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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 16 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4.0 stars
"CNET is right; great image quality and ergonomics, but camera performance lags competition"
Pros: Great image quality, great ergonomics, great UI
Cons: AF, TTL flash, battery life, and continuous shooting capabilities lag the competition
Summary: I've owned my SD10 for more than a year, and still love it for its qualities. It produces stunningly detailed and beautiful images (if I do my part), is easy to use, has a very intuitive control and menuing system, and generally is everything that Sigma promises. I wouldn't trade it for a Nikon D70 or Canon 30D... it outperforms these cameras readily in terms of image quality.
However, the SD10 really is a 2003-era camera (as would be expected since it is basically a minor update of the SD9 that was introduced that year) in terms of camera body performance. Only single-point AF is available, and you must carefully monitor the image thru the viewfinder to ensure that the focus is where YOU want it before your final shutter press. The camera supports TTL flash, but the exposure is predicated on a very narrow portion of the image at the image center, so taking a picture of two people standing in front of a sunset will not give you good fill-flash; you'll have to do it manually (or use the flash's auto mode). You'll need the auxiliary battery grip, or NiMH rechargeables, or CRV3s, because althought the camera takes AA alkaline batteries they don't have enough voltage/current to power it for more than a couple dozen shots (the camera requires a higher battery voltage).
Despite these niggles, the SD10 is a great tool for photo enthusiasts who value image quality above all and are willing to do a little more work in terms of exposure and focus monitoring. You shoot exclusively in RAW mode (which I feel is a benefit), and use the excellent Sigma Photo Pro (SPP) RAW converter application that Sigma provides for free to convert your images to TIFF or JPEG for further editing, printing, etc. Since serious photographers invariably shoot RAW and post-process their images, this in no way is a detriment.
In short, the SD10 is a great choice for serious photographers who are into beautiful images, and shines at deliberative photography (landscapes, scenics, studio, etc.). Image quality surpasses the 6 to 8 MP dSLR competition, and approaches that of the Nikon D200. While it does a good job at sports and action shots if the lighting is good, fast-action sports enthusiasts and photojournalists would most likely be better served with Nikon or Canon products.
I have some panoramas that were shot with my SD10 up on http://obijohn.smugmug.com/gallery/1721863, and I'll post some single images that show off this wonderful camera's abilities, as well.
