Digital Camera Questions

How fast is the continuous shooting? How many images is can be capture in continuous shooting?
The SD14 features a continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second. The number of images that can be captured in continuous shooting mode is dependent upon the resolution setting; High - 6 frames, Medium - 12 frames and Low - 24 frames.

What is the synchro mode on the SD cameras?
The Synchro mode enables to shoot fixed shutter speed 1/180 sec. Setting with Auto bracketing function allows selection desired aperture value and easily flash exposure bracketing.

What is the dust protector?
The dust protector is optical glass shield unit which is equipped SD series Digital SLR camera. It prevents dust or dirt from entering the camera. In addition, the dust protection can be detached easily for cleaning image sensor.

Which languages are available in SD cameras?
SD14 camera is available in 8 languages from English, Japanese, German, Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian and Korean.

What is the shutter life cycle of the SD14?
The durable focal plane shutter mechanism has life cycle of over 100,000 shots. The shutter is ideally suited to the requirements of digital cameras. This new shutter dramatically reduces the amount of dust and dirt from the shutter mechanism.

What is the Quick Set Button?
The Quick Set button enables users to display important settings, ISO, pixels, JPEG quality and file type, white balance, on the LCD monitor, using one button.

What is the mirror lock-up mechanism?
The mirror lock-up mechanism raises the mirror thus preventing vibration when the shutter is released. This prevents camera shake, and is especially effective for macro photography or landscape using extremely long telephoto lenses. Use of remote controller (sold separately) or cable release (sold separately) also reduces the possibility of camera shake.

Which kind of mount type is available with the SD cameras?
SIGMA SD cameras are available with SA bayonet mount (non-external mount type).

Is it possible to output images to TV?
SIGMA SD cameras video output system can be switched between PAL system (used in Europe, etc.,) and NTSC system (in Japan and the U.S., etc.). This means that video output of pictures is possible in many parts of the world.

Is it possible to use IEEE1394 on the SD14?
The SD14 is not equipped IEEE1394 terminal.

Is USB2.0 available in SD14?
USB2.0 is available in SD14. It is possible to transfer multipurpose images by using USB (2.0) interface. The SD9 and SD10 are supplied with USB 1.1.

Is it possible to update firmware on the SD14?
It is possible to download the Firmware “Ver1.01” from the following site.
http://www.sigma-sd14.com/software/firmware/index.html
Please read “HOW TO UPDATE” before operation. Please notice it is not necessary to update this firmware to the firmware version “Ver.1.01” or later.

What kinds of Storage Media can I use in SD cameras?
In the SD14, you can use CompactFlash (TypeI/II) and Microdrive (FAT32 Compatible). The SD9 and SD10 is only compatible with FAT16 cards (less than 2GB in size)

Is it possible to use 4GB storage media?
The SIGMA SD14 is compatible with FAT32 system, allowing usage of CF cards larger than 4GB CF cards to be used. With the SD9 and SD10, cards no larger than 2GB can be used.

How many images can I fit on a 1GB card on my SD14?
The number of images can be recorded in 1GB storage media depending on the resolution mode - approximately 75 images, Medium – approximately 153 images, Low – approximately 307 images. This number is varied depending on subject.

What is the focal length multiplier with the SD cameras?
When using a camera with an APS-C size image sensor, you will have to multiply the focal length. With the SD cameras, you will need to multiply the focal length of lenses by 1.7x. Therefore an 18-200mm lens, for example, effectively becomes 30-340mm

How many pictures can I take on one charge of the battery on my SD14?
There are many factors to battery life, such as how often the LCD screen is used, if you use auto-focus or manual focus. However, one charge of the battery should give about 300 images.

What lenses can I use with the SD cameras?
The entire range of Sigma lenses are compatible with the SD cameras, including DC and DG lenses. Just ensure you purchase the Sigma SA fit as the other fittings are not compatible.

What do I do if the sensor gets dust on it? Can I clean the image sensor myself?
Although it is possible to remove the dust protector and clean the image sensor yourself (see the camera manual for instructions), we do not advise that you attempt this procedure yourself. Due to the extremely delicate nature of the image sensor, we strongly recommend that you contact an authorized Sigma Service Station to have the sensor cleaned.

Will my pictures be sharper if I shoot without the dust protector?
The dust protector does not degrade the image quality in any way, nor does reduce the cameras sensitivity. The camera will not function properly if the dust protector is removed.

Is it still possible to get dust on the sensor even with the dust protector?
Occasionally small particles from the shutter mechanism will flake off and adhere to the image sensor. If these particles are big enough to be visible in your images, it will be necessary to have the image sensor cleaned.

What does formatting a CF card do?
Formatting a CF card erases all of the data on a CF card, including files, images and directory structures. Formatting a CF card may also repair a non-functioning card with corrupted data. Physical damage, faults or bad sectors cannot be fixed by formatting.

Why doesn't the number of images remaining shown in the frame counter match the actual number of images I'm able to take?
The number of remaining images shown in the frame counter is only an estimate based on a fixed file size. However, all images are compressed in the camera. The RAW files use a lossless compression algorithm (meaning that the compression does not, in any way, degrade image quality). Therefore, the actual size (in megabytes) of each image will vary depending on the subject, shooting conditions and shooting mode, which can all affect how well an image compresses.

What kind of image processing is performed on the camera?
The camera performs a limited amount of processing, in order to display and store a small preview of each image. When the user magnifies an image to examine it in more detail, the camera further processes the target area to give a higher resolution view. With a goal of saving time and power, these previews and magnified views do not use the full high quality processing that is available in Sigma Photo Pro.

What is custom white balance and how does it work?
If you are photographing under very unusual light conditions such as mixed light sources, or very specific studio lighting, such as strobes, for best results, it is recommended that you use the Custom white balance setting. This feature allows you to capture a sample of a known neutral colour object (such as a grey card or a white wall) and use that information to adjust the white balance of the following photographs.

What if I shot my pictures with the wrong white balance setting?
As long as the image is taken in RAW, the white balance setting does not in any way effect how the image is actually captured, but rather just appends certain information to the image file telling the computer how to process the image. If the image was captured with the wrong white balance setting, it is easy to change this once the image is on the computer using SIGMA Photo Pro.

Does the external flash automatically adjust its zoom position for the 1.7x focal length multiplier?
No, Sigma flashes are designed to provide an angle of coverage that accommodates the picture area of a standard 35mm film camera. The area covered by the flash will, therefore, be larger than the recorded image due to the 1.7X focal length multiplier of the camera.

What is a histogram and how do you use it?
A histogram is a graph depicting the distribution of brightness values in the image. The horizontal axis shows the brightness level (from 0 to 255), with darker pixels towards the left side and brighter pixels toward the right. The vertical axis shows the proportion of pixels at each level of brightness. By examining the histogram you can gauge the over-all exposure of an image. When the histogram is higher on the left side, the image is mostly composed of dark pixels, causing it to appear dark-either because the image is underexposed or because it is a dark scene such as night shot or sunset. When the histogram runs off the right side, the image will have many white pixels-either because the image is overexposed or because it is a bright scene such as the beach or snow. A histogram with a fairly even distribution of pixel values usually indicates that the image is well exposed, with good contrast. However, the histogram distribution of a well-exposed image will vary greatly depending on the subject.

What happens if I put in a CF card with X3F images already on it?
Regardless of the File Numbering setting, the next image captured will be assigned the larger of 1) the next available number from the camera image counter or 2) one number greater than the highest numbered image already on the card. This system prevents images from showing up on the card chronologically out of sequence.

What is the new "Fill Light" feature of SIGMA Photo Pro?
The Fill Light affects tone correction by adding extra light energy into the shadow regions without overexposing highlight regions. Decreasing this setting can be used to increase shadows in darkness.

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