Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki spoke at length at CP+ 2025 in Japanese I am trying something a bit new with this interview since summarizing subtitles is extremely time-consuming. Please let me know if I missed anything.
Sigma Brand Vision
- “Not Just Engineering, It’s Our Art“: “We don’t just engineer lenses, we create art through engineering. This is my vision for Sigma’s new direction.”
- “Aizu Factory – My Pride, Our Quality”: “Our Aizu factory is not just a production facility, it’s where Sigma quality is born. It’s my personal pride, and our company’s foundation.”
SIGMA fp ‘BF’ Camera
- “‘BF’ – Beautiful Foolishness – My New Concept”: “I wanted to create something different, something truly new – the ‘BF’ series. Beautiful Foolishness, it’s my personal concept of camera purity.”
- “Simple Operation – I Believe in One Hand, One Finger”: ” I believe a camera should be so simple, you can control everything with one hand, maybe even one finger. That’s my goal for ‘BF’.”
- “Two-Layer Menu – My Solution for No Complexity”: ” I designed a menu with just two layers. In my opinion, no more hunting for settings should be necessary.”
- “Design – My Icons of Inspiration”: “For the ‘BF’ design, I looked at iconic designs – things like Chanel No. 5 bottle, Nikka Whisky bottle. To me, they represent timeless, beautiful simplicity. That’s what I aimed for.”
- “‘Beautiful Foolishness’ – My Zen Philosophy Connection”: “The name ‘Beautiful Foolishness’ resonates with my understanding of Zen philosophy, from Okakura Tenshin. For me, it’s about finding beauty in the essential, in what might seem ‘foolish’ly simple to others.”
Sensor & Market
- “Foveon – My Long-Term Commitment, Our Belief”: “The Full-Frame Foveon X3 sensor… it’s taking time, it’s my long-term commitment to innovation, and we at Sigma still believe deeply in Foveon.”
- “Medium Format – I See a Growing Area, We See Opportunity”: “Looking at the market trends, I see significant growth in medium format. For Sigma, this is an exciting area of potential opportunity.”
- “GFX – We Are Aware of Fujifilm’s Success”: “And of course, we at Sigma are aware of Fujifilm’s success with GFX. We see their impact on medium format.”
GFX Lens Interest & Current Plans
- “No GFX Project at the Moment – Company Decision“: “We don’t have a project that goes in this direction (making GFX glass) at the moment.”
- “GFX Dream – My Personal Passion for Medium Format Users”: “But, to be completely honest, it’s one of my dreams to make a lens for medium format, because there are so many passionate photographers in this field.”
- “Wish List, Distant Future – Current Company Plan“: “So it’s in my wish list. But for now, we don’t have a plan for that, maybe in the distant future.”
New Lenses
- “16-300mm DC DN – Customers Demand Versatility, Even if I Don’t Use It”: “For APS-C shooters, we created the 16-300mm F2.8-4 DC DN Contemporary. One lens, so much range.”
- “To be completely honest, I’m not a big user of all-in-one versatile zooms. But the demand is huge. If you go to Kyoto, you will see that many people use this type of lens. So we decided to produce it, because our customers were waiting for it.”
- “Fast HLA Focus, Steady 6-Stop IS”
- “300-600mm DG DN OS | Sports – For the Professionals and Enthusiasts“: “For those needing reach, the 300-600mm F4 DG DN OS | Sports. Serious telephoto power for demanding photographers.”
- “Compact for a 600mm F4, Handles Well”
- “35mm F1.2 DG DN Art II – We Listened to Feedback for Smaller, Sharper, Faster”: “The 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art… Version II is coming. Smaller, sharper, even faster. We listened to feedback from our users.”
Market Dynamics
- “Camera Market – We See a Turnaround”: “Good news, we are seeing that the camera market is not shrinking anymore. It’s showing signs of life, we believe.”
- “Full-Frame & Medium Format – We Believe The Future is Bigger Sensors”: ” We believe the growth is in larger sensors – full-frame and medium format. We see that’s where photographers are increasingly focused.”
- “Lenses – Sigma’s Belief – Still the Key to Photography”: “Smartphones are good, but at Sigma, we believe lenses are still essential for true photography. Lenses are what give you real creative power.”
- “Lens Design – Our Challenge is More Complexity Than Ever”: ” Our challenge in lens design today is the incredible complexity required to meet modern demands. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of optical design.”
- “Manufacturing in Aizu – Our Strategic Advantage“: ” Our strategic advantage is our advanced manufacturing in Aizu. This is what allows us to create these complex, high-quality lenses.”
- “Multi-Mount – Our Commitment to Photographer Choice”: ” Sigma’s commitment is to photographer choice. That’s why we offer lenses for so many mounts, to support your creative freedom.”
- “Industry – We Must Always Evolve”: “The camera industry is constantly evolving. For Sigma to lead, we must adapt and innovate continuously.”
- “Competition & Collaboration – Both Drive Sigma Forward”: ” At Sigma, we understand that both competition and collaboration are essential. Both are what drive us and the industry forward.”
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