to unwrap them on the channel.

For more reviews and unboxings follow my YouTube and Instagram of the same name.

This camera can see color and volume unlike any other. It will not disappoint if you want to capture reality in a way that will allow you to re-live it again. Coming from the background of realistic painting and spending years training my eye to precisely evaluate color and value I was having trouble accepting what comes out of the modern sensors - they just can't differentiate subtle color changes and no amount of film simulation can compensate that. I own Fuji S5 Pro, Fuji X100T and Nikon Z6 and have directly compared these cameras in action and dissected the resulting pictures in Photoshop. Sigma sdQ and Fuji S5 Pro can objectively differentiate more color than X100T and Z6. All four cameras have their strengths, weaknesses and a purpose. And Sigma is the one you should grab if you want to capture the magic of reality.
I'm never getting rid of S5 Pro, my first love... camera wise :) - it still beats the crap out of most new cameras in terms of color and brightness accuracy. And this Sigma is certainly one I will cherish as well because every picture that comes out of it is striking and soulful! It's like shooting a never ending roll of really nice 100 iso film that you don't need to develop, and it's very easy to start loving this camera.
X100T and Z6 are both excellent tools in their own way but they both come up with color instead of actually seeing it. X100T is great for travel and Z6 can capture my kid's vigorous physical activity continuously tracking the face and having more buffer than I ever need. But I almost never feel that "wow, I'm here again" feeling looking at the pictures that come out of these two.

A remark about focusing on sdQ: it's not as bad as some make it sound. It is slow but to my surprise I keep successfully capturing my never stationary kid in focus. I feel like this camera is lucky - you think you screwed up a shot but then you review and it's actually fine. What really helps with focus is moving with the subject and most of the time picture ends up sharp. Yeah, Z6 allows me to just stay still and let autofocus do the work, but what's fun in that? :)

I thoroughly recommend this camera to those who suspect it may bring that magic to their photography they were looking for - it most likely will.
Best of luck to Sigma developing the next generation of Foveon and making this project profitable.

Its a niche camera for sure. Its not for everyone and deserves its rights to be one of the best camera out there. If you are a landscape photographer this is it. I love this camera. Try it out give it a chance. Dont read the negative reviews.

Yes, it is an unusual camera, and it is a niche product, as a landscape and abstract photographer it offers a number of advantages:

1. Excellent resolution and color, I do not care how folks measure this, you can debate all you want, this camera has very high 'fidelity' for the price.
2. Large JPEGS - in this case I do not work with RAW for a number of reasons.
3. I'm not what people call a 'technical photographer' and focus on composition, so it has enough 'bells and whistles' to meet my unique needs.
4. I ordered a number of other lenses - this option was the sell for me.
5. Build quality is REALLY unbeatable, I am tough on equipment and spend a lot of time 'in the field' this camera is manufactured to a level of build quality you just do not see in other main stream cameras.

I agree, you focus (takes forever) you take the picture - have some coffee and eventually it writes to the memory card - I use ultra fast cards, makes little difference yes, it is not an action camera - patience with this unit is truly a virtue.

The results are splendid though.

I confess, people who debate technology really annoy me, I'm not that technical, but I do not have to be - if you cannot compose an image or capture the story - the BEST camera in the world will not make you a decent photographer - stay with an iPhone - the many, many articles on sensor designs and performance mean nothing if you cannot produce an image that meets a commercial or artistic need!

This was an experiment for me - but for a certain type of perfectionist - a great buy.

This is a photographer's camera. If you shoot in green mode, shoot casually, spray-and-pray when you take photos, or want an all-rounder camera to take on vacation, shoot photos of your kids, and maybe a landscape or two, this is certainly not the camera for you. However, if you find yourself in manual mode often, enjoy slowing down and getting a few keeper shots, enjoy developing from RAW, shoot film, or are obsessed with sharpness, this is the camera for you.

Sigma cameras are niche cameras. If you aren't sure you want a Sigma camera, I can tell you that you do not. The Foveon sensors in Sigma cameras are a completely different engineering paradigm. This means that the strengths and weaknesses of this camera are different than a run-of-the-mill Canon or Nikon (or Sony, Pentax, Fuji, Leica, or anything else). The camera is slow. Write times feel endless. The noise in the shadows feels like it is 1990 all over again. Don't even think about going above ISO 800. Probably not even ISO 400. The headroom in RAW isn't terrible, but it isn't great, either.

So, why five stars? One word: sharpness. The sensor in this camera delivers incredible sharpness. Even at 100% resolution, images from this camera look good. There is a fidelity to reality that this camera captures that other cameras do not. I read the reviews, read about "breathtaking images," and was critical. So, I rented this camera for a week to see for myself. I uploaded the first photo to my computer, and well, I gasped. So sharp. So detailed. So many variations in color. So true. Using this camera is a lot like getting a new pair of glasses or contacts - you do not know what you are missing until you see better. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself.

A few small things: The JPEGs out of this camera are respectable. Not as good as RAW, but better than most cameras besides Fuji. The ability to record RAWs in DNG is groundbreaking. Do it. Unfortunately, you can't record DNG+JPEGs. Maybe Sigma will fix this in a future firmware update. Many people complain about the EVF in this camera. I found it sufficient and enjoyable to use. Focus peaking rocks. Learn to manual focus with focus peaking, and a new world of vintage lenses opens up to you. A Pentax m42 to K-mount converter will let you use m42 lenses. Also, some Pentax lenses will work with little modification (and in manual focus). The IR filter is easily removable, so if you are interested, you can investigate IR photography. The black and white images from this camera are very, very good. Perhaps second only to the Leica Monocrom (yes, seriously). This camera is so sharp, you will notice things that you may not have noticed otherwise - lens quality, and camera motion. This camera screams for the best lenses you can find, and to shoot on a tripod. That said, the Sigma 30mm lens in this kit is respectable. The edge resolution wide open isn't quite as good as I expected for a Sigma Art lens. I like the lens a lot, though.

Is this for you? If you are still curious, then this camera may be. Certainly, a camera worth consideration. Think of this this way: most digital cameras in the world operate using the same sensor technology. In fact, Sony makes most sensors. And if they are not made by Sony, the sensor is based on the same fundamental design. Foveon sensors in Sigma cameras are different. Shooting with this camera is like changing to a different type of film. It is just different. For some applications, it may be a lot better. It is like shooting landscapes in Provia for years, and then trying Velvia. Whoa.

I heard a quote that was to the effect of: "It is one think to look, and something else entirely to see." Try this camera and start seeing.