Sigma Corporation

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Sigma Corporation (株式会社シグマ, Kabushiki-gaisha Shiguma^?) is a Japanese company founded in 1961, 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 lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.^[1]

Sigma produces products to work with cameras from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Konica Minolta, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic, as well as for their own cameras.

Sigma lenses are usually less expensive than the equivalent offering from the manufacturer of the camera body in question, so are therefore often sold bundled with a camera body as a less expensive alternative to the manufacturer's body and lens kit.

Sigma's digital SLRs, the SD9, SD10 and SD14, are unusual in their use of the Foveon X3 image sensor. All use the SA lens mount. The DP-1, a high-end P&S camera, is also using the Foveon X3 image sensor, which gives it a much larger sensor than most other cameras of this type.

Contents 1 Cameras 2 Lenses 2.1 Designations 2.2 Zoom Lenses 2.2.1 Wide-angle Zooms 2.2.2 Standard Zooms 2.2.3 Telephoto Zooms 2.3 Prime Lenses 2.3.1 Wide-angle Primes 2.3.2 Macro Primes 2.3.3 Telephoto Primes 2.4 DC Lenses for APS-C 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Cameras

Sigma has made a number of film SLR cameras, including the SA-300, SA-7, and SA-9. They presently are making a DSLR, the Sigma SD14, the successor to the Sigma SD9 and Sigma SD10, all of which use the Foveon X3 sensor.

All Sigma SLR and DSLR 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 a high-end compact digital camera, the Sigma DP1, using a similar 14 MP Foveon X3 image sensor to the Sigma SD14 DSLR.

[edit] Lenses

Sigma makes a variety of lenses, though each lens may not be available in all popular lens mounts. Even if it is available in a certain mount, it may not have all features even if listed (eg. HSM).

[edit] Designations

• Aspherical
• APO - Apochromatic lens element(s)
• OS - In lens "Optical Stabilization", analogous to Nikon VR or Canon IS
• HSM - "HyperSonic Motor", in-lens ultrasonic motor, analogous to Nikon SWM or Canon USM, etc
• EX - "Excellence", professional series.
• DG - Coatings optimized for Digital SLRs, still usable on 35mm or full frame
• DC - Lenses for DSLRs featuring APS-C size sensors only
• DF - "Dual Focus", lens features clutch to disengage focus ring when in AF mode
• HF - "Helical Focusing", front element of lens does not rotate (for when using circular polarizing filters)

[edit] See also

• List of digital camera brands
• Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (English) Sigma Corporation
• (English) Sigma Corporation of America
• (French) Sigma France
• (English) List of Sigma lenses + informations
• (English) Review of the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM and 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM from the Royal Photographic Society Journal