As befits the luxury tag, the Sigma SD1 Wood Edition has a pricetag to match: where the standard SD1 body-only kit lists for around €7,500 (€6,300 street) on the German market, the new variant will ship at close to €10,000. Only ten hand-crafted SD1 Wood Edition kits will be sold in Germany, and each will include the same camera body as in the regular SD1 kit. In addition, it will include a two-part, removable housing made from Amboyna Burl, an expensive burl wood with an attractively textured, deep red hue. Derived from several species of Southeast Asian Padauk trees, Amboyna Burl is sometimes used for furniture or luxury vehicle interiors.

The two-part housing is split into separate front and rear sections, each of which leaves the camera's top deck uncovered, but wraps around the sides and bottom of the camera. Of course, there are cutouts in the rear section to provide visibility for the SD1's LCD display, and for the main controls. It isn't clear from Sigma Germany's press materials exactly how the housing is affixed to the camera, although we'd imagine given the limited-edition status, SD1 Wood Edition owners are more likely to be placing their pride and joy on display, rather than shooting with it--at least, when the housing is installed.

The Sigma SD1 Wood Edition kit will only be available directly from Sigma Deutschland in the German market. No mention is made as to whether this product will remain a German exclusive, or be offered in limited numbers in other markets as well.

Sigma SD1 Wood Edition