Imaging Resource and Dpreview published an interview with Sigma CEO Yamaki. Here are a couple of interesting points:
Will Smartphones kill the camera market:
I was thinking about this for many years, and eventually I became convinced that there will always be photo enthusiasts, photographers, and camera enthusiasts. They’re still looking for even slightly better quality products, and they’ll never disappear. So I became convinced again that we should focus on product and technology. It’s not that our direction is so different than what we were thinking 12 years ago, but I went through a period of questioning and looking at other markets before deciding this is really what we should do.
The idea behind the Sigma BF:
If you have a camera in your hands, you think, “Maybe I should try to find a nice place, maybe take pictures in London, and share with friends.” The fact that the BF is so stylish makes it easier to bring along anywhere – it’s almost a fashion accessory that makes you want to pick it up.
Sigma BF all metal production with special machines:
Currently, we can make around 200-400 bodies per month. Based on the exciting response from customers, we may need to build another production line system.
Curiosity about the Sigma 300-600mm lens:
The initial starting point was the size, because they wanted it and its case to fit within airline carry-on limits.
About the Foveon development status:
Every time we make a prototype, we find some kind of issues, and every time we find some issues, we fix the problem. And we are now almost at the last stage of the technology development. If everything is done, then we start the product development.