Sigma Corporation

Sigma Corporation
Native name
株式会社シグマ
Company typePrivate KK
IndustryElectronics
FoundedSetagaya, Japan (September 1961; 63 years ago (1961-09))
FounderMichihiro Yamaki
HeadquartersAsao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 215-8530, Japan
Key people
Kazuto Yamaki
(CEO)
Products
Number of employees
1,135
SubsidiariesFoveon
WebsiteOfficial website
Footnotes / references
[1][2]
Kazuto Yamaki (CEO of Sigma) on 25 September 2018 at photokina in Cologne

Sigma Corporation (株式会社シグマ, Kabushiki-gaisha Shiguma) is a Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan. Although Sigma produces several camera models, the company is best known for producing high-quality lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.[3]

The company was founded in 1961 by Michihiro Yamaki, who was Sigma's CEO until his death at age 78 in 2012.[4]

Sigma products work with cameras from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Pentax, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic, as well as their own cameras.

Sigma has also made lenses under the Quantaray name, which have been sold exclusively by Ritz Camera. Similarly, Sigma lenses were sold exclusively by the former Wolf Camera, but following the merger of Wolf and Ritz, both brands could be purchased.

Sigma's digital SLRs, the SD9, SD10, SD14 and SD15, plus the latest SD1 are unusual in their use of the Foveon X3 image sensor. The company's mirrorless cameras, the Sigma SD Quattro and SD Quattro H, use the Foveon Quattro sensor, an updated version of the Foveon X3. All use the SA lens mount. The Sigma DP series of high-end compact P&S cameras also use the Foveon Quattro sensor, which gives them a much larger sensor than other cameras of this type.

In September 2018 Sigma became one of the founding members of the L-Mount Alliance; it announced that it will cease to develop SA-mount cameras and instead use the Leica L-Mount. A new full-frame mirrorless camera, Sigma FP, was launched in 2019 along with a range of L-Mount lenses and adapters.[5]

Sigma is the world's largest independent lens manufacturer and is a family-owned business.[6]

  1. ^ "Company Summary". Sigma Corp. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "Company Snapshot". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  3. ^ Werner Publishing (2006), PCPhoto Best Tips & Techniques for Digital Photography, ISBN 1-57990-697-4
  4. ^ "Michihiro Yamaki, Sigma founder and CEO dies: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  5. ^ Butler, Richard. "Sigma to take Foveon full frame and adopt L mount". DPReview. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  6. ^ "Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM - Lab Test / Review". Photozone.de. May 1, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2012.