Sigma’s Korean distributor, Saeki P&C, runs a “Sigma Talk Concert” for Sigma users in Korea. The second one, “AIZU of SIGMA: Eyes of the Artist”, took place in Seoul on 28 March 2026, with a talk by photographer Song Cheol-ui about his Iceland work, a presentation and Q&A by Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki, and a lens bar where you could try Sigma lenses and the BF.
I was one of the invited guests. This is my write-up, plus the event details and the Sigma news that followed, including the fp successor Yamaki hinted at.
At a glance
- Event: Sigma Talk Concert “AIZU of SIGMA: Eyes of the Artist” (the second one)
- When and where: Saturday 28 March 2026, 12:00–16:30, MIK Basecamp, Seocho-gu, Seoul
- Who: 30 people picked from Saeki Mall members who had registered a Sigma product in the last three years
- Program: lens and BF hands-on and a photo exhibition → part 1, Song Cheol-ui → part 2, Kazuto Yamaki’s talk and Q&A
- Q&A highlights: full-frame Foveon is in development (no date), a new fp-style camera was planned, and “no comment” on Canon RF full-frame lenses
- Update: the new fp-style camera turned out to be the Sigma FP2, announced on 23 October 2026
Event details
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | AIZU of SIGMA: Eyes of the Artist (slogan: “The great journey of capturing light”) |
| Host | Saeki P&C, Sigma’s distributor in Korea (Saeki Mall) |
| Date | Saturday 28 March 2026, 12:00–16:30 |
| Venue | MIK Basecamp, Seocho-gu, Seoul (about 600 m from Cheonggyesan station exit 2, Shinbundang Line) |
| Guests | 30. Saeki Mall members with a Sigma product registered in the last three years applied with a survey, including questions for the CEO and the photographer |
| Speakers | Photographer Song Cheol-ui, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki |
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Hands-on with products, Song Cheol-ui’s exhibition, BF studio, catering |
| 13:00 | Part 1: Song Cheol-ui, “Iceland, captured with Sigma” |
| 14:30 | Part 2: Kazuto Yamaki on Sigma, the story behind the BF, and Sigma’s future |
The first talk concert was the “SIGMA GOOD PHOTO Talk Concert” in March 2024, and Yamaki came in person that time too. According to Saeki P&C’s blog, the third-floor rooftop also had a corner for the super-zooms (16-300mm, 20-200mm, 300-600mm).
My day at the Sigma Talk Concert
On Saturday 28 March I went to the talk concert as an invited guest. True to the name, photographer Song Cheol-ui and Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki each led one part.
As you’d expect from an optics company, the slogan “The great journey of capturing light” was everywhere. It also tied in with Song Cheol-ui’s journey through Iceland.
The first floor was for the talks, and the second floor was for trying Sigma lenses and the BF, plus catering. This is the first thing I saw upstairs: Song Cheol-ui’s prints.
The lens bar and the BF corner
This was the BF and prime lens corner. Honestly, they were pretty enough to make me want to buy one.
Next was the Sigma Lens Bar. With “bar” in the name I half expected cocktails named after lenses, but you simply named the lens you wanted to try and they brought it to you.
That was the menu. Lenses that weren’t on it were available too, if you asked.
I got to mount the lenses I’d been curious about on my own camera. The lens bar didn’t have L-mount versions, so the staff kindly let me try them on a Sony A7 III they had brought along.
While I was chatting with a staff member and another guest who still shoots with a Sigma SD10, the three of us talking about all things Sigma,
Kazuto Yamaki walked upstairs, which caught me completely off guard. I shot in a hurry, and my fp L didn’t seem to recognize its own maker: most frames had the jello effect or missed focus. This was the best of them.
Part 1: Song Cheol-ui
Then it was time for Song Cheol-ui’s talk, so I went downstairs. I picked up photography as a hobby without much of a plan, so I enjoyed learning a lot from his stories.
Yamaki kept asking questions throughout the talk, and carried on for quite a while after it ended.
Part 2: Kazuto Yamaki’s talk and Q&A
Yamaki then gave a short history of Sigma, its goals, and an introduction to the new products (lenses and the BF).
At one point he talked about rice in Aizu, but I had to take an urgent call and missed most of it. I wondered if Sigma was going to grow and sell rice.
Later I looked it up: Sigma set up a company called SIGMA AIZU FARM to grow rice in Aizu, where its factory is. The aim is to preserve abandoned farmland, and the rice isn’t sold; it goes to the staff cafeterias at the Aizu factory and the Kawasaki headquarters.
Then came the Q&A. Questions had been collected through the online application, and he started with the three most common ones.
- Q1. How is the full-frame Foveon sensor going? When will it come out? We are working hard on it. It’s difficult, so I can’t promise a date, but it is a clear goal for Sigma and we will show it.
- Q2. Will there be another camera in the fp form factor? That is in the plan too. The fp sold better than Sigma expected, so we want to continue it.
- Q3. Will you make full-frame lenses for Canon? I expected that the moment I heard “Canon”. No comment.
He answered several more questions before wrapping up. (I wrote my notes two days later, so the wording above may not be exact.)
According to other attendees’ write-ups, he also said the full-frame Foveon timeline can’t be promised because the development team is small, that Sigma has turned down every collaboration offer from smartphone makers, that it will keep reliance on AI features to a minimum, and that there are no plans for a 70-200mm Contemporary.
Closing and the group photo
The event ended with Yamaki presenting Song Cheol-ui with a signed BF body, followed by a group photo. Both of them looked very pleased.
After hesitating for a while, I asked if I could take a photo with him, and a Saeki staff member took it. I asked whether a finger heart was OK, and he happily went along with it.
For the next shot I asked for a thumbs-up, but the photo was taken mid-transition and became an “otaku heart” instead. I had somewhere to be, so I had to leave quickly afterwards.
It was a really fun afternoon. The gifts turned out to be a poster and a Sigma T-shirt, which I’ll definitely wear.
The Saeki P&C staff were kind, and it was great to meet other people who actually use Sigma bodies. It was also my first time meeting Kazuto Yamaki, and he was every bit the gentleman. People say he’s more like a colleague than an authoritarian boss, even off stage.
Thank you again to Saeki P&C for setting this up, and good luck to every Sigma body and Foveon user out there!
Sigma news since the event
- Sigma FP2 (October 2026): the fp-style camera from the Q&A. Announced on 23 October 2026 with a 24.5 MP partially stacked sensor, phase-detection AF, a tilting screen, 6K open gate video and 70 GB of internal memory; on sale from 11 November at US$2,199 body only. (Sigma press release, specifications)
- 35mm F1.4 DG II | Art: released on 16 April, at 530 g, lighter than the previous model (645 g).
- 15mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary: a wide-angle prime for APS-C, released in March.
- 85mm F1.2 DG | Art: announced as in development at CP+ in February and released in September.
- 50-120mm F2.8 DC OS | Contemporary: announced.
- Saeki P&C kept running Sigma events in Korea (photo walks and BF classes). No third talk concert has been announced yet.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone attend the Sigma Talk Concert in Korea?
Applications were taken through a Saeki Mall notice (in Korean). This time it was open to identity-verified Saeki Mall members who had registered a Sigma product in the last three years, and 30 applicants were chosen from the survey responses.
When is the next Sigma Talk Concert?
The first was in March 2024 and the second in March 2026. As of October 2026, no third event has been announced.
When is Sigma’s full-frame Foveon camera coming?
Yamaki said it is in development and a clear goal for Sigma, but he didn’t commit to a date.
This is a translation of my original Korean article: 시그마 토크 콘서트 후기 – 야마키 대표 Q&A와 렌즈 바 체험. Last checked: 25 October 2026.
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