Sigma

Sigma is a Japanese manufacturer of photographic lenses and cameras whose production is based entirely in Japan, with headquarters in Kanagawa and a factory in Aizu, Fukushima. The company was founded by Michihiro Yamaki in 1961 and has stayed family-owned; it is now managed by his son, Kazuto Yamaki, an independence Sigma credits for the freedom to pursue its own idea of craftsmanship.

The Aizu factory opened in 1973 and remains Sigma’s only manufacturing base, handling everything from the first concept and optical engineering to assembly, quality control and even parts sourcing. Lenses are grouped into lines such as Contemporary and Art to make their intent clear, and the company also builds cine lenses and its own camera bodies, including the full-frame fp series, designed to be small, powerful and adaptable.