The Japanese publication Mynavi posted online an interview where Sigma's President Kazuto Yamaki explained the difficulties the company is facing with the development of the Foveon sensor - here is the recap by digicame-info:
- Regarding the full-size Foveon sensor, in an interview in 2023, it was said that progress was being made little by little, and the possibility of mass production in 2024 was mentioned, but in this year's interview, President Yamaki's expression was backwards, indicating that development It was reported that the current situation was difficult.
- President Yamaki clarified that Sigma is still continuing to develop the full-size Foveon sensor and is working toward commercialization. However, in terms of progress, the honest truth is that "not much progress has been made'' (President Yamaki).
- The company has also changed its manufacturing partner in the past, and is currently in the "search stage" for a new partner. President Yamaki explains that cameras equipped with full-frame Foveon sensors are not expected to be in large volume, and that in order to outsource special sensors, "we need to establish mass production technology to some extent.''
- The Foveon sensor is a special sensor that requires a dedicated process. For this reason, he says, "Currently, we are trying to realize a three-layer structure using as many standard processes as possible at the design stage.'' However, this seems to be difficult and the issue has not been resolved. At present, it is not foreseeable that the full-size Foveon sensor will be commercialized, and the release date of the camera equipped with it is undecided.
Previous coverage of the Sigma Fovean sensor:
