Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by mcmurma:
But what do I care. I'm a digicam dude. There is no denying the portability and ease of use that the digicam provides. And I won't go back to lugging 35mm gear again... I'm too old and too lazy. Give me a solid little digicam with a Foveon chip! That's what I want to see... Why hasn't someone done this yet? |
Because nobody has managed to prove that the current foveon design is any good under general (non-studio) shooting conditions ? Because the noise performance of the current design is terrible ?
I'm sure it'll get better eventually, if it ever becomes cost effective |
Well, I'll grant that the SD9 certainly has its shortcomings, but reviews indicate that noise (or lack of) in the iso range of 100 to 400 is excellent. Certainly its performance in this area is much, much better than I can currently get with my S30. And since I don't plan to do much if any shooting above 200 anyway, I can live with the noise.
I can also live with the limited dynamic range. (I'm guessing thats what you mean when say the chip is not proven under general shooting conditions.) This is certainly a problem, though, and I hope Foveon can make improvements in this area.
Color is the biggest problem I see with this chip right now. The way Sigma tuned the color response just plain sucks. Most of the color issues, though, could probably be tweaked to acceptable levels in post processing. So I could live with the muddy color too.
Limited dynamic range? Yep, it's a sacrifice. Noise? Maybe. Not enough to scare me off. Color lameness? No doubt, but again, I'll take it.
Why would I put up with these issues? Because I have never seen images so clear and sharp from a digital camera. Sharpness from a 3mp chip that, to my eye, only starts to get matched by 6mp chips from other companies.
I would really like to see another company put their own spin on the Foveon and see what they can come up with. So far Sigma is the only company to give a whirl, and I'm surprised and dissapointed that no one else has even tried.
I think, like most things, the marketing hype attached to megapixels may be keeping their current chip down. (probably permantly) Because at 3mp no company in their right mind would try to put this chip into a "prosumer" type of camera like the Canon G series. Although I think such a marriage would make a great camera.
Message edited by author 2003-06-26 12:53:47. |
