Sigma has announced that their long awaited for SD15 DSLR camera is now available for purchase in the United States, selling for an estimated $989. The SD15 of course is built around the Foveon X3 sensor, but also features a 3 inch 460k LCD, a 77-Segment AE sensor, and the ability to shoot up to 21 continuous RAW images.

The SD15 is a camera that we here at Neutralday are very keen to try. Nothing else out there has the look of Foveon files, and that combined with certain Sigma glass has me itching to give the SD15 a lengthy whirl.

Sigma SD15 DSLR camera now available for estimated street price of $989

Latest model in SD series boasts enhanced image quality, more pixels and faster processor

Ronkonkoma, NY, June 30, 2010 – Sigma Corporation of America (www.sigmaphoto.com), a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, is pleased to announce that the company’s highly anticipated SD15 digital SLR camera is now available in the United States for the estimated street price of $989.

The SD15 is the latest model in Sigma’s SD series, which previously consisted of the SD9, SD10, and now includes the SD14. The DSLR has been developed to produce superior image quality with improved processing speed, operation and performance, and its 14-megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor can capture all primary RGB colors at each pixel location arranged in three layers. The SD15’s “TRUE II” image processing engine helps the camera process a large amount of data, while producing high-resolution, high-definition images with impressive three-dimensional detail and rich gradation.

“Our plans for the SD15 were originally shared with the photo community at photokina in 2008 because we wanted our customers to know that we’re committed to the SD camera system and our outstanding Foveon technology,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, general manager of Sigma Corporation of America. “It’s been long-awaited, for sure, but it’s worth the wait. We are really pleased with the image quality we’re getting from this camera.”

In addition to the enhanced processing speed from the TRUE II engine, the SD15 adopts the SD card and incorporates a highly visible 3.0 inch LCD monitor with 460,000 pixels and greater pixel density, a new, 77-Segment AE sensor, an Analog Front End (AFE), and an extra ISO stop at 3200. The SD15’s buffer is also larger than its predecessor’s, allowing 21 raw images to be shot continuously, as opposed to six, and the camera has an improved user interface.

The Sigma SD15 comes with the company’s new Sigma Photo Pro (SPP) 4.0 software, which features new, user-controlled noise sliders that allow for greater control over detail rendering in images taken at ISO 400 and higher, and special algorithms that were specifically developed for processing SD15 raw files. Like earlier versions of the software, SPP 4.0 also contains the X3 Fill Light function, which allows users to easily add light to shaded areas of an image, without overexposing highlighted areas.

In March of 2008, Sigma introduced a high-end compact digital camera, the DP1, which uses the same large image sensor as featured in Sigma’s digital SLR cameras. That camera was soon followed by the DP2, DP1s, DP1x and DP2s. The DP and SD series have established a strong following from a wide range of amateur and professional photographers.

For information about the SD15, visit www.sigmaphoto.com. To view an SD15 sample image photo gallery visit www.sigma-sd.com/SD15/sample-photo/index.html and to view video tutorials of the SD15 camera and the SPP software, visit Sigma Corporation of America’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/SigmaAmerica

About Sigma Corporation
For nearly 50 years, Sigma Corporation’s expertise and innovation has driven the company’s core philosophy of “knowledge, plus experience, plus imagination,” with an emphasis on producing high-quality, high-performance photographic technology at moderate prices. This family-owned organization is the largest, independent SLR lens manufacturer in the world, producing more than 50 lenses that are compatible with most manufacturers, including Sigma, Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax.  Sigma Corporation also produces digital SLR cameras and high-definition digital compact cameras. The company is headquartered in Japan, with offices strategically located throughout Europe, Asia and North America. For information, please visit www.sigmaphoto.com.

Wanted: More Facebook Fans

Look, we get thousands of hits everyday, so naturally I’m thinking we should be having thousands of fans at our Neutralday.com Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/neutralday. So if you like this site, or cameras, or photographers, and especially all three together, please come on over! We’re rather frequent updaters, and our fanpage is becoming our defacto dumping ground for photography news, a photographer we like, what we’re up to here at the site, and the occasional tech-geek/nerd randomness. Just click and join us, share your work, your portfolio, your opinions, whatever…right here.

Neutralday On Facebook: Fans Wanted

Dear loyal readers, I’ve put up a fanpage for Neutralday, and it’s looking for fans! We’ve maintained an application on facebook for awhile now, that allows facebook users to connect to Neutralday with their facebook accounts, but somehow we never got around to actually creating an actual fanpage.

I’m hoping that all of you reading this (with facebook accounts of course) will head on over, fan us, and then most importantly…. contribute! I really want fans to add to the discussion there — post anything and everything related to cameras, a cool shot that you took recently, camera news, links to photographer’s you like, discuss your new gear etc. It’s about community folks!

BTW, we’re also fairly active on Twitter. You can follow us at twitter.com/neutralday

In the meantime please keep spreading the word about Neutralday. Thanks!

(For readers who’ve joined the application page, I’m hoping you guys join up for the actual fanpage too.)

Wacom has unveiled a wireless version of it’s medium sized Intuos4 pen tablet. The new tablet still has the USB connection but allows for a tidy wireless approach via Bluetooth. That sounds pretty cool, and as a recent purchaser of the wired Intuos4, I’ll admit to being a little annoyed at this announcement. Still you’re not wireless forever, the reason that USB connection remains is for charging the Intuos4, which contains a replaceable lithium ion battery, good for what Wacom claims is 18 hours of use from the tablet.

The new wireless Intuos4 costs $50 more than the wired version, at $399 and is available for pre-order now at Amazon.com.

If you’re not hung up on the wireless aspect, I absolutely enjoy my Intuos4. I’ve got the medium sized one, which pairs nicely with my macbook pro. It looks real slick of course, but it also hooks up so well with Adobe Photoshop, that it’s hard to see how I could ever go back to using a mouse. The other cool aspect is the included drivers which allow you to set up the Intuos4 just to your liking–it really is a time saver in addition to being so much kinder to the ol’ wrists. I’ll get more into this in an upcoming review so stay tuned.

• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Small) $199
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Medium)
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Large)
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (X-large)

Up until quite recently camera manufacturers for the most part have been happy to make marginal upgrades to their compact cameras by simply offering more. More megapixels, more zoom, more scene modes, and more faces in face detection AF modes. Lately though, things have begun to change, either because of technological hurdles, or the onslaught of the iPhone and similar, which make compact cameras less and less necessary, or perhaps they’ve actually begun to listen to what consumers really want. Regardless of the reason, we’re finally starting to see more compacts offering something different, a focus on image quality, on taking better or different pictures, and even unique ways of sharing pictures. I’ve gathered 5 of the latest offerings taking slightly different paths than your typical compact camera.

Canon Powershot G11

The Canon PowerShot G11 may not seem all that unconventional at first, but this flagship compact offering from Canon now features not just impeccable build, and a change in imaging sensor with improved ISO performance in mind, but it also sports a flip out and rotating LCD. I’m becoming more and more appreciative of these flip out LCDs due to their creative and practical applications, and the G11 is about the only compact offering one right now. The G10 was fairly well received when it was introduced, but I’m thinking a fair amount of photographers are strongly considering trading theirs in for an even better G11.

• Canon PowerShot G11 at B&H Photo Video
  
• Canon PowerShot G11 at Amazon

Sigma DP2/DP1s

You’ve heard me heap praise on the Sigma DP2 countless time, but I do it for good reasons. It’s a compact camera that truly offers DSLR like image quality thanks to its large Foveon sensor. No longer unique in this regard now that Leica has introduced the X1, the DP2 (or the newly introduced DP1s) is for a select group of photographers that care about image quality above all else. Absent all the bells and whistles found on your average compact, the DP2 offers program, aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and manual shooting modes only, and is somewhat hamstrung by a slow AF system that makes dynamic subject capture difficult at best. But if you’re a somewhat skilled photographer with an interest in taking photos that no other compact will, you should really think about the Sigma DP2.

• Sigma DP2 at B&H Photo Video
  
• Sigma DP2 at Amazon
  

Ricoh GR Digital III

Like the Sigma DP2, the Ricoh GR Digital III takes the unlikely path of offering a fixed length lens, in this case a 28mm lens with f/1.9 aperture. Though the 10 megapixel sensor size is inline with other compacts, you simply won’t find many cameras with such a singular focus. Clearly not intended for everybody, the GR Digital III carves a sliver sized niche for the enthusiast photographer, but does so by going all out, not just offering a precision lens, but by also offering 5 fps of continuous RAW shooting, and a huge 3 inch 920K display, a feature rarely found in the realm of compact cameras.

• Ricoh GR Digital III at Amazon

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

Improved dynamic range and ISO performance in a compact camera? That’s a novel concept, as the small sensors typically deployed in compacts don’t generally offer either attribute. But that’s exactly what the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR seeks to address by giving photographers the option to choose between a high resolution mode (12 megapixels) or implement one of two options: a high sensitivity mode and a wide dynamic range mode. Both alternatives bump resolution down to 6 megapixels, but provide boosts to low light performance by “creating” larger photodiodes in the higher sensitivity mode, and combine multiple exposures to improve details in highlights in the wide dynamic range mode. With the megapixel wars seemingly winding down, I can assure you we’ll see more and more cameras promoting these much needed improvements in overall image quality.

• Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR at B&H Photo Video
• Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR at Amazon

Nikon CoolPix S1000pj

Taking pictures is one thing, but sharing them is arguably an even bigger thing. Taking a completely novel approach to this dilemma is the Nikon CoolPix S1000pj, which includes its very own internal projector for displaying an image 5 inches to 40 inches wide several feet away. With an included remote, you could set the S1000pj near any appropriate surface and start a slideshow of images taken just moments ago, without a computer, without having prints made, and without a large group of viewers trying to circle around the camera’s LCD display. There’s no other camera like it right now, and I certainly can’t think of another camera that allows for such instantaneous social sharing with the folks around you.

• Nikon CoolPix S1000pj at B&H Photo Video
• Nikon CoolPix S1000pj at Amazon
  

Hey folks, Neutralday.com now has their very own page and application on Facebook. That means you can get every post, right through Facebook, and even add a fan box to your profile page. This helps:

• share the site with your friends
• stay up to date with the latest photography news
• potentially meet (gasp) new friends?
• start camera related discussions
• share photos
• etc.

Sounds like a good deal to me. To get the application and become a fan, just click here.

As a person who struggles to keep up with all the latest camera news, and as a consumer with a very cautious trigger finger, I can sympathize with those agonizing over what camera to buy and when to buy it. The good news is that right now we have a number of very good cameras available, that are both fresh in their product cycles, and bound to be competitive against other contenders in their respective markets. I’ve chosen what I consider to be the current best or best overall value as of right now, and yes I feel pretty confident about these picks. Also, I know this list won’t please everybody—so I’m really hoping some brave folks will leave their own lists in the comments. With all that said, here’s 5 cameras that you can feel pretty good about buying, right now.

(more…)

I loved the first one. Had to have the second one. Am I really doubting the need to get the third volume? Nope.

If you’re like me, then head on over to amazon.com, where Scott Kelby’s “The Digital Photography Book Vol. 3″ is now available for a mere $14.99. It continues with the series’ trademark “pro over your shoulder style”. Want to know how the pros do it? This book (and the others in the series) tells you.

Get it now: The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3