From: Jon Barrett
Subject: Foveon sensor
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 14:29:18 -0500
The Foveon X3 is the sensor used in the Sigma SD9 and SD10 DSLRs. You can compare it with other cameras here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM. One problem - since no one uses exactly the same algorithms for compression, and no one uses the same sensor sizes, finding two cameras with comparable images (same nominal pixels, same compression ratio, same image multiplier/display size) is a bear. Closest camera I was able to find in terms of file size was the Canon PowerShot G5, a 5 MP camera, while Sigma claims a 10.5+ MP equivalent because of their technology. At that, there should be a LOT more difference between the two of them. In terms of "native" linear image size (finding two pictures which looked about the same size on-screen when the "full image" was brought up), it looked closer to the Canon 1D, a 4 MP camera.
My visual take on it is it's like Olympus' claims that lenses for digital cameras have *unique* needs (beyond the (usually) smaller sensor area) that normal SLR lenses can't cope with. A wonderful marketing ploy, but is it any more? I don't think so - by the time you get into this price and pixel range, there are just too many things affecting the outcome, and the sensor's only one of them.
Jon
Kensington, MD
From: Lawrence See
Subject: Tri-color imaging
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:39:53 -0800
Good day, Dan
Re the Foveon imager, I guess that you knew that "broadcast" video cameras have always been Tri-color but through the means of three sensors and a complex optical color splitting system (some current "prosumer" cameras offer this as well). Doing most of the heavy electronic processing on the sensor chip is pretty impressive, though.
Best regards,
Larry See
