SIGMA SD1....What the HECK....!!!!

[tc95]

Well I guess...i'm stuck with my SD14 for a while....I can't afford $9700-USD for this camera....I know they want the high-end market...but they have just lost themselves...us cheaper end client's.....

If anyone gets one...let me know what you think...it's going to be a while...before I will get mine...!!!

Tony C.

 

[tc95]

Now that I said that...really...I hope this is just a joke...!!! Maybe this is a Kit price that has just popped-up on there website....thier site still show no MSRP price...so for a body only....you might pay a lower price...

At least I hope so...we shall see as the day/night progresses...!!!

Tony C.

 

[kami]

Hi!

I was shocked. I think I'll keep my SD14... May be in 2020 I'll find an old SD1 for $400. Seriously I hope it's a joke. But If it isn't I really hope it's truly worth $9700.

David/Kami (totally depressed)

 

[tc95]

I'm with you...someone will purchase one...and then want to sell it...I'll just have to wait....!!!

 

[D~C]

Ugh. I read about it this morning. Was really looking forward to getting an SD1 at somewhere in the $1500 range. But $9700 - c'mon now!!! Thanks for essentially crushing my dream, Sigma Corp...

My SD15 will have to do for now.

 

[ambaker]

This seems to be a common theme across the Internet. The logic behind the pricing escapes me. At 7D pricing, it was a competitive alternative.

After all the original talk about pricing in the 7D neighborhood, this almost feels like bait and switch. Bad Sigma, bad bad Sigma...

 

[tc95]

There seems to be something going on in the Sigma-upper camp...the US site lists packages but the prices for vary...and when you take the lens prices out...they vary too...

I am still waiting to see if this was just a marketing ploy...to get people to talk about the camera....and gage reaction and listen to what people would be willing to pay for it...

Personally I would pay 1500-2000 USD for it...but not 2500+....

I am not holding my breath though..!!!

So I sit and wait to see what happens...next week...on a note the when you click on the body pricing it is still not there...!!!

Tony C.

 

[jnicklin]

The Sigma USA site lists kits in the $7,500 - $8,000 range, the $9,700 was from an early DPR posting. Still, that's pretty steep. I don't know what market they are trying to break into, its not going to fly as a MF competitor and it won't budge Leica users away from their cameras.

 

[ambaker]

If it is some sort of publicity stunt, I think it was very poorly conceived, and executed even worse. I fear rather than piquing interest, it may drive people away. Even to invest $1,500 in a camera, you want to believe that the builder is well managed, reliable, stable and with a vision for the future. This fiasco does none of the above for me.

Even if they back down on the price, it causes me no small amount of concern for their future actions.

In some ways I am reminded of my old Amiga computer. An advanced computer, ahead of its time. Bought by Commodore and then the whole mess was run into the ground by marketing and management.

Hopefully it was bad translation, or currency exchange math.

 

[tc95]

Well it's official...on the Sigma USA website they have it listed for $9700.00 now for just the body...

Which is weird because the kits are still lower price than the camera itself on Sigma USA's website...so the camera range if you buy a kit is between $6710.00 to $6090.00 for just the body taking out the lens price...

B&H has the body only for $6899.00 for special order...

I have looked at the mount for conversions, that I have from Luis I think the mount conversions should work on the SD1 as they did on the SD14/SD15...if you want to use your Nikon/Leica R/Oly lenses on it...but that remains to be seen...have to wait till someone actually plays with it...

At the price point above...I will not be getting one anytime soon...I'll just have to wait till the price comes down...

If anyone gets there hands on one...please post shots and info on it...I have read all the Pre-Production comments about the camera...but those are not production units...

Tony C.

 

[jnicklin]

Curious marketing

So they list the body at $9,700 and kits for around $3,000 less. Some would see that as an indication that Sigma thinks their lenses are worth less than nothing. Buy a new SD-1 and they will pay you handsomely to take a lens off their inventory.

Are they smoking something strange in corporate HQ?

 

[tc95]

Are they smoking something strange in corporate HQ?

What ever it is I want some... ....

 

[ambaker]

What ever it is I want some... ....

Not me! Whatever it is, it appears to rot the brain...

 

[jeff tchaderjian]

The price is insane

The original price of 9,700$ was (is?) totally insane. But even at 6899$ for body only, as advertised by B&H, SD1 will stay out of reach for 90% of Sigma's customers.

At a fair price of around 2K, SD1 would have generated many sales for Sigma, but now I think Sigma's customers will make the same decision as mine:

SD1 being prohibitive, I have to consider again the SD15. But there are so few differences between the SD15 and my SD14, does it worth putting more money in a camera that takes almost the same photos???

I am quite sure my ansmer will stay NO.

In short, SD1 will not, as it should have, give Sigma new sales. Too bad for them... and for us.

 

[afshalders]

Not insane, but surreal...

Hi,

Besides the crazy price tag there are many other major issues concerning the SD1:

1) Size matters

Good sensor, true, but still not full frame and this makes a LOT of difference, specially if you use wide angle lenses. More than US$ 2K in an APS-C sized camera ? Sounds not correct to me.

2) Sigma is not Leica

Okay, good sensor BUT lacks of really awesome optics. Yes, I said amesome because what else would you put in a $7000 camera ?

Besides the 70/2.8 and 105/2.8 Macros, all the other ones are so-so, including the 30/1.4 and the 20/1.8. They sucks. Honestly.

I paid a good ammount for a Vario-Elmar 35-70 F4 ROM lens, very gladly. It's awesome glass and delivers exceptional performance. It's made by Kyocera in Japan under Leica's specs.

3) Sigma is not even Canon or Nikon

Camera body is not even close than Canon's or Nikon's APS-C top end series. Not counting about optics.

4) Quality control

I had many Sigma lenses for Canon. Every single one gave me some sort of focus problem, Usually frontfocusing.


So, IMHO it doesn't matters if it has the best sensor ever made. It's overpriced and there aren't optics to match the price tag.

Don't take me wrong. I love the SD15 and the DP2. I have both. For the SD15 I still have the 70/2.8 macro (great lens) and a crappy and expensive (for the performance) 17-50/2.8 EX DC.

When I need good optics, I simply use my old good M42 lenses on it, like some good Mamiya and Fujinons-EBC.

It's something like having a Porsche engine in a Yugo. Would you pay $40.000 for the Super-Yugo ?

 

[tc95]

afshalders - your right about the QC for the new lenses...what I do is send them back to Sigma for Spec'ing out....when I get them back the focus issues and and any-other little nuances are gone....if you have a problem with your 17-50...you might want to do that...also only buy EX lenses...otherwise...there like the kit lenses for both nikon/canon...

Just my two cents...

 

[afshalders]

afshalders - your right about the QC for the new lenses...what I do is send them back to Sigma for Spec'ing out....when I get them back the focus issues and and any-other little nuances are gone....if you have a problem with your 17-50...you might want to do that...also only buy EX lenses...otherwise...there like the kit lenses for both nikon/canon...

Just my two cents...

The problem with the 17-50 2.8 EX DC are the very bad borders for the price range. I got three samples and all had the same bad performance. The center is fantastic, but the borders awful. Even at f5.6 the borders at 50mm are very poor. I'm using this lens just for fun, not for anything serious anymore. In my opinion it was a total waste of money, and that's the reason I started to use manual focus lenses on the SD15. Just put a Haoda split/microprism screen and I'm happy again.

Some Sigma glass are great. Most are so-so.

But the 70/2.8 Macro EX DC is a great lens in all aspects. Sometimes Sigma does the job quite well.

 

[nathlas]

I am really interested how Sigma face all this rage of their fans allover the world for the SD1 price matter.

Do they care ?