Interview with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki Suggests Sigma May Build Video Cameras in Future

yamaki

Johnnie Behiri of Cinema5D interviewed Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, during his last visit to Japan.

Behiri had a clear list of questions for Mr. Kazuto Yamaki. You can see the list below, and use the list as index for the video.

  • 00:17 – How was it to grow-up in a house with an enthusiastic father? (Mr. Michihiro Yamaki established the company in 1961 and passed away in 2012, at the age of 78).
  • 01:29 – Can you please share with our audience your daily routine?
  • 03:14 – How do you prioritise which mount and lenses to make?
  • 04:01 – How easy was the decision to start making the Art line of high-quality lenses?
  • 05:27 – In the past, Sigma lenses were considered affordable. Then you decided to hit the upper end of the market. What was the reason?
  • 06:53 – In such a crowded market, Sigma is producing a high-quality stills camera that does not offer any video functionality. Why is that?
  • 07:51 – Are you able to keep good sales is a declining market?
  • 09:07 – Why did you decide to produce cine lenses?
  • 09:57 – Where did people go? Why aren’t they buying lenses anymore?
  • 10:26 – What would be your dream zoom lens?

Johnnie Behiri sums up the interview:

In such a competitive business, I wouldn’t be AT ALL surprised if a Sigma mirrorless camera with high-quality video capabilities were to be announced. Although their current line of photo cameras is aimed at a certain niche, the obvious thing to do would be to step out and explore a market which Sigma can shine at as they have no upper market to protect. When it comes to cine lenses and the likelihood of Sigma expending their new line, a lot will depend on “how well the cine lenses be received by our industry”.

Personally, I hope Sigma will make many more outstanding lenses as in the ART line-up.

[via Cinema5D]

Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art for Canon in stock and ready to ship

Sigma 12-24mm F/4

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/4 to 22
  • FLD and Aspherical Elements
  • Super Multi-Layer Coating
  • Hyper Sonic AF Motor, Manual Override
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
  • TSC Material, Brass Bayonet Mount
  • Dust- and Splash-Proof Construction
  • Compatible with Sigma USB Dock

B&H Photo has the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art lens in stock and ready to ship at $1,599.

Zombies are the reason Sigma continues to make cameras, CEO Kazuto Yamaki says

sigmaIn an interview at Photokina 2016 by the folks of Lensvid, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki gave a weird reason about why the company is still making cameras.

Mr. Kazuto Yamaki lists three reasons Sigma continues to manufacture cameras, and that’s where the zombies come in:

  1. It’s important for a company specialized in lenses to produce also cameras. The know-how coming from camera production helps to design and build better lenses
  2. Designing cameras is a true passion of Sigma’s engineers
  3. Michihiro Yamaki, Kazuto’s father and the founder of Sigma, always dreamed about making cameras. If Sigma would stop doing it, Michihiro Yamaki might come back as zombie and try to kill his son.

The interview in the video below lasts 15 minutes and is definitely worth your time.

[via heise.de]

Sigma product advisory for lenses used on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

sigma

Sigma released a product advisory concerning Sigma lenses for EOS system when used on the new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Sigma advisory:

ADVISORY 2016.09.23

Dear Canon EOS 5D Mark Ⅳ Users

Thank you for purchasing and using our products.

Please find the following notes on the usage of SIGMA interchangeable lenses for EOS, when attached to Canon EOS 5D Mark IV that is released on September 8th.

  • MO (Manual Override) function is unavailable with this camera (Full-time Manual function can be offered).
  • When using a SIGMA interchangeable lens for EOS, setting the corrections to [Disable] is recommended, as “Lens Correction” functions of the camera, such as Peripheral illumination correction, Chromatic aberration correction, Diffraction correction and Distortion correction are not supported.** If those functions are activated, the performance of lenses may not be accurate.
    * This is not only for EOS 5D Mark IV, but also for other camera bodies with the same function.

We appreciate your continued support for our company and products

Sigma Announces Cine High Speed Zoom Lens Pricing and Availability

 

Sigma press release:

Sigma Announces Cine High Speed Zoom Lens Pricing and Availability

Cine High Speed Zoom 18-35mm T2 and 50-100mm T2 lenses begin shipping on December 9 for a retail price of $3999.00 USD

New York, NY – October 20, 2016 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading DSLR lens, camera, flash and accessory manufacturer, announced today that the Cine High Speed Zoom 18-35mm T2 and 50-100mm T2 lenses will begin shipping on December 9, 2016 for a retail price of $3999.00 USD. Born from the new Sigma Cine family of products, the High Speed Zoom lenses leverage the outstanding optical design of the company’s world-renowned Global Vision still photography lenses. Combined with the 100% new mechanical lens body design, the Cine lenses meet needs of advanced 6k and 8k cinema production with the core optical quality DNA that has defined the Sigma benchmark of imaging excellence.

See the Sigma Cine Family of Products at PDN/PPE 2016 Expo
Demonstrated for the first time to the public in the United States, attendees to the 2016 PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo (PPE), held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City from October 20-22, 2016, can see first-hand the new Sigma Cine family of lenses:

Cine High Speed Zoom Line – 18-35mm T2 and 50-100mm T2
The high speed zoom line, which is compatible with the Super35 image size standard, offers the constant aperture of T2 throughout the zoom range with superior optical performance that is capable of high-resolution 6K-8K shooting. Delivering the highest image quality in its class, the High Speed Zoom is ergonomically compact and designed for E, EF and PL camera system mounts. 

Cine FF Zoom Line – 24-35mm T2.2 FF
Compatible with a full-frame image sensor, the FF Zoom’s outstanding optical performance also supports 6K-8K shooting. Because so few lenses cater to the requirements of the latest digital cinema cameras’ image sensors, this line provides a rare option for cinematographers. The FF Zoom is designed for E and EF camera system mounts. 

Cine FF High Speed Prime Line – 20mm T1.5 FF, 24mm T1.5 FF, 35mm T1.5 FF, 50mm T1.5 FF and 85mm T1.5 FF
The Cine High Speed Prime lineup features lenses ranging from 20mm to 85mm, with all five touting an aperture of T1.5. Highly compact and compatible with full-frame sensors, these lenses offer superior resolution. They bring a consistent level of light to the production, offering greater consistency to any film’s color, contrast and overall look before it enters post-production. The FF High Speed Prime line is designed for E, EF and PL camera system mounts.

For more information on the Sigma Cine Lenses, please visit https://www.sigmaphoto.com/cinema-lenses/?link=Sept-M-cine.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Sigma Advisory: Some Sigma lenses for Canon not fully compatible with EOS-1D X Mark II

Sigma-Logo

Sigma released a press release about compatibility issue of their 20mm F1.4 DG HSM “Art”, 35mm F1.4 DG HSM “Art” and 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM lenses with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.

Press release:

Thank you for purchasing and using our products.

We have found that some SIGMA interchangeable lenses for CANON are not fully compatible with CANON EOS-1DX Mark II, which was released on April 28th. When certain lenses are attached to this camera, exposure of the image may not be accurate. We are sorry for the inconvenience, and we will make a further announcement on our website when specific details are finalised. In addition, please also refer to the below usage notice related to this announcement.

[Phenomenon]

When the lenses listed below are used and either “Evaluative Metering” or “Center-weighted Average Metering” is  selected in Metering Mode of the camera, the image could show some underexposure.

[Products concerned]

We are currently working on the firmware update for respective lenses, and the release dates will be announced later.

Usage Notice for customers who are using EOS mount SIGMA lenses on a CANON EOS-1DX Mark II
・ MO (Manual Override) function is unavailable with this camera (Full-time Manual function can be offered).
・ When using a SIGMA interchangeable lens for EOS, setting the corrections to [Disable] is recommended, as “Lens Correction” functions of the camera, such as Peripheral illumination correction, Chromatic aberration correction, Diffraction correction and Distortion correction, are not supported. If those functions are activated, the performance of lenses may not be accurate. This is not only for EOS-1DX Mark II, but also other camera bodies.

We appreciate your continued support for our company and products.