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Sigma Corporation

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Sigma Corporation
Native name
株式会社シグマ
Company typePrivate KK
IndustryElectronics
FoundedSetagaya, Japan (September 1961; 63 years ago (1961-09))
FounderMichihiro Yamaki
HeadquartersAsao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 215-8530, Japan
Key people
Kazuto Yamaki
(CEO)
Products
Number of employees
1,135
SubsidiariesFoveon
WebsiteOfficial website
Footnotes / references
[1][2]
Kazuto Yamaki (CEO of Sigma) on 25 September 2018 at photokina in Cologne

Sigma Corporation (株式会社シグマ, Kabushiki-gaisha Shiguma) is a Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan. Although Sigma produces several camera models, the company is best known for producing high-quality lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.[3]

The company was founded in 1961 by Michihiro Yamaki, who was Sigma's CEO until his death at age 78 in 2012.[4]

Sigma products work with cameras from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Pentax, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic, as well as their own cameras.

Sigma has also made lenses under the Quantaray name, which have been sold exclusively by Ritz Camera. Similarly, Sigma lenses were sold exclusively by the former Wolf Camera, but following the merger of Wolf and Ritz, both brands could be purchased.

Sigma's digital SLRs, the SD9, SD10, SD14 and SD15, plus the latest SD1 are unusual in their use of the Foveon X3 image sensor. The company's mirrorless cameras, the Sigma SD Quattro and SD Quattro H, use the Foveon Quattro sensor, an updated version of the Foveon X3. All use the SA lens mount. The Sigma DP series of high-end compact P&S cameras also use the Foveon Quattro sensor, which gives them a much larger sensor than other cameras of this type.

In September 2018 Sigma became one of the founding members of the L-Mount Alliance; it announced that it will cease to develop SA-mount cameras and instead use the Leica L-Mount. A new full-frame mirrorless camera, Sigma FP, was launched in 2019 along with a range of L-Mount lenses and adapters.[5]

Sigma is the world's largest independent lens manufacturer and is a family-owned business.[6]

Cameras

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Sigma has made a number of film SLR cameras, including the SA-300, SA-5, SA-7 and SA-9. Their latest consumer digital SLR is the SD15. During photokina 2010, Sigma announced a new flagship DSLR camera, the SD1. SD1 features a new 46MP Foveon X3 sensor with 1.5x crop, as opposed to the 1.7x crop of previous models.[7]

All Sigma SLR, DSLR, and mirrorless cameras use the Sigma SA mount, which is mechanically similar to the Pentax K mount and electrically an adaptation of the Canon EF lens mount lens control system.

Sigma also produces the DP series of high-end compact digital cameras. The Foveon APS-C sized sensors are similar to those used in the DSLR line. The current line makes use of the Quattro sensor, a variant of the Foveon design that has a higher resolution top layer and lower resolution lower layers combined into a final image that is claimed to be equivalent to a 39 megapixel color filter array image. The four compact cameras are differentiated by their fixed prime lens, with the ultra wide DP0, the wide DP1, the normal DP2 and the telephoto DP3.

In February 2016, Sigma announced two new mirrorless cameras—the SD Quattro and SD Quattro H. Both cameras use the full-depth Sigma SA mount, allowing the use of existing SA-mount lenses, and also use Foveon Quattro sensors. The SD Quattro uses an APS-C sensor with 19.6 MP in the top layer, while the SD Quattro H uses an APS-H (1.35x crop) sensor with 25.5 MP in the top layer. The company claims that the Foveon Quattro technology produces a level of detail equivalent to that of a Bayer sensor with twice the pixel count.[8]

Software

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Sigma produces multiple software packages for use with their cameras and lenses.[9]

  • SIGMA Photo Pro - Software for post-production of their camera's .X3F raw image format. It is available both for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows.
  • SIGMA Optimization Pro - Software for updating lens firmware and performing calibration and customization.
  • SIGMA Capture Pro - Software allowing remote control and image capture from select Sigma cameras.

Lenses

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Sony NEX-5 with Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN lens.

Sigma makes autofocus lenses for the Sigma SA, Canon EF, Nikon F, Fujifilm X, Minolta/Sony α, Pentax K and Four Thirds lens mounts. Each lens may not be available in all mounts, and may lack certain features (such as HSM) on certain mounts.

In August 2013, Sigma announced that starting the following month, it would offer a mount conversion service for its newest "Global Vision" lenses—those with either an "A" (Art), "C" (Contemporary), or "S" (Sport) as part of their model name. For a cost that varies with lens and market—from $80 to $250 in the U.S., not including shipping costs—owners can send their lenses to their local Sigma company, which in turn sends them to Japan for mount replacement, including calibration and optimization for the new camera system. Lenses designed for DSLRs can be converted to Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sigma SA, or Sony A mounts; those designed for MILCs can be converted to Micro Four Thirds or Sony E-mount.[10]

Designations

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Sigma 200–500mm F2.8 EX DG displayed at the 2008 photokina
  • ASP — Aspherical lens elements
  • APO — Apochromatic lens element(s), originally for "Advanced Performance Optics", not necessarily apochromatic
  • OS — In-lens "Optical Stabilization", analogous to Nikon VR or Canon IS
  • HSM — "Hyper-Sonic Motor", either in-lens ultrasonic motor or micro-motor, analogous to Nikon SWM (AF-S) (ultra-sonic or micro-motor), Canon USM (ultrasonic or micro-motor), Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony SSM (ultrasonic motor) or Sony SAM (micro-motor), etc.
  • A — "Art Series", large aperture prime and zoom lenses, high optical performance. USB dock compatible. Part of 2013 lens lineup restructuring.
  • C — "Contemporary Series", combining optical performance with compactness. USB dock compatible. Part of 2013 lens lineup restructuring.
  • S — "Sports Series", telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. USB dock compatible. Part of 2013 lens lineup restructuring.
  • EX — "Excellence", EX-finish, high performance series.
  • DG — "Digital Grade", coatings optimized for DSLRs, full-frame as well as APS-C, also usable on 35mm film SLRs
Sigma macro, telephoto and wide angle lenses (left to right)
  • DC — "Digital Compact", lenses for DSLRs featuring APS-C size sensors, only
  • DL — "Deluxe",[citation needed] indicates lower-end film era lenses
  • DN — "Digital Neo", lenses for mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.
  • DF — "Dual Focus", lens features clutch to disengage focus ring when in AF mode
  • FLD — "'F' Low Dispersion" glass, the highest level low dispersion glass available with extremely high light transmission. This glass has a performance equal to fluorite glass which has a low refractive index and low dispersion compared to current optical glass
  • HF — "Helical Focusing", front element of lens does not rotate (useful for polarizing filters and petal lens hoods)
  • RF — "Rear Focusing", lenses employing rear-focusing, no length changes during focussing, no rotating front elements
  • IF — "Inner Focusing", length of lens does not change during focusing, no rotating front elements
  • UC — "Ultra-Compact"

Zoom lenses

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Wide-angle zooms

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Focal length Aperture EX full-frame HSM Series Note
8–16mm f/4.5-5.6 No No Yes
10–20mm f/4-5.6 Yes No Yes
10–20mm f/3.5 Yes No Yes
12–24mm f/4.5-5.6 Yes Yes Yes Aspherical
12–24mm II f/4.5-5.6 No Yes Yes Aspherical
12–24mm f/4 No Yes Yes A
14-24mm f/2.8 No Yes No A DN
14-24mm f/2.8 No Yes Yes A
15–30mm f/3.5–4.5 Yes Yes No Aspherical
16-28mm f/2.8 No Yes No C DN
17–35mm f/2.8–4 Yes Yes Yes Aspherical
18–35mm f/3.5-4.5 No No No Aspherical
20–40mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Aspherical
21–35mm f/3.5-4.2 No Yes No
24–35mm f/2 No Yes Yes A

Standard zooms

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Focal length Aperture EX full-frame OS HSM Series Note
17–50mm (2010) f/2.8 Yes No Yes Yes
17–70mm f/2.8–4.5 No No No Yes MACRO
17–70mm f/2.8-4.0 No No Yes Yes MACRO
17–70mm f/2.8-4.0 No No Yes Yes C MACRO
18–35mm f/1.8 No No No Yes A
18–50mm f/2.8 Yes No No No
18–50mm f/2.8 No No No No C DN
18–50mm (2006) f/2.8 Yes No No No MACRO
18–50mm f/2.8-4.5 No No Yes Yes
18–50mm f/3.5–5.6 No No No No
18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 No No Yes Yes C MACRO
24–60mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
24–70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No MACRO
24–70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes
24–70mm f/2.8 No Yes Yes No A DN
24–70mm f/2.8 No Yes Yes Yes A
24–70mm f/3.5–5.6 No Yes No No Aspherical HF
24–105mm f/4 No Yes Yes Yes A
24–135mm f/2.8–4.5 No Yes No No Aspherical IF
28–70mm f/2.8 No Yes No No
28–70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
28–70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No DF
28–70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
28–70mm f/2.8 No Yes No No C DN
28–70mm f/2.8–4 No Yes No No
28–70mm f/2.8–4 No Yes No No UC
28–70mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No UC
28–80mm f/3.5–5..6 No Yes No No Aspherical Macro
28–84mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No
28–85mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No
28–105mm f/2.8–4 No Yes No No
28–105mm f/3.8–5.6 No Yes No No Aspherical IF
28–105mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No UC
28–135mm f/3.8–5.6 No Yes No No
28–135mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No
28–200mm f/3.5–5.6 No Yes No No Macro
28–200mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No
28–300mm f/3.5–6.3 No Yes No No Macro
28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 No Yes No No DL Hyperzoom Aspherical IF
35–70mm f/2.8–4 No Yes No No
35–70mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No
35–80mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No DL
35–105mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No Macro
35–135mm f/3.5–4.5 No Yes No No
35–135mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No UC
35–200mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No
39–80mm f/3.5 No Yes No No XQ

Telephoto zooms[11]

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Focal length Aperture EX full-frame OS HSM Series Introduction Note
50-100mm f/1.8 No No No Yes A 2016
50-150mm f/2.8 Yes No No Yes
50-150mm II f/2.8 Yes No No Yes
50-150mm f/2.8 Yes No Yes Yes APO
50–200mm f/3.5-4.5 No No No No APO
50–500mm f/4–6.3 Yes Yes No Yes
50–500mm f/4.5-6.3 No Yes Yes Yes
55–200mm f/4–5.6 No No No No
60–600mm f/4.5–6.3 No Yes Yes Yes S
70–150mm f/3.5 No No No No
70–200mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes 2006 MACRO
70–200mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes 2005
70–200mm 4/3 f/2.8 Yes No No Yes 2008
70–200mm II f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes 2007 MACRO
70–200mm[12] f/2.8 Yes Yes Yes Yes 2010 APO
70-200mm f/2.8 No Yes Yes Yes S 2018
70-210mm f/2.8 No No No No APO
70–210mm f/3.5–4.5 No No No No APO
70–210mm f/4-5.6 No No No No UC
70–210mm II f/4-5.6 No No No No UC
70–210mm f/4.5 No No No No UC
70–250mm f/3.5-4.5 No No No No
70–300mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No MACRO
70–300mm f/4–5.6 No Yes No No APO
75–200mm f/2.8-3.5 No No No No
75–200mm f/3.8 No No No No
75–230mm f/4.5 No No No No
75–250mm f/4.5 No No No No
75–300mm f/4.5–5.6 No No No No APO
80–200mm f/3.5 No No No No
80–200mm f/3.5-4.0 No No No No
80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 No No No No
80–400mm f/4.5–5.6 Yes No Yes No
100–200mm f/4.5 No No No No
100–300mm f/4 Yes Yes No Yes
100–300mm f/4.5–6.7 No No No No DL
100-400mm f/5-6.3 No Yes Yes No C 2020 DN
100-400mm f/5-6.3 No Yes Yes Yes C 2017
100–500mm f/5.6–8 No No No No APO Zoom Tau
120–300mm f/2.8 Yes No No Yes
120–300mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes
120-300mm f/2.8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
120–300mm f/2.8 No Yes Yes Yes S
120–300mm f/5.6 No No No No
120–300mm f/5.6-6.3 No No No No
120–400mm f/4.5–5.6 No Yes Yes Yes APO
135–400mm f/4.5–5.6 No Yes No No
150–500mm f/5–6.3 No Yes Yes Yes APO
150–600mm f/5–6.3 No Yes Yes Yes C
150–600mm f/5–6.3 No Yes Yes Yes S
170–500mm f/5–6.3 No Yes No No
200–500mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No 2x teleconverter included, allowing 400–1000mm f/5.6
300–800mm f/5.6 Yes Yes No Yes APO
350-1200mm f/11 No No No No APO

Prime lenses

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Wide-angle primes

[edit]
Focal length Aperture EX full-frame HSM Series Note
8mm f/3.5 Yes Yes No Circular Fisheye
8mm f/4 Yes Yes No Circular Fisheye
10mm f/2.8 Yes No Yes Fisheye Ultra-Wideangle
12mm f/2.8 No No No Fisheye Ultra-Wideangle
14mm f/1.8 No Yes Yes A
14mm f/2.8 Yes No Yes Aspherical
14mm f/3.5 No No No
15mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Diagonal Fisheye
16mm f/1.4 No No No C DN
16mm f/2.8 No No No XQ Filtermatic Diagonal Fisheye
18mm f/2.8 No No No Filtermatic
18mm f/3.2 No No No XQ
18mm f/3.5 No No No XQ
20mm f/1.4 No Yes No A DN
20mm f/1.4 No Yes Yes A
20mm f/1.8 Yes No Yes Aspherical RF
20mm f/2 No Yes No C DN
24mm f/1.4 No Yes No A DN
24mm f/1.4 No Yes Yes A
24mm f/1.8 No No No Aspherical
24mm f/1.8 Yes Yes No Aspherical Macro
24mm f/2 No Yes No C DN
24mm f/2.8 No No No XQ Filtermatic
24mm f/2.8 No No No Aspherical
24mm f/2.8 No No No Super Wide
24mm II f/2.8 No No No Super Wide
24mm f/3.5 No Yes No C DN
28mm f/1.4 No Yes Yes A
28mm f/1.8 Yes Yes No Aspherical Macro
28mm f/2.8 No No No XQ Filtermatic
28mm f/2.8 No No No Mini Wide II
30mm f/1.4 No No No C DN
35mm f/1.2 No Yes No A DN
35mm f/1.4 No Yes No A DN
35mm f/1.4 No Yes Yes A
35mm f/2.8 No No No GN (guide number)

Standard primes

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Focal length Aperture EX full-frame HSM Series Note
30mm f/1.4 Yes No Yes 45mm equivalent on most APS-C systems, 48mm equivalent on Canon APS-C, 51mm on Sigma, 60mm on Four Thirds
30mm f/1.4 No No No C DN
30mm f/1.4 No No Yes A available for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma mounts
35mm f/2 No Yes No C DN
40mm f/1.4 Yes Yes Yes A
45mm f/2.8 No Yes No C DN
50mm f/1.4 Yes Yes Yes
50mm f/1.4 No Yes Yes A
65mm f/2 No Yes No C DN

Macro primes

[edit]
Focal length Aperture EX full-frame OS HSM Note
Macro 50mm f/2.8 Yes No No No
Macro 50mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
Macro 55mm f/2.8 No No No No XQ
Macro 70mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
Macro 90mm f/2.8 No No No No
Macro 100mm f/2.8 No No No No XQ
Macro 105mm f/2.8 Yes No No No
Macro 105mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No No
Macro 105mm f/2.8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes
APO Macro 105mm f/2.8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 No No No No
APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes IF
APO Macro 180mm f/5.6 No No No No

Telephoto primes

[edit]
Focal length Aperture EX full-frame OS HSM Series Note
56mm f/1.4 No No No No C DN
85mm f/1.4 Yes Yes No Yes [13]
85mm f/1.4 No Yes No No A DN
85mm f/1.4 No Yes No Yes A
90mm f/2.8 No Yes No No C DN
105mm f/1.4 No Yes No No
105mm f/2.8 No Yes No No A DN MARCO
105mm f/1.4 No Yes No Yes A
135mm f/1.8 No Yes No Yes A
135mm f/1.8 No No No No XQ
135mm f/1.8 No No No No Sigmatel
135mm f/2.5 No No No No T-mount
135mm f/2.8 No No No No
135mm f/3.5 No No No No
200mm f/2.8 No No No No XQ
200mm f/3.5 No No No No
200mm f/4 No No No No
APO 300mm f/2.8 Yes Yes No Yes
APO 300mm f/2.8 No No No No
300mm f/4 No No No No XQ
APO 300mm f/4 No No No No MACRO
APO 300mm f/4 No No No Yes MACRO
APO 300mm f/4.5 No No No No
300mm f/5.6 No No No No
400mm f/5.6 No No No No
400mm f/5.6 No No No No Mirror
APO 400mm f/5.6 No No No No
APO 400mm f/5.6 No No No No MACRO
APO 400mm f/5.6 No No No Yes MACRO
500mm f/4 No No No No Mirror-Ultratelephoto
APO 500mm f/4.5 No No No No
APO 500mm f/4.5 Yes Yes No Yes
500mm f/4 No Yes Yes Yes S
APO 500mm f/7.2 No No No No
500mm f/8 No No No No Mirror
600mm f/8 No No No No Mirror
APO 800mm f/5.6 Yes Yes No Yes
APO 1000mm f/8 No No No No
1000mm f/13.5 No No No No Mirror

DC lenses for APS-C

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DN lenses for mirrorless cameras

[edit]

Lawsuit

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In 2011, Nikon filed a suit against Sigma, alleging it had violated patents relating to Nikon's "Vibration Reduction" image stabilisation technology.[19] In 2015, the suit ended through settlement, with no details disclosed.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Company Summary". Sigma Corp. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "Company Snapshot". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  3. ^ Werner Publishing (2006), PCPhoto Best Tips & Techniques for Digital Photography, ISBN 1-57990-697-4
  4. ^ "Michihiro Yamaki, Sigma founder and CEO dies: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  5. ^ Butler, Richard. "Sigma to take Foveon full frame and adopt L mount". DPReview. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  6. ^ "Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM - Lab Test / Review". Photozone.de. May 1, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR". Digital Photography Review. September 21, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  8. ^ Butler, Richard (February 23, 2016). "Sigma announces sd Quattro and sd Quattro H Foveon mirrorless cameras". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  9. ^ "Software". SIGMA Corporation. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Sigma Corporation's new Mount Conversion Service enables lens use across camera systems" (Press release). Sigma Corp. of America. August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  11. ^ "SIGMA History 1961-2010 – Sigma UK". Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "Sigma launches stabilized 70-200mm F2.8 telezoom". Digital Photography Review. February 20, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  13. ^ "Sigma releases 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM". Digital Photography Review. February 20, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  14. ^ "50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM - A". Default Store View. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  15. ^ "Sigma unveils 56mm F1.4 DC DN lens for Sony E and Micro Four Thirds". DPReview. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "16mm F1.4 DC DN - C". Default Store View. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  17. ^ "30mm F1.4 DC DN - C". Default Store View. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  18. ^ "30mm F2.8 DN - A - Silver". Default Store View. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  19. ^ "Nikon files patent infringement case against Sigma". dpreview.com. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  20. ^ "Nikon and Sigma reach settlement in OS patent infringement case". www.imaging-resource.com. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
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