Sigma SD10 Digital SLR Camera Body with Lens Kit - 0.71"-1.97" Lens 1 2.17"-7.87" Lens 2

Up until now, I was always a little disappointed in digital photography and scanning because when you load a picture in Photoshop, and zoom down to the pixel level, all of a sudden a face resembles the surface of Mars.

Then I found out this was due to the fact that CCD sensors (used for the last 30 years in video cameras, scanners, and digital camera) don't record red, blue, and green. They only record light, and a filter is used to make some pixels respond to red light, others to blue, and green. 2/3 of the colors in each pixel location are guessed at.

About 3 years ago, I first heard of the X3 chip, and decided right then and there I had to have this. Red green and blue actually measured at each pixel location. Just when we all thought we knew what a pixel was, this came along. Is it a 3.34MP camera or a 10.2MP? Well, the images are the size of 3.34MP, but the total number of light measurements is 10.2MP. The experts say compare this camera to a camera in the 6-8MP range.

I waited for the second generation camera to come out, and purchased. It was everything I had dreamed of - this is how photography should be.

Then I took it on vacation and took pictures of sea and sky. Much to my disappointment found a couple of areas of dead pixels. I sent it in for warranty service, and about 2 months went by before I got it back. The sensor was replaced, and it isn't perfect, but the aberrations only affect about 1% of the pictures I take. I can live with it.

About the camera - it is larger and heavier than I expected. Sigma makes some basic (but nice) lenses that are smaller than their 35mm counterparts because the sensor is smaller than 35mm. I got the kit which includes the 15-50m and 55-200mm lenses. Because of the smaller sensor, you have to multiple the "mm" by 1.7 to compare to a similar 35mm lens - so these lenses really act like 30-85 and 94-340.

Picture Taking - I use a high-speed 1.0Gb SanDisk memory card (about 10M/sec). I can take quite a few pictures in a row before letting the camera catch up.

I also use an EF-500DG flash, and I love being able to bounce flash. However, the most consistent results have been achieved in manual mode. I keep the shutter speed at 1/200, and alter the aperture as needed.

A word about the batteries - I leave them out of the camera or they discharge in anywhere from a few hours to a day. I have also been a little disappointed in the ISO settings other than 100 - any grain is too much for me.

All in all - I'm very glad I got this camera. The only thing better would be slightly smaller/lighter package and more megapixels (for more Photoshop zooming and cropping). I can't wait for all the camera makers to realize this is the future.