Buying Sigma DSLR camera and lenses - A smart Investment?

I am still in the progress of having hard decisions whether to buy the Sigma SD15 or a different DSLR camera. After reading some comments from photographers on the Sigma forums on dpreview, I have noticed that many photographers are concerned about the future of Sigma in the DSLR market. Every photographer knows that Sigma is a large and popular interchangeable lens manufacturer, but in the DSLR market, they are still far behind current DSLR manufacturers and their market share is very low.

Sigma company is here to stay, but many thinks that Sigma will stop manufacturing DSLR cameras in two or three years from now. It means that it will most likely end up like Fuji in the DSLR market. The financial patience comes from the revenue from its lens sales, but only time will tell if Sigma can produce more DSLR cameras in a timely manner and also create a full frame DSLR with a Foveon X3 sensor for professional photographers.

I can understand the fear when a photographer, especially amateur photographers, who want to invest their money in new photographic equipment. spending lots of cash on interchangeable lenses, and in few years to find out that the company has decided to stop manufacturing their line of DSLR cameras, it can be hard to swallow. The problem relies at the fact that Sigma's lenses uses the Sigma dedicated camera mount and does not support Nikon or Canon mount lenses. There's probably an adapter that can take Nikon or Canon lenses to work with the Sigma SD15 DSLR. Even so, do you think you will take that chance and buy Sigma newest DSLR camera, SD15, and invest in Sigma's dedicated mount lenses? -- This is really a hard decision.

In terms of images quality output, both Nikon and Canon are far in front of Sigma, and the advantages of image sharpness using the current 4MP Foveon sensor compared to Bayer High resolution sensor do shrink and it is no longer a real advantage. I must say that in my opinion, the main advantages of the Foveon sensor compared to the Bayer one is in the dynamic range and colors production. I think that the Foveon sensor produces better colors overall.

I've seen image comparison side-by-side of the Sigma SD15/SD14 against high-end Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras and also some high resolution images compares to the interpolated Sigma SD15/SD14 14MP images, and I must say that in terms of sharpness, the Sigma SD15/SD14 stood very well against the high-end models from both Canon and Nikon, with expensive high optical quality lenses in front of the sensor.

Yes, Canon and Nikon, both of them produce very high optical quality lenses, but you can check many lenses reviews sites and can see for yourself that many photographers buy the Sigma lenses. In terms of optical quality vs. Price, Sigma lenses are very affordable (you can even say cheap), but produce very good images. Of course you can pay twice and but a professional grade Canon L lens, but from amateur photographer stand point, Sigma's lenses have better value for their money.

So for an amateur photographer who intend to but two lenses and a DSLR camera body, the future of Sigma doesn't need to be a real issue.. You can but their photographic equipment and shoot for 2-3 years and enjoy taking very high quality images. For first time DSLR photographers, Sigma SD15 with a prime lens (50mm F/1.4 maybe?) is a huge leap compared to the point and shoot cameras that they used to shoot with before they have decided to upgrade to a more professional camera.

But of course it's all depend on your budget and needs. There are professional photographers who decide to buy the Sigma SD15 for professional studio work and use it instead of their Nikon/Canon cameras.

For me, just by watching the images (not from Sigma's website) taken by amateur photographers in different online SD15 images galleries, I must say that I was SHOCKED (in a positive way of course)  by the images quality that the Sigma SD15 (with a good lens) produces.

At the bottom line, if you are searching for a new DSLR camera and you are interested in one of the best image quality offering in low ISO (100-400), Sigma SD15 is the camera for you. But if you know other photographers who shoot with Nikon or Canon DSLR cameras, think about the fact that you can borrow their lenses and shoot with it, if you had a Nikon or Canon DSLR camera. You can even find more second-hand interchangeable lenses from Canon or Nikon, compared to second-hand lenses that fits the Sigma's mount. It is a hard decision, and I think that the other DSLR manufacturers will probably move to a Foveon-like sensor in the near future. So for many photographer s who intend to buy expensive high-grade interchangeable lenses, you will probably will be better investing you money in the leading camera & lenses manufacturers like Nikons, Canon, Olympus, etc. So is it a smart investment? (buying a Sigma SD15 camera & lenses) -- It depends on various factors, and you should make a decision based on your specific needs and budget.

Here is another post about my Sigma SD15 buying decision, and I hope to hear opinions from Sigma users and other photographers regarding that issue.

Canon and Nikon 2008 Market share