Sigma SD9

The Sigma SD9 is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. The camera was launched at the Photo Marketing Association Annual Show on February 18, 2002. It was Sigma's first digital camera, and was the first production camera to use the unique Foveon X3 image sensor, which reads full color at each pixel site. Other sensors detect only one color at each site and interpolate to produce a full-color image.

Sigma SD 9

Front of the SD9 with a 28-200mm lens
Overview
Type	Digital single-lens reflex
Lens
Lens	Interchangeable (Sigma SA mount)
Sensor/medium
Sensor	20.7 mm × 13.8 mm Foveon X3 sensor
Maximum resolution	2268 × 1512 × 3 (10.3 million effective pixels, 3.43 megapixel output image size)
Film speed	100–400 in 1 EV steps
Storage media	CompactFlash(CF) (Type I or Type II) and Microdrive(MD)
Focusing
Focus modes	One-shot, Continuous, Manual
Focus areas	1 point
Exposure/metering
Exposure modes	Programmed, shutter-priority, aperture priority, manual
Exposure metering	TTL, full aperture, zones
Metering modes	8-segment evaluative, center area (about 7.5%), Center-weighted average
Flash
Flash	none, sync at 1/180 second
Shutter
Shutter	electronic focal-plane
Shutter speed range	15 s to 1/6000 s
Continuous shooting	up to 2.5 frames per second
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical, pentaprism
Image processing
White balance	6 presets, auto, and custom
General
LCD screen	1.8-inch (45 mm), 130,000 pixels
Battery	4xAA NiMH or 2xCR-V3
Weight	785 g (body only)

Back of the SD9

The SD9 had two separate power systems; one set of CR-123A lithium batteries in the handgrip powered the camera functions, while another pair of CR-V3 batteries or four AA size rechargeable batteries in a battery tray in the base powered the digital functions. This split power system showed that the camera functions (inherited from Sigma's SA-9 film SLR) were not integrated at all with the digital half.

Another unusual feature of the SD9 was its "dust cover" filter right behind the lens mount, to prevent dust getting into the chamber and onto the sensor when changing lenses.[1]

Reviewers and users reported good results in good lighting, but poorer ones in low light using either high ISO sensitivity or longer exposures.

The SD9 was succeeded by an updated model, the SD10, which addressed the power and low-light issues.[2][3]