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The end of the Bayer sensor?
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Doubt it! The Foveon chip failed to capture the imagination and interest of users and the major manufacturer before and it’s unlikely to do so now. In a way this is not unlike Betamax -v- VHS or HD-DVD -v- Blu-Ray.
Canon have been stirring the pot on a Foveon like sensor but nothing in the oven yet! It is a great idea but seems to still have its issues. Maybe this new Sigma sensor might surprise us. :shock:
I have been working with the Sigma SD9/SD10 for over 2 years – the images in my book “The Fertile Rock” have actually been made with these cameras – and the image quality of the Foveon sensor is outstanding under the right cicumstances. The downside of the Foveon technology is the noise behaviour at higher ISO (from 200) and at long exposure times (from about 1 second), in addition the sensor creates something which has been called “blue sky noise” – a noise like grain that appears in blue areas of the picture. Apart from the sensor the Sigma cameras are very slow, have battery issues and – which I actually liked but which is a problem for some – create only RAW files.
The colour & sharpness of the Foveon images are however brilliant and rival these of 8MP Bayer images – the Sigma SD9/SD10 have around 3MP(x3). Under the right circumstances.
It will be seen soon if Foveon/Sigma has overcome the mentioned problems and if the pixel count has been increased. If so cameras with Bayer sensor will have a real competitor.
C.
P.S. I am using Canon (again) since January…
Have also used the SD9 (my first DSLR) and found it to perform well enough to sell images be it for weddings and commercial,however like C, i have switched to Cannon for some time now and love their gear but as the saying goes (dont knock it till you have tried it!) I must say the noise even at 200 was shocking but the technology was streets ahead when it was first launched all those years ago,actually didnt fuji use the foveon x3 sensors in the S1/2/3’s or was it another manufacturer? :?
Man did it suck those AA batteries, 8)
Ben 8)
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