SIGMA Corp. Designs Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGAs Into Newest Line of SIGMA SD1 High-Performance Digital Cameras

TOKYO, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced that longtime customer, SIGMA Corp., has designed Spartan®-6 FPGAs into its flagship digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, the SIGMA SD1, for professional and enthusiast photographers.  Shipping since June, the new 46-megapixel camera delivers robustness in a splash-proof and dust-proof body, providing high-definition and high resolution images.

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SIGMA Corp., a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, has designed Xilinx field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) into two digital SLR cameras and two compact cameras.  

The SIGMA SD1 design team credits the performance, low power and flexibility of Xilinx's Spartan-6 FPGA with enabling high-quality, reliable image capture, while minimizing power consumption to reduce standby power in suspend mode and extend battery life. Spartan-6 FPGAs interface to the 23.5x15.7mm APS-C full-color X3 direct image sensor, serving as a fundamental component for capturing all primary RGB (red green blue) colors at each and every pixel location for a full and complete image, with a 3-dimensional, film-like quality.  

Spartan-6 FPGAs also handle large volumes of data at high speed, supporting double data rate 3 (DDR3) buffer memory technology for shooting capability of 5 frames per second and capture of up to seven RAW images (the output from each of the original red, green and blue sensitive pixels of the image sensor) per sequence.

"We're carving out a new category in the market place with SIGMA SD1 by providing high-end photographers with an alternative to expensive medium-format cameras, while offering unrivaled image quality," said Tatsuya Inui, Doctor of Science and Hirouki Toyama, Section Manager of Electronic Engineering Div. at SIGMA Corp. "Market response has been phenomenal. Our engineering team has relied on Xilinx FPGAs for many years to design high performance cameras that stand apart from the competition – this is one more stellar example of that.  We're delighted with the support we've received and results achieved with Xilinx and Avnet EM Japan to date, and look forward to the company's new 7 series FPGAs and other new products."

About SIGMA Corp.

For 50 years, SIGMA Corporation's expertise and innovation has driven the company's core philosophy of "knowledge, plus experience, plus imagination," with an emphasis on producing high-quality, high-performance photographic technology at moderate prices. This family-owned organization is the largest, independent SLR lens manufacturer in the world, producing more than 40 lenses that are compatible with most manufacturers. SIGMA Corp. also produces digital SLR cameras and high-definition digital compact cameras. The company is headquartered in Japan, with offices strategically located throughout Europe, Asia and North America. For information, please visit: www.sigmaphoto.com.

About Xilinx 6 series FPGAs

Since their introduction in February 2009, Xilinx award-winning Spartan-6 and Virtex®-6 FPGAs have been widely adopted by customers worldwide in a broad range of applications and key end markets including: aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer, industrial, medical, scientific and wired/wireless communications.  To date, Xilinx has sold more than 10,000 Targeted Design Platforms for the 6 series.  More than 30 6 series Targeted Design Platforms and 70 FMC daughter cards are available in production today from Xilinx and members of its global ecosystem (Distribution Channel and Alliance Program).

Spartan-6 FPGAs are designed for cost-sensitive applications requiring high-speed connectivity and low-power operation with serial transceivers, advanced power management and proven 45-nanometer architecture.  The Virtex-6 FPGA family is the high-performance silicon foundation for Xilinx Targeted Design Platforms, built with the right mix of programmability, integrated blocks for digital signal processing, memory, and connectivity support – including high-speed transceiver capabilities – to satisfy the insatiable demand for higher bandwidth and higher performance.

For more information, visit: http://www.xilinx.com/products/index.htm.

About Xilinx

Xilinx is the world's leading provider of programmable platforms. For more information, visit: http://www.xilinx.com/.

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SOURCE Xilinx, Inc.