Sigma: New SD9 firmware, software on the way
By
Mike Tomkins
(Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 18:28 EDT)
A press release from Sigma Corp. announces that a new version of firmware for its SD9 digital SLR and an update to the SIGMA Photo Pro application will soon be released.
From Wednesday May 14th, owners of the SD9 will be able to download the updates from the Sigma America or Sigma Japan websites. The most significant change in SIGMA Photo Pro v1.1 is the use of 4:4:4 downsampling at JPEG quality settings of 7 or higher, instead of the 4:2:0 downsampling used in the previous version - which could offer smaller JPEG file sizes, but at a loss of image quality.
Reviewers and owners have asked Sigma to change this feature of the program, and it is great to see them respond in the first update since the SD9 was released. Other changes described by Sigma include improved noise reduction and increased processing speeds. Sigma is recommending all SD9 owners to install the firmware update along with the new version of SIGMA Photo Pro.
We'll be taking a look at the new SIGMA Photo Pro shortly, with a before and after comparison documenting the improvement you can expect to see in your photos - and since the SD9 only records RAW files rather than in-camera JPEGs, SD9 owners will be able to gain the advantage of 4:4:4 downsampling in all of their existing photos as well.
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Original Source Press Release:
| Update Announcement of SIGMA Photo Pro Processing Software for Sigma SD9 Camera. Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce that on May 14th the new update of SIGMA Photo Pro Version 1.1 for the revolutionary SIGMA SD9 will be available.
Benefits and Features of the new update.
Improved JPEG Quality
The current version (1.0) of SIGMA Photo Pro saves JPEG files with 4:2:0 down sampling, which degraded color detail in images. This was to provide the smaller file size in JPEG file. Now, in SIGMA Photo Pro update version 1.1, which is the first Update for SD9 includes the JPEG quality improvement with 4:4:4 down sampling, which save to take advantage of Foveon X3 technology. JPEG files will be saved with 4:4:4 down sampling whenever the JPEG quality is set to 7 or higher and provide the better color resolution.
Improved Noise Reduction Processing
The new SIGMA Photo Pro features an improved noise reduction processing, by taking full advantage of the new noise reduction algorithm of X3F files.
Increased Processing Speed
New software update utilizes increased file processing speed.
We strongly recommend SD9 owners to install Firmware Update together with the latest versions of SIGMA Photo Pro Version 1.1 software.
About Version Update
The new software and firmware update will be available for download on May 14th through Sigma Corporation of America (http://www.sigmaphoto.com) or Sigma Corporation Japan (http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english.)
System Requirements
Windows OS：
Windows98 Second Edition or Windows2000 or Windows Me or Windows XP
Macintosh OS:
Mac OS 9.21 or later, Mac OSX 10.1.3 or later |
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