# CP+ Interview With Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki



## Canon Rumors Guy (Feb 27, 2017)

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DPReview was able to sit down with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki and talk all things lenses at CP+ in Yokohama, Japan. One thing we have learned reading this interview is that Sigma truly listens to customers and tries to make the products we ask for.</p>
<p><strong>From DPReview:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Q: You’ve told me previously that you really want Sigma to make more wideangle lenses. Do you think you’re achieving that goal with the 12-24mm and new 14mm?</strong></p>
<p>A: Yes, but I’m still not satisfied. I think we need to make more wide-angle lenses. A fast 14mm was one of the lenses that our customers were asking for. Most existing 14mm lenses are F2.8, so F1.8 was a challenge.</p>
<p><strong>Q: Sigma’s new Art-series lenses have a degree of weather-sealing – why now?</strong></p>
<p>A: It’s based on customer demand. Some of our customers said that rain and snow sometimes got into the lens mount, so they wanted sealing. And the other reason is that it’s becoming a trend. Other manufacturers are offering sealed mounts.</p></blockquote>
<p>You can read the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/9146806951/cp-2017-sigma-interview-we-ve-learned-that-some-customers-require-exceptional-lens-performance">full interview over at DPReview</a>.</p>
<p><em>**You can now receive a preorder notification from us once pricing is available for the new Sigma lenses. We also have a few surprises in store for those that do. Check that out <a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/preorder-information-for-the-new-sigma-lenses/">here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>image credit // <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/9146806951/cp-2017-sigma-interview-we-ve-learned-that-some-customers-require-exceptional-lens-performance">DPReview</a></em></p>
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## ExodistPhotography (Feb 27, 2017)

The article was a good read. Funny that the CEO thinks just adding a seal around the lens mount is "weather sealing". #rolleyes :


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## slclick (Feb 27, 2017)

ExodistPhotography said:


> The article was a good read. Funny that the CEO thinks just adding a seal around the lens mount is "weather sealing". #rolleyes :



It is actually, it is a degree of weather sealing. Canon also does things in varying degrees. i.e. Add a front filter to complete weather sealing.


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## Ladislav (Feb 27, 2017)

It is very impressive how many lenses Sigma managed to release in 5 years. They are imho just missing Art macro and 70-200 Sport and they will have complete replacement of old lenses with new ones.


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## zim (Feb 27, 2017)

Is that a 6DmkII he's holding ;D
Nice advert for Canon


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## slclick (Feb 27, 2017)

zim said:


> Is that a 6DmkII he's holding ;D
> Nice advert for Canon



Dollars to doughnuts he sells more EF mounts than SA. So sure.


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## MintChocs (Feb 27, 2017)

He has turned this company around. Kudos to him. I'm amazed at the speed of introduction of new products, improvements in quality and quality control. I only wish they made really good RAW processing software and an improved camera as together I would get one in a heartbeat!


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## BeenThere (Feb 27, 2017)

That front element on the 14mm still looks HUGE!


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## bereninga (Feb 27, 2017)

Thank you, Sigma, for listening.


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## Hector1970 (Feb 27, 2017)

I have to admire where he has taken the he company. In a few short years they've gone from cheap alternatives es to quality rivals. The build is great and they are nicely designed. I know an official repairer and he's quite impressed with how they are built and the docking station concept for updates and AFMA. I'd love them to bring out a new 180mm macro lens.. I'm tempted by the 14mm 1.8, just waiting confirmation about coma performance. I will be disappointed if it's poor on coma.


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## AJ (Feb 27, 2017)

slclick said:


> zim said:
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> > Is that a 6DmkII he's holding ;D
> ...



I'm sure he does too.

Why does Sigma bother with an SA mount? Why don't they produce bodies with Canon EF and Nikon FX compatible mounts? I'm sure they can retro-engineer them.

If they did, I might be tempted to try one of their bodies.


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## Joellll (Feb 27, 2017)

AJ said:


> slclick said:
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In one of an earlier interview, Yamaki says that "It was the dream of Yamaki’s father—Sigma’s founder—to become a camera manufacturer."

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/12/sigma-still-make-cameras-sigma-ceo-blames-zombie-father/


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

Interesting comment here:

_*Of the lenses in the Global Vision line, which were the most complex to bring to market?*

Our 12-24mm zoom. Because that lenses uses a very large aspherical element, and at the time, no other company was producing an element of this kind, and there were no machines capable of producing it. So we designed a custom machine to make that element. But as a result of developing that technology, we were able to create this new 14mm F1.8._

I love how the only thing holding them back from doing it was to just do it. How many times has Sigma just barreled through a tribal perception like "you can't make an f/1.8 (crop) or f/2 (FF) zoom" or "14mm lenses can't be faster than f/2.8" because they had the audacity to say _why not?_

I recognize that physics is a cruel mistress and these lenses are heavy as hell, but their attitude towards pushing boundaries remains a delight to watch.

- A


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

And all the comments about the Global Vision line resurrecting the company's reputation and fanbase are well-deserved.

You know, in European soccer, when a manager goes on a 5 year killing streak like this (hell, even a two year streak), a bigger/better/wealthier team buys that manager and asks him to run _their_ team. I recognize he's likely tied to Sigma equity to some perilous degree, _but could you imagine that man running Canon?_ 

I recognize Sigma is not a one-man company and there surely must be some hall-of-fame technical/design folks there making those lenses happen, but even the thought of Canon even catching a whiff of some of Sigma's mad 'why not?' innovating would be pretty exciting to see.

And on the same idea, Nikon is under a massive restructuring right now. Imagine if _they_ went after him.

- A


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## chrysoberyl (Feb 27, 2017)

Ladislav said:


> It is very impressive how many lenses Sigma managed to release in 5 years. They are imho just missing Art macro and 70-200 Sport and they will have complete replacement of old lenses with new ones.



Now that it appears Sigma has a better handle on AF, I would like to see the 300mm 2.8 revamped. Perhaps it would even be a f/2.4.


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## AJ (Feb 27, 2017)

Joellll said:


> AJ said:
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Sure, but why not with an EF mount? You'd have a Sigma body on which you could mount, for example, a Canon 24-105 or equally well an EF mount Sigma 85/1.4. That same Sigma lens could then also be used on a Canon body.
I'm sure they must have thought of it. Probably a patent issue or something like that.


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## slclick (Feb 27, 2017)

AJ said:


> slclick said:
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Oh the ML body I would buy in a heartbeat is the Sigma sd Quattro H if it had an EF mount.


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## Random Orbits (Feb 27, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Interesting comment here:
> 
> _*Of the lenses in the Global Vision line, which were the most complex to bring to market?*
> 
> ...



Doesn't the Canon 11-24 also have large aspheric elements or is the Sigma bigger? I thought Canon had claimed something similar when the 11-24 came out, and the 11-24L did get to the market before Sigma's 12-24...


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

AJ said:


> Sure, but why not with an EF mount? You'd have a Sigma body on which you could mount, for example, a Canon 24-105 or equally well an EF mount Sigma 85/1.4. That same Sigma lens could then also be used on a Canon body.
> I'm sure they must have thought of it. Probably a patent issue or something like that.



Unlikely patent related _in principle_ (if you can reverse the lenses' mounts you surely could do the same on the camera body's mount), but Canon has mountains of IP that might make so many camera features problematic that Sigma would be stuck making a rather foreign looking design. But they 100% could do it.

Why wouldn't they? A host of reasons:


I think folks need to trust their body's AF more than their lens' AF. If Sigma made the rig you are referring to, Sigma's EF glass would presumably work perfectly, but now they'd have the 'make the Art glass work with _all_ EF bodies' problem in reverse -- that could include 20-30 year old EF glass. Folks with large stables of EF glass would undoubtedly have a lens or two that doesn't perform well.


What lens pullthrough would Sigma enjoy get if they offered (effectively) an open ecosystem camera? Nothing would stop people from slapping their Canon, Tamron, Zeiss, etc. glass on it. So the profitability of such a rig would be lessened.


Sigma would get absolutely murdered head-to-head on body specs with Canon -- partially due to Canon's feature excellence (DPAF, anti-flicker, high ISO processing, etc.), partially due to not having the same body design history as they enjoy with lenses, but also due to Foveon sensors not looking sexy on a spec sheet. Foveon rigs of the past had only pedestrian ISO levels and their FPS was unimpressive. Then there's that hard part about Foveon output requiring special processing on your computer and such (but I believe it's not as bad as it used to be -- they also capture JPG on board these days). Overall, though, the upsides of those sensors are only appreciated by a niche class of pixel peepers, and that's not enough to overpower an underwhelming spec sheet.

- A


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

Random Orbits said:


> Doesn't the Canon 11-24 also have large aspheric elements or is the Sigma bigger? I thought Canon had claimed something similar when the 11-24 came out, and the 11-24L did get to the market before Sigma's 12-24...



For basic size, the TDP listed diameter of each:

11-24L: 4.28"

12-24 Art: 4.02"

But that may not speak to hood/housing thicknesses and the front elements might not be terribly different.

But I am not well read enough on which elements are aspherical. I defer to the lens design aficionados here.

- A


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## YuengLinger (Feb 27, 2017)

So would anybody have faith in the somewhat older 180mm f/2.8 APO macro? Or did it just miss the revolution?


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

YuengLinger said:


> So would anybody have faith in the somewhat older 180mm f/2.8 APO macro? Or did it just miss the revolution?



Some people adore Sigma's pre/non-Global Vision glass, but it seems to be a hit or miss phenomenon. Some are apparently great, while others' paint falls off. In other cases, the lenses are perfectly sharp but lack the general quality/feel/AF of the Canon variant -- which some folks are totally fine with.

2011/2012 is right when the GV stuff spun up if memory serves and this 180mm was not that old -- a 2012 lens -- that for some reason got the older-style body design. I've never shot it but I've heard positive comments from some users on this forum. LensTip absolutely gushed over it.

(Or were you referring to an older lens than that? Was there another 180 f/2.8 APO lens before this IS version?)

- A


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## AJ (Feb 27, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Sigma would get absolutely murdered head-to-head on body specs with Canon


It already does, even without the EF mount.


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## chrysoberyl (Feb 27, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> YuengLinger said:
> 
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> > So would anybody have faith in the somewhat older 180mm f/2.8 APO macro? Or did it just miss the revolution?
> ...



There was not an older version. I have the only version and like its sharpness - sharper than my Canon 100 L. Both hoods are really loose, though. I use it mostly manually focused.

Even so, upgrading it would be a good idea.


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## fussy III (Feb 27, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> YuengLinger said:
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> > So would anybody have faith in the somewhat older 180mm f/2.8 APO macro? Or did it just miss the revolution?
> ...




Yes, there was: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/712025/0
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Sigma-180mm-F2.8-APO-Macro_lens188.html
I bought mine roughly in spring 1997 when production must just have stopped as it was being sold at a bargain price. It was never produced with the newer AF-Chip that would soon be obligatory for SIGMA lenses in order to continue working with bodies like the EOS 33 or EOS 3. The lens continued to work great on my EOS-1N though and along wiht the EF 300/2.8 L USM it was the sharpst lens I had for my Canon. AF was always sluggish but it needed the new chip not only for Af but also for the aperture to work. Maximum magnification was only 1:2 but it was crisper than my later Sigma 180/3.5 EX at f 3.5 but even more so when stopped down to f18. It somehow retained a lot of contrast all the way to f22 which is why I sometimes still think about testing the Nikon version on digital full frame adapted to Canon (the Nikon version has an aperture ring).


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## danski0224 (Feb 27, 2017)

Ladislav said:


> It is very impressive how many lenses Sigma managed to release in 5 years. They are imho just missing Art macro and 70-200 Sport and they will have complete replacement of old lenses with new ones.



Given the new Sigma sdQ and sdQ H cameras, which require Global Vision lenses for the best AF performance, more lens updates to Global Vision standards are just about guaranteed.


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## ahsanford (Feb 27, 2017)

danski0224 said:


> Ladislav said:
> 
> 
> > It is very impressive how many lenses Sigma managed to release in 5 years. They are imho just missing Art macro and 70-200 Sport and they will have complete replacement of old lenses with new ones.
> ...



Updates to older lenses are all but certainties, yes, but the Quattro rigs have little to do with that. 

Anyone have Sigma's pie chart of what mounts their lenses are bolted on to? In absence of any data, I'm going to hazard a guess that less than 20% of their lenses are for the SA mount. Canon/Nikon/Sony must make up the lion's share of their sales.

So, yes, updates to work best with the SA mount's AF will happen, but that's not what is driving Sigma. Getting their glass _on everyone else's mirrorless and SLR setups_ is.

- A


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## Ah-Keong (Feb 28, 2017)

I am impressed by the investment risk he take to get a new machine up to do the 12-24mm and with that new machine, Sigma is able to proceed to this 14mm f/1,8....

Next to come may be 105mm f1,4 and 180mm macro and
if 
and
if
the sigma 70-200mm f/2,8 beat the Nikon and Canon and Tamron 70-200mm.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVwhCir72hQ

:


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## ExodistPhotography (Feb 28, 2017)

Joellll said:


> In one of an earlier interview, Yamaki says that "It was the dream of Yamaki’s father—Sigma’s founder—to become a camera manufacturer."
> 
> https://petapixel.com/2016/10/12/sigma-still-make-cameras-sigma-ceo-blames-zombie-father/



Yea I had a dream of becoming a sexy male model.. Thats not really working out for me.. 
Now I just take photos of everyone else.. 

Mike Roe made a really good video a while back about not chasing your dreams, but instead just doing what your good at and becoming great at that instead. Perhaps Sigma should watch that video.

But you know if the Sigma Quattro H was native Canon mount I would have tried it. I love the looks of it and the ergonomics look appealing. 

- Joe


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## slclick (Feb 28, 2017)

ExodistPhotography said:


> Joellll said:
> 
> 
> > In one of an earlier interview, Yamaki says that "It was the dream of Yamaki’s father—Sigma’s founder—to become a camera manufacturer."
> ...



I think Sigma is doing very well thank you and doesn't need anyone's advice at this juncture. Their new AF motors are 'near Canon' fast and accurate. The optics, well equally good if not better in many instances.


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## ahsanford (Feb 28, 2017)

ExodistPhotography said:


> But you know if the Sigma Quattro H was native Canon mount I would have tried it. I love the looks of it and the ergonomics look appealing.
> 
> - Joe



Yep. I like the fact that Sigma just pooped on the notion that a mirrorless rig could _never_ come to market with a flange distance befitting a mirror (the horror!). There are famously two large camps of FF mirrorless mount proponents here at CR, and one of them would love to see a full EF mount. A 'lens tube'-style design like the recent Quattro rigs is one way to do it.

I am weird in that I could see myself owning any (but not all) of these three:


Full EF mount mirrorless used as a standalone swap/complement to my 5D3 with all of my EF glass
Thin mount EF mirrorless that I would only use with 1-2 tiny primes as a travel / street / walkaround rig 
A fixed lens FF setup like the RX1R or Leica Q

I see value in each idea, I really do.

- A


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## goldenhusky (Mar 1, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> And all the comments about the Global Vision line resurrecting the company's reputation and fanbase are well-deserved.
> 
> You know, in European soccer, when a manager goes on a 5 year killing streak like this (hell, even a two year streak), a bigger/better/wealthier team buys that manager and asks him to run _their_ team. I recognize he's likely tied to Sigma equity to some perilous degree, _but could you imagine that man running Canon?_
> 
> ...



From what I know Sigma is a company his father founded and he is more sentimentally attached to Sigma. I can't imagine he moving out of Sigma. I view him as a person in a business that is close to his heart


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## privatebydesign (Mar 1, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> And all the comments about the Global Vision line resurrecting the company's reputation and fanbase are well-deserved.
> 
> You know, in European soccer, when a manager goes on a 5 year killing streak like this (hell, even a two year streak), a bigger/better/wealthier team buys that manager and asks him to run _their_ team. I recognize he's likely tied to Sigma equity to some perilous degree, _but could you imagine that man running Canon?_
> 
> ...



Yeh, imagine if Canon had the balls to come out with a 50mm f1.0, 1200 f5.6, TS-E 17, a zooming fisheye, small and light primes with IS (24/28/35), 200-400 f4 zoom with built in TC, 85 f1.2, an 11-24 rectalineal with unmatched iq, all of which work perfectly on every EOS camera ever made... Or how about a class leading 16-35 with IS for chump change and iq rivaling any lens at the same focal length at any price. Or the EFm 22 for even less money. We are so lucky to have Sigma pushing Canon the way they do :


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## danski0224 (Mar 1, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Yep. I like the fact that Sigma just pooped on the notion that a mirrorless rig could _never_ come to market with a flange distance befitting a mirror (the horror!). There are famously two large camps of FF mirrorless mount proponents here at CR, and one of them would love to see a full EF mount. A 'lens tube'-style design like the recent Quattro rigs is one way to do it.



The Foveon sensors in general do not play well at all with a short register distance, a short register body would have been a disaster. 

I wouldn't mind a mirrorless 1DsIV


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