Sigma SD9 Digital Camera

The Sigma SD9 when used properly, produces the most colorful and three dimensional pictures I've seen in a camera under $4,000. Getting the best pictures requires skill with exposure and a familiarity with the camera, but many exposure errors can be corrected with the free bundled software. The main reason this camera is so cheap is it's slow AF and unacceptable noise at ISO 400. Therefore, this camera is an exceptional value for portrait and landscape photographers, but will pose a problem for sports and night photography. Still, under the right conditions, this camera takes fast, highly detailed, and color accurate pictures. The yellow color cast appears infrequently and can be eliminated with the included software. Sigma has chosen a RAW only approach to preserve the immense detail output from the foveon chip. For example, a 6mp conventional camera has only 2/3rds the receptors as the Sigma, and additionally must guess at the blank spots to create the full 6mp image. The Sigma with 10 million photosites aligned to eliminate the guessing can produce an image that would compare to an 8-14mp conventional image depending on the color content of the scene.

In all, I thoroughly enjoy this camera! Just remember to buy a flash, lithium crv3's on ebay, and a 1gb microdrive to complete your kit.