Announced last September during the Photokina 2010 trade show, the new Sigma DSLR SD1 is now becoming true : il will be available in a few weeks, in June. It will offer the X3 triple layer sensor developped by Foveon, a company taken over by Sigma a few years ago. It counts on a stunning detail level to compete as its pricetag is set at a high $ 9,700 in the US and £6,199 in the UK.
The Sigma SD1 frame is made of magnesium, which ensures both lightweight and durability to the SLR. Weatherproof thanks to a sealing reinforced body, the SD1 will be able to be used in hostile environments. The 46 megapixels sensor signal will be treated by the latest TRUE II processor that will also help the SD1 to reach 5 fps in burst mode, a rather modest performance for a camera of that price which is not the only area where the Sigma SD1 seems to be undergifted... a basic 11-points autofocus system, a 460 000 dots screen or a 98% only viewfinder are among the technical specs of a rather amateur camera, yet, priced at a professional level of money you'd expect to spend on a more advanced SLR. But Sigma totaly counts on its new sensor to push the SD1 sales.
The SD1 will be available in June 2011.
What should make the Sigma SD1 so special and worth its price is its unique sensor technology. Developped by Foveon, a company later bought by Sigma, X3 sensor technology is a triple layer design where each color (RGB) has its own 15 megapixel layer to, once combined, form a colored image of 15 megapixels, when a total of 45 megapixels are needed (15 megapixels per layer). The main benefits of this technology is that the sensor sees the image in color and not only in levels of grey like all other sensors on the market do. This means that you can kiss the Bayer matrix good bye and get rid of moiré effect as well as the blur applied on conventional sensors to reduced these artefacts. This should result in a highly detailed image, top level color fidelity and most subtile nuances.
But this 46 megapixels APS-C sensor also raises questions about its sensibility...
We hope to get a Sigma SD1 sample soon in order to see how the Foveon X3 sensor behaves in our review.
In the meantime, you may want to check the SD1's minisite in which you can download images shot with the camera.
Sigma Imaging is pleased to announce that the suggested retail price of the new SD1 flagship digital SLR is £6,199.99 including VAT (£5,166.66 excluding VAT). This new camera, offering unrivalled image quality amongst digital SLRs, will be available in the UK this June.
The SIGMA SD1 is Sigma's flagship digital SLR model, adopting a lightweight yet solid magnesium alloy for its body and O-ring sealing connections to make Sigma's splash proof design throughout for use inharsh conditions.
The SIGMA SD1 incorporates a 23.5 x 15.7mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor and dual "TRUE (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II" image processing engines. The combination of the 46 megapixel (4,800 x 3,200 x 3 layers) sensor and dual TRUE II processing engines ensure the high resolution images are processed quickly with high definition and a smooth and subtle graduation of colour.
- 46 megapixel 24 x 16mm APS-C sensor
- Lightweight yet solid magnesium alloy body
- Weather-resistant O-ring sealing connections
- Dual "TRUE II" image processing engines
- 11 Point Twin Cross AF Sensor
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Toshiba has introduced upgrade its all-in-one desktop computer in Japan, the Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio D711. It’s has a faster processor, 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU rather than 2.30GHz Core i5-2410M.
Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio D711 desktop has a 21.5-inch widescreen display having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixel, 4GB of memory, Intel HM65 Express chipset, Blu-ray drive, and 1TB hard disk with Microsoft windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OS pre-loaded.
You will find two USB 3. and four USB 2. ports, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Wi-fi compatability 802.11b/g/n, High-definition multimedia interface input, a media card readers, along with a webcam. Dimensions of Dynabook Qosmio D711 all-in-one desktop are 531 x 190 x 405 mm and weighs in at 8.5kg.
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According to technical specifications, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 rivals other 10-inch Honeycomb tablets. It ships with Android OS 3.0 (Honeycomb) with several proprietary apps, along with a 1GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, GeForce GPU, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The Iconia Tab A500 is well stocked with additional features, including GPS, a 5-megapixel back-facing camera with an LED flash, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, microSD card slot to expand the memory capacity, headphone jack, as well as micro-HDMI, USB and micro-USB ports. A version with a SIM card slot should be available on the market soon.
The feature set is impressive, making the Iconia Tab A500 equal to the other Honeycomb tablets on the market, including the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, it is somewhat heavier and bigger than those two, making its size its biggest flaw.
Acer Iconia A500 specs:
Android Honeycomb (3.0)
10.1-inch diagonal capacitive touchscreen (1280 x 800)
1GHz Dual-Core NVIDIA Tegra 250
NVIDIA GeForce Graphics 1GB DDR
216GB internal memory, MicroSD expandable
Front-facing 2.0 megapixel webcam, rear 5.0 megapixel camera with flashWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDRMicroSD card reader, USB 2.0, micro USB, HDMI, 3.5 mm headset
10.2 x 7.0 x .52 inches (HxWxD)1.7 pounds
Price at Launch: $450
BUILD & DESIGN
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 build is part plastic and part metal alloy, which undoubtedly add to its weight. It weighs significantly more than the svelt iPad 2 and even the relatively bulky Motorola Xoom. Ultimately, the Acer tablet becomes too heavy and hard to hold in hand after a while.
The device's design is not the least bit modern, so, in addition to being bigger, the Iconia Tab A500 is not nearly as slick as Motorola or Samsung's devices. Still, it’s a serious and impressive device, just one that happens to be heavier and larger than the competition.
Fortunately, Acer has taken advantage of its tablet's size and added functional and practical ports. The front is buttonless, which is common with Honeycomb tablets, while the back is rounded on the left and right edge, and includes a back-facing camera with flash and a cover for the microSD card slot. This cover also encompasses the right edge of the tablet, which also includes the volume control keys and a screen orientation lock switch.
The left edge sports an accessory connector slot, while the upper side houses the micro-HDMI port, a headphones jack and the power button. There is also a charge indicator light.
The lower edge has a reset key, both a full-sized and a micro USB port and a charger port. It is a shame that the Iconia Tab A500 cannot be charged directly via USB.
DisplayIdentical to the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 comes with a 10-inch, 1280 x 800, capacitive screen. This is a slightly bigger resolution than what the iPad has, but almost identical when it comes to pixel density, given the slightly smaller screen diagonal of the Apple tablet. The surface of Acer's display is exceptionally glossy, and fingerprints can quickly build up.
On the other hand, the screen features decent image quality. It offers excellent brightness and lively colors. It’s great for watching movies and viewing pictures. The touchscreen's responsiveness is spot-on and smooth.
The on-screen keyboard also impresses. It is large and supports multi-touch for special characters (Shift +).
Compared to the iPad, Honeycomb tablets have different display ratios. They are narrower and longer. This is a good thing for multimedia playback when the tablet is held in the landscape position, however things are more limited in portrait mode due to the thinner design.
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