Sigma SD14 User manual

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THE SIGMA SD14
DIGITAL SINGLE LENS
REFLEX CAMERA
The SIGMA SD14
Unique. Groundbreaking.
And that’s just the three-layer,
full-color image sensor.
This digital camera is about to
set a whole new standard
for image quality.

The SD14. The only camera that tells the whole truth.
•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi

www.SIGMA-SD14.com

Sigma's taken a good,
hard look at the essence of
photography.
Photography gives us the pleasure
of expressing all the emotions
that make up this life. To help
photographers in their eternal quest
for the perfect picture, Sigma has
given the world more than a few fine
photographic products.
Of course, some people find this
surprising: they don't think lens
manufacturers have any business
making cameras and yet, the
lens has always been an essential
element in photographic expression.
It fulfills the human impulse to
explore light, and the human eye's
delicate perception of color. Sigma
has closely studied photography
and the optical systems that are
photography’s life-blood.
We were determined to put our own
photographic philosophy fully into
the field, so it was only a matter of
time before we turned our hand to
manufacturing digital SLR cameras.
All Sigma cameras are designed
to capture the living world just as
it is reflected in the human eye.
To record the emotions of color in
all their intensity.
Try a Sigma digital SLR camera for
yourself. It will open your eyes to
new horizons in photography.
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The ideal camera for every impressionist.
All cameras have evolved
to capture the moment
better. To create a more vivid
record of emotion. To deliver
better image quality, better
performance, better everything.
Digital cameras are the
ultimate in clever technology.
Yet, when it comes to
conveying atmosphere, texture
and other ineffable qualities
perceived by the human eye,
they just don't compare with
old-fashioned film cameras.
A digital camera takes in basic
optical data, and spins it into
beautifully-colored shapes.
We take this mechanism for
granted, but it achieves its
results at the expense of true
optical fidelity. Unless, that is,
you use the only digital SLR
camera in the world designed
for high image quality that
makes no compromises at all:
the Sigma SD14.
With the Sigma SD14, none
of the optical data is lost.
There's no distortion. Light
is transformed into a faithful
image, with nothing left out.
High image quality that cannot
be achieved by manipulating
optical data artificially, and
synthesizing colors.
The SD14 uses a unique,
groundbreaking direct image
sensor capable of detecting
red, green and blue light at
every single pixel. The elements
of this 14-megapixel sensor
are arranged in three color-
sensing layers, comparable to
the three layers of emulsion in
photographic film. The result
is a camera that reflects the
user's visual sensitivity, and
gives fresh impact. It also
delivers the kind of extremely
vivid feel and texture that will
overturn existing standards of
image quality.
Only one camera tells the
whole truth: the SD14. Just wait.
It’s going to stir your inmost,
undiscovered photographic
desires.
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www.SIGMA-SD14.com

•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi

www.SIGMA-SD14.com

It’s unique. It's groundbreaking.
It’s an image sensor that reproduces
colors as faithfully as film.
The conventional image sensors
used in most DSLR cameras can only
detect light intensity. Using a color
filter, they use complex computations
to fill in the gaps in their color
perception, interpolating colors that
aren't really there, and artificially
synthesizing hypothetical hues.
This essential weakness of the color
synthesis mechanism is why most
digital cameras produce images that
are sharply-defined, but weak on
natural texture.
Most digital cameras, but not all.
Thanks to the Foveon X3®, a unique
and ground-breaking direct image
sensor, the SD14 is about to turn
conventional wisdom on its head.
The Foveon X3® has three layers
of color-sensing pixels — one for
red light, one for green and one for
blue — just like the three layers of
emulsion in photographic film.
These three layers capture absolutely
all the color directly, and record it
faithfully. Color is recorded without
any distortion, creating an extremely
vivid feel which out-performs the
pixel count by a long way.
The image quality is pure, and the
colors feel satisfyingly natural.
The SD14.
It’s the only camera truly faithful to
the colors of nature.
The ultimate in color sensitivity.
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•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi www.SIGMA-SD14.com

The SD14. It’s the only camera truly faithful to the colors of nature.
•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi

www.SIGMA-SD14.com

•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi
www.SIGMA-SD14.com

With its wide dynamic range,
pure RAW data opens up new
possibilities in image quality.
The image data generated by the
unique and groundbreaking Foveon
X3® direct image sensor includes a
full complement of color-resolution
data, captured and recorded directly
by three separate layers of pixels,
sensitive to red, green and blue light
respectively.
To make the most of the superb
richness and purity of this data,
Sigma recommends recording in the
RAW data format. Of course, the
dynamic range of JPEG mode can
also be used for taking photos and
exporting files, but when you need
the utmost in image quality with
data rich enough to allow plenty of
scope for artistic expression, the
RAW format comes into its own.
So rich is the SD14's data that even
after you've taken the picture,
there's still vast potential for
improving the image quality. The
result is impressive image quality,
which brings out the color and
texture of the subject, and puts you
firmly in control of contrast and
color adjustment.
The SD14.
The only camera that truly expands
the capacity of your images.
An invitation to quality.
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Are you pretty sharp with
your darkroom techniques?
The SD14 is your
own digital darkroom.
Picture this: the moment when
you open the RAW data on your
computer. If the image that greets
your eyes may seem a little crude,
a little disappointing. Relax: our
exclusive software, Sigma Photo Pro
3.0, will soon whip it into shape.
The adjustment mode is easy to
understand, and simple to use:
before your very eyes, your image
will be transformed from mere data
into a real photograph. Look through
your mind’s eye at the emotional
imprint of the moment you pressed
the shutter.
Now, all you may wish to do is
delicately tweak the colors and
textural tones of the image data,
based on that mental image. Why
not try the X3 Fill Light feature,
which preserves highlight detail
while adjusting halftones using a
single slider control?
All the pleasure of artistic expression
is yours to enjoy, just as if you were
happily "dodging and burning" in an
old-fashioned darkroom. If you like
a good, clear image, and you care
about image quality,
there’s only one camera for you.
The SD14.
The only camera
designed for artists.
Unleash your inner artist.
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•Camera: SIGMA SD14 •Lens: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM •Aperture: F11 •Shutter Speed: 1/125s •ISO Settings: 100 •Exposure Mode: Manual •Focus Mode: Manual •Raw File Format: Hi www.SIGMA-SD14.com

Intuitive controls: less is a lot more
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We designed a camera that
sets you free to simply take great pictures.
The camera should free you up to
concentrate on getting the shot. That was
our design policy for the SD14. We eliminated
cumbersome operations and unnecessary extra
functions, replacing them with an intuitive user
interface, and rigorously honing the camera's
basic performance until it was capable of
handling the most difficult conditions.
The SD14 doesn’t have any superfluous,
complex functions. Just like a film camera,
it combines high performance with
structural simplicity. That’s all you need.
Once you’ve got these essentials, top-class
image data and your own inspiration will
guarantee good photos. Just follow your heart,
open your eyes, and press the shutter.
The SD14.
The only camera with
the potential for perfection.
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The SIGMA SD 14: Specification
www.SIGMA-SD14.com