Sigma SD14 X3F Raw files:
File size: 74MB
File: rytterfalk_raw_collection.zip
Raw converter #1: Sigma SPP 2.2 (mac) or 3.0 (PC)
Raw converter (works but not recomended) #2: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Canon 5D CR2 Raw files:
File size: 23MB
File: Alroe_5D_picturepack.zip
Hi Carl!
Here’s one with the Sigma 30mm 1.4… And a D80… :(
Could not wait until SD14, but waiting for DP1…
Cheers!
Pierre.
http://www.hebert-photo.com/fullD80-sigma30mm1.4
Hi Pierre! Couln’t open your link, will try more later.
But don’t be sad! The Nikon system is great and D80 isn’t a bad camera at all! Nice built and it will not stand in the way of getting some really really nice shots! :) I’m sure. It even comes with lots of pixels which is needed for a bayern system. Enjoy!
The DP1 will be a perfect buddy of yours, I’m sure. Let’s hope it’s not too expensive! I will for sure get one myself and maybe another for my girl friend.
The D80 is quite good… But it’s hard to get the right focus with the 30mm wide open. In fact, I think it’s better to have same brand for both body & lens… And Nikon is quite poor actually for fix focus like the Sigma. (And Canon is too expensive…), (& Leicaaaaarghh…)
Pierre
http://www.hebert-photo.com
Dear Carl, I like your work very much. I am considering purchasing the SD14. I only shoot Landscapes in Raw. Do you have any examples of the 10-20, 12-24, 0r 15-30mm. lenses in Raw? If so please e-mail me at mdavidpfau@msn.com. Conversion is a simple matter for me. I have already downloaded and converted some of you files and will print the photo of the ship in port on my epson 4800. Thanks again M Pfau
Well, spent the last few days editing the RAW files. The Sigma SPP 2.2 for Mac is dreadful. I hate to say it though. Having Lightroom I decided to import them all there. For some reason it is quite slow in processing the files but this is down to not actually officially supporting the .x3f RAW format. It is a shame Aperture still hasnt got support for this file format. I will reserve judgement until the likes of Aperture or Lightroom officially support it.
I will say though, from what I could do. There seems to be a slightly different edge to editing the files. Almost film like without all the hassle.
Waits patiently for the big boys to open their eyes to the .x3f RAW format.
Hi from Australia,
Carl, many thanks for providing the RAW Sigma files. I emailed Sigma suggesting they publish some RAW files and a trial copy of their RAW converter (Rather than having to have a camera serial number) In the Automotive industry this would be called a ‘Test Drive’ :)
Fortunately I have a copy of the old Sigma RAW converter. In my experience the old Foveon RAW images could easily support double the linear resolution (4x file size) if upsampled from unsharpened RAW files and the tonal range manipulation available was outstanding - we just needed a few more photosites on the sensor to begin with. Full frame would be nice also - especially with the Sigma 20mm f1.8.
Thanks again - I hope it doesn’t put too much strain on your bandwidth!
Just dowloaded the SD14 & 5D raw files and converted both in CS2 with latest upgrade!
The Sigma still has the colour noise problem in the shadow areas and some CA as did my SD9. The 5D was perfect in every respect and made my mind up to upgrade from my 20D to the 5D.
Thanks for the info, nice to see we don’t have to rely on Dpreview!
Lightroom conversions also show shadow noise which is REALLY bad when lightened with the ‘fill light’ function. It’s probably best to ignore this until the images have been processed in the correct Sigma RAW converter. We DID get incredibly detailed. step free images when we upsampled unsharpened files to 200% though. That’s a good start!
We use Kodak digital cameras and backs and the colour is incredibly accurate (we digitise artworks) but they only give their critical best using the professional settings available in Kodak’s Photo Desk RAW converter (and it is free for ANYONE to download). The Foveon sensor needs Sigma’s raw converter to perform properly - using theold version we got astounding noisless shadow detail with the old camera. Surely the new model and software will set a higher standard?
Come on Sigma - let us ALL have access to your Photo Pro 3.0 Rraw converter.
Come one guys! DON’T USE converters not made for the RAW file!! That’s NOT recommended! Do like this, go to the sigma website, http://www.sigma-sd14.com enter download Sigma Photo Pro and enter my serial number as “registered user” S/N 1004536 :) Someone might kill me for this, but it’s worth it!
The CS2, CS3 or Lightroom, none of these programs has support for the new Sigma SD14 RAW format. They think that it’s a SD9/SD10 file they work with.
Side dish:
One guy called me, printed one of my studio shots on his new Canon plotter and his word was “wow” 700×1000mm up-sized using Qimage. I only have Epson R2400 and it’s an incredible amount of sharp details seen on A3+ prints.
Carl, Thanks for providing access to Sigma’s PhotoPro Raw converter to do a true test,
I have just done a comparison using one of your images with Sigma’s PhotoPro Raw converters: Double size conversion using 1. Standard settings and 2. Lihtened shadows with ‘Fill Light’ slider.
Here are my test image screen grabs with production notes: http://www.digitalmasters.com.au/sigma_sd14_test.html
Many thanks for providing both the images and the tools - Sigma never did responded to my request for the same. I have given you credits and links.
Nice test David, and I must say that when looking at the fill light version, colors of her eye really comes out in a beautiful way. Sure it might be a tad too much but very nice anyhow.
Hey, thanks for sharing some raw files! And thank you for access to the converter! The files do look cleaner out of Photo Pro, however they’re still not perfectly clean. The skies in some files I procured elsewhere especially trouble me.
I think I’ll just be happy with my D2x.
From where I stand, this seems like tech with a lot of potential, but it’s still not ready for public consumption.
Hi Micah!
I think SD14 IS indeed ready for prime time as we speak, BUT as you have another really nice professional system already I would think that the SD14 isn’t aimed at you. Do a search on Dpreview and you would find my old test on SD10 vs D2x, lots of photos and close ups. If I find it, I’ll post it. (D2x did win resolution, but it was close!). I like the D2x but it’s SO HEAVY! Maaan it’s like a brick! :D Working really good though. Tough guy!
Just enjoying about 1900 images from a week in norway and some images blows me away for the pure quality. I will post some more interesting RAW files and for you with blue skies. :)
Thanks for comment.
dfgh
just a quick thanks for your generosity in sharing your experience & knowledge, i’m am “oldtimer” & an sd9 owner who has love/hate relationship with it, currently has a mixed bag of olympus (e-500) & canon (10d) & tons of film cameras to fool around with (from 645 to 4×5 along with my jobo) but when doing “serious” stuff always look toward the sigma corner.
thinking about the sd14 still…
price is getting lower and lower as well as ISO. :D And thanks for your comment! I also have a love hate relation with SD9/10 :) I think all of us has.
Just a side note.
Before I bought the SD9 I was looking at the Canon D30 (3MP) and when SD9 was about to enter the market the D60 (6MP) just arrived and made the decision even harder, finally decided for the SD9 in 2002 ONLY because of the Foveon sensor.
So if you think about this, what camera would be more valuable if I wanna go out there today and take photo - would I even remotely consider the D60? No, the SD9? For sure! It’s tricky (AF and battery..) but when it’s done right you know you have results! (sometimes amazing)
But that could be just me! :D
Hi Carl…….
Nice Test,thanks. The resolution of the cloth over Lynns face in the SD14 is pretty spectacular. Is it possible that there is a similar image with the 5D, with the cloth over the face, or on the shoulder, over the hair, etc. Love to see how the 5D did with the detail on that. You could email it to me or post it on this page.
thanks, Mike
Hi Mike!
Well, I’m not sure if there is. I will write the guy and see if he can find one. Would be interesting to compare, I agree. I’m quite sure that I’ve seen one and that SD14 did look better. But a raw would be better for public evaluation. :)
Thank you for the helpful posts on the SD14 and the additional RAW files. I downloaded and used these files to test. The RAW files worked in UFRaw! The Sigma Raw Photo Program (version 2.5) does install and work in Ubuntu Hardy under Wine. So if any of you are using Ubuntu you should be able to use this camera’s RAW files in GIMP using UFRaw. I did not do any deep comparisons as I new to using RAW.
Thanks a lot for the update! I wonder if I can run SPP 2.5 on Mac using CrossOver Mac, built on Wine if I understand it correctly. http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name/
I am new to all this so I wrote Sigma a few days ago and asked:
“Is there any open raw programs that can read Sigma raw data like for GIMP or UFRaw?
I use Ubuntu and GIMP and what will run on Linux.”
Sigma responded: “Currently the only two programs that can read the SD14 raw files are the SPP software (that comes with the camera) and CS3.”
I opened your raw files using Open Source UFRaw no problem.
And using SPP running under WINE on Ubuntu Hardy no problem. I did not spend a great deal of time or really know what to look for but I could tweak the test photos infinity in countless ways so I figured it worked in UFRaw? I was not sure how to do any real testing otherwise. The UFRaw had many many more features that the Sigma Photo Pro and seems to be a great program.
As artists, I think we should support the OpenRaw movement so our files can open in the programs we want and need to use.
http://www.openraw.org/ and I hope Sigma agrees.
I do not use a Mac but can tell you that Codeweavers is also an opt in paid support company for the free open source program WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator).
Here is a Ubuntu Screen shot of the SPP and UFRaw side by side on a 24 inch Samsung 245BW LCD monitor.
http://www.vitalbodies.com/ws07/images/offsite/Screenshot-1.png
The UFRaw site says that the SD14 is supported!
Currently there is no White Balance WB preset for the SD14 for UFRaw but someone could contribute one!
http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/Contribute.html
I set the WB to auto for the screen shot.
Other than that, no changes other than sizing the photo with the magnifier to nearly the same size as the SPP.
I also wrote Sigma with my findings so will be fun to see what they say.
Sigma’s Response:
Presently we do not support, Linux and Linux-based operating systems.
Ubuntu is also a Linux based OS.
In that respect, please inform this customer that SD14 and SPP do not support Linux and Linux-based operating systems including Ubuntu.
My Question To Sigma:
I opened some raw files from a SD14 using Open Source UFRaw no problem.
And using your SPP running under WINE on Ubuntu Hardy no problem also. I did not spend a great deal of time or really know what to look for but I could tweak the test photos infinitely in countless ways so I figured it worked in UFRaw?
I was not sure how to do any real testing otherwise.
The UFRaw (at first glance) has many many more features that the Sigma Photo Pro and seems to be a great program.
The Sigma program looks Awsome also but simpler which at time can be better…
As artists, I think we should support the OpenRaw movement so our files can open in the programs we want and need to use.
http://www.openraw.org/ and I hope (you) Sigma agree.
I would like to buy the SD14 and want to know that it will work on the Operating System of my choice which is Ubuntu.
Is there something you know, that I could know, about using (or not using) your raw files on UFRaw?
Are you sure they do not work or you just have not tried it? Again I am new so I am not sure.
It seemed like they work, did I miss something?
Thanks again!