Photography News Issue 37

Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com

Camera test 53

Performance: Super-High JPEGmode

Interpolated Fine JPEG 7680x5120 pixels

Whereas Super-Fine detail mode takes seven Raws on a stable camera that are merged in software for high dynamic range pictures, the sd Quattro’s Super-High (S-HI) mode is JPEG output only and just one shutter release is needed to produce a straight-out-of-the-camera image measuring 39-megapixels and 7680x5120 pixels. This compares with the Fine JPEG’s dimensions of 29-megapixels and 5424x3616 pixels. The Quattro H gives 51-megapixel JPEG files. Assuming 300ppi, the Fine JPEG of 5424x3616 pixels gives a print size of 18x12in. Using S-HI mode the print size increases to 25.6x17in which is impressive for a straight-out-of-the-camera JPEG. To see how good image quality is I shot in S-HI mode and then repeated the shot in Raw and Fine JPEG. The shots were taken using a Sigma 24- 105mm f/4 DG lens at 38mm using an exposure of 1/80sec at f/8 at ISO 100. For on-screen checking, the Fine JPEG and processed Raw were magnified by 1.41x to give the same image size as the S-HI JPEG. For print examination, the Raw file was processed through Sigma Photo Pro with default settings and exported as a JPEG. This JPEG was then interpolated using Photoshop to give the same image size as the original S-HI file. The Fine JPEG shot was also interpolated in Photoshop to give the same image size as the S-HI file. With all the shots done at ISO 100 image quality is excellent, sharp and full of detail. As you’d expect, the Fine JPEG is the least impressive and is noticeably less good than the Raw file. The S-HI JPEG looks good and the in-camera interpolation has done a great job. The large prints of S-HI files certainly impressed. Ultimately, though, the interpolated Raw is marginally better (and of course, Raw offers more control in post-processing) but it tookmore work to get while getting a S-HI is dead simple. Get it right in-camera and the S-HI setting is definitely worth using when large JPEGs are needed.

Features A gimmick-free CSC with a unique sensor Performance Low ISO quality is excellent and exposure system spot on Handling No serious issues but autofocus and the electronic viewfinder image could be better Value formoney This level of resolution at this price is tempting Overall The sd has good and less good points so very much an individual choice, and it’s good value Pros Good value, image quality at low ISO, S-HI JPEGmode Cons High ISO quality, AF, battery life, Raws have to go through Sigma Photo Pro 88/100 20/25 22/25 21/25 24/25 The Sigma sd Quattro is a fine camera with an individual character and it’s capable of very impressive results especially if you want fabulous-looking JPEGs straight out of the camera. But it is a camera that needs work and there are limits to its skills. By work, I mean shoot Raws and you have to use Sigma’s own software and it is slow, not great to use and doesn’t offer as much as rivals. It is a shame there is such limited third-party Sigma Raw support. And by limits, I mean if you want to shoot critical quality images above ISO 400, expect noise levels that are high for a current camera. You also need to be patient with the AF system which can struggle to lock on even in what are supposedly good conditions. Very much on the plus side is the Sigma sd Quattro’s price. Under £800 for a 29-megapixels camera is good value and the image quality is excellent at low ISO settings. The S-HI mode is JPEG output only and just one shutter release is needed to produce a straight- out-of-the-camera image measuring 39-megapxiels Left Here the same scene was shot using (in descending order) Fine JPEG, S-HI JPEG and Raw. The Fine JPEG and processed Raw files were interpolated in Photoshop to give the same image size as the S-HI shot for a fair comparison. You can see that S-HI gives an excellent result with no fuss at all. Verdict

S-HI JPEG 7680x5120 pixels

Original image

Interpolated Raw 7680x5120 pixels

The unique Foveon sensor means there is very limited third-party support for the X3F Raw files that it produces, hence we took a quick look at Sigma’s own software solution, Photo Pro v6.4.0. The software itself is an image editor on the lines of Photoshop rather than a workflow software such as Lightroom so there’s limited cataloguing and keywording functionality. Locate the folder with the Raw or JPEG images and they load into software quickly. You get the options of different thumbnail sizes and there are three window choices too. In the thumbnail interface images can be marked or deleted and double-clicking on any image and a few seconds later it appears large in the editing interface. Here you can have the tool palettes ranged down the left, right, down both sides or floating – or hidden – so all very neat. Performance: Sigma Photo Pro v6.4.0

In terms of actual tools, there’s a wide range of the usual suspects so exposure, tonal adjustments, white-balance, noise reduction, lens corrections andmore are available. With Raw files you can also change or select any image ratio or apply a particular colour mode. Apply an adjustment and a few seconds later the preview is refreshed and the image with the settings applied is shown – some changes are shown very quickly, some take longer. Before exporting, you can choose save parameters, ie. colour space, JPEG, 8-bit or 16-bit TIFFs. Running the Mac version of the software on a MacMini with 16GB of RAM, processing a X3F Raw to a 16-bit TIFFwith no corrections applied took just under 30secs so the process is quite slow. Using the large SFD files was inevitably slower and they needed more adjusting to get a good result.