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Foveon

Sigma full-frame Foveon still delayed but it may come with phase detection autofocus

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In an interview with Imaging Resource, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki has announced that there is a new delay with Foveon sensor development. It sounds like the same old story we’ve been hearing since 2018, but it seems as if it’s not so much the technical challenges that Sigma is facing now. The technical development issues that have caused delays in the past seem to be resolved for the most part. It’s simply a matter of production.

The global silicon shortage has a lot to answer for across many industries, but that seems to be the only thing that’s really holding Sigma back now. Prototypes take too long to create and the sensor itself is still seeing development while waiting for those prototypes to happen. This makes them pretty much obsolete before they get close to production. But, it sounds like we’re close to full-frame Foveon becoming a reality.

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Full-Frame Foveon X3 “should be” ready in 2022 but probably not an actual camera

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The full-frame Foveon saga has been going on since 2018 when it was first mentioned at Photokina during the Sigma, Panasonic and Leica L mount alliance. It was originally expected to be released in 2019, but in March 2019, this was revised to 2020. Only a day after rumours of a February 2020 release, Sigma announced that they’re still working on it and the following month its release was delayed until at least 2021, but probably 2022.

At the beginning of 2021, that release date target became 2023 and now it seems that Sigma might be on track. In a recent interview with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki, he reaffirmed that Sigma is still working on prototypes of the full-frame Foveon X3 sensor and that it “should be available sometime this year”. The way it’s worded sounds like the sensor will be available, but perhaps not in a retail-ready camera.

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Sigma’s 60-megapixel full-frame Foveon sensor camera might never appear

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Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki has posted an update on the progress of their long-awaited full-frame Foveon camera, first announced during the initial L mount alliance announcement at Photokina in September 2018. It had an initial release date of 2019, which was then pushed back to 2020 in March 2019. In February 2020 it was announced that it was on hold indefinitely, but that they’re working on it.

Later that same year, Sigma confirmed that they’re still working on it, but they still have no idea when it would be ready for prime time, which was then confirmed again in February 2021 with a “maybe 2022” release turning into “at least 2022”. Now, the new update suggests that a full-frame Foveon camera may never come at all if they can’t find a company to manufacture the sensor to their satisfaction.

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How to make Foveon sensor-like images with a traditional Bayer sensor array camera

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You can achieve Foveon-like images with deep colors and crisp individual pixels with your conventional (Bayer) camera. However, this comes at the price of losing 75% of your megapixels and having to work experimentally and outside the comfort zone of your camera manufacturer’s color science.

Owners of Foveon and 3-chip video cameras swear by their camera’s color reproduction, and for good reason. Other, conventional digital camera sensors can’t see true colors, but only record monochrome red, blue, and green pixels. In other words, a 24-megapixel camera with a conventional (Bayer) sensor doesn’t really record 24 million color pixels, but 6 million monochrome red, 6 million monochrome blue and 12 million monochrome green pixels.

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Sigma looking to make RF and Z mount lenses – Full Frame Foveon may not come until 2023

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DPReview recently had a chance to have a video call and a bit of a chat with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki. In the interview, a number of topics are touched on, including Mr Yamaki’s vision for the future of the company, compatibility with mirrorless camera systems other than L and E mount, and various other things.

One thing briefly spoken about was what’s happening with the long-awaited full-frame Foveon mirrorless camera, initially announced in 2018 and put on indefinite hold in 2020. In March last year, Sigma aiming for a Summer 2021 release, but now a launch might be as late as 2023… But they’re working on it.

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Sigma’s full-frame Foveon still far from ready, but “we’re still working on it” says Sigma

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It’s been a long, strange trip for Sigma’s Foveon X3 sensor since the L mount alliance was announced in 2018. During that announcement, Sigma said they were working on a new full-frame Foveon L mount camera to come in 2019. Then in March 2019, its release got pushed to 2020. But in February 2020, Sigma announced that they were starting over from scratch.

Now, in February 2021, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki has posted a video to YouTube retelling last year’s story and the decision to terminate the contract with the original chip manufacture with whom they were collaborating. But today’s announcement reaffirms the company’s commitment to releasing a full-frame Foveon L mount camera… Eventually.

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Sigma still has no idea when they’ll release a full-frame Foveon camera

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Recently, rumours broke that Panasonic was considering an APS-C L mount camera. At the time it was also reported that Sigma apparently isn’t happy with the progress of L mount, urging Panasonic to focus more on the system. Jokingly, I suggested that Sigma should listen to their own advice and give us that full-frame Foveon we’ve been promised for two years.

Well, in a recently published interview with Dave Etchells at Imaging Resource, Sigma said they have no idea when they’ll actually be able to release a full-frame Foveon. At least, that was the story in March when Dave went to visit them, but followup questions six months later don’t indicate that anything’s changed for the better.

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You can remove the IR cut filter on Sigma Foveon cameras – it’s fun!

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While Sigma is known as a lens company, most people don’t know they also make cameras.  That was until the Sigma released the “fp“.   The world’s smallest full-frame camera that can shoot 4k DNG raw hit the market.

Sigma has been making cameras for many years though. Not only they use a unique Foveon sensor, but most of their cameras also feature a user-removable IR-cut filter.

Now, shooting Infrared isn’t new – People have been doing it for years!  While most cameras can’t shoot infrared there are companies who will remove/modify the IR-cut filter from your camera.

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Sigma aiming to launch full-frame L Mount Foveon camera in Summer 2021 (but it might be 2022)

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Sigma’s full-frame Foveon camera is starting to feel a little like the Duke Nukem Forever of the photography world. Sigma shooters have been wanting one for years, and when the L Mount Alliance was announced at Photokina 2018, the world was told to expect one in 2019. 2019 came and went with the promise of a 2020 release.

Just last month, we were told that full-frame Foveon would not be coming in 2020. Now, though, according to an interview by French photography website, Phototrend, with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki, Sigma’s aim is to release it in Summer 2021. Although, they report that it may still be delayed until 2022.

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Nope, never mind, full-frame Foveon release on hold indefinitely, says Sigma, but they’re working on it

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Well, this is a bit of an anti-climax. Sigma UK recently added an event to their Facebook page for their CP+ announcements, with a couple of clues suggesting that we might be about to finally hear an announcement about the long-awaited full-frame Foveon. Today, though, Sigma Global has announced that a full-frame Foveon camera is essentially on hold indefinitely.

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