Join me for an exclusive interview with Sigma’s CEO, Kazuto Yamaki San, recorded during the opening of the new Sigma store in Mumbai. As a Sigma Ambassador and professional photographer, it was a privilege to speak with Yamaki San about Sigma's innovation, lens development, camera philosophy, and the company’s exciting vision for creators worldwide.
From candid insights about future lenses and cameras, to discussions about character in photographic tools and honest technical feedback, this conversation is filled with value for photographers, filmmakers, and anyone passionate about the craft....
I love them. I really love them. I've been a Sigma ambassador for the last 6 years. I have reviewed most of these lenses, some in my native language Tamil and some in English.
I have a few questions. Let me start with the store itself. It's a new store in India. I also observe that you are starting more such stores around the globe. Previously Sigma cameras and lenses were only available in camera stores. Now you have your own store. So what is your purpose for that?
Well, first of all, it was the head office's decision, but I really appreciate it. I strongly believe we need this kind of space. First, we need a space to tell the company's philosophy to customers. If we only have our products in the camera shop together with other brands' products, it might be difficult to tell our philosophy and the passion for photography. So it's very good to have this kind of space. And also, while we are working very hard to provide the best quality products, I believe that customer support is equally important. So having this kind of space, we can provide better customer service. So I truly appreciate our partners having this kind of beautiful space in Mumbai.
Thank you. And next is about technology. So, I think one and a half years ago, I had this 15mm f/1.4 diagonal fisheye. I had never ever seen such a lens. I shot a picture of the Milky Way and it still stays in my heart. Now, I recently tested the 200mm f/2 and the 135mm f/1.4.
It's all impossible lenses with impossible large aperture diameters. So you have been clearly pushing the envelope. This one thing I felt Sigma left, which I want to ask if you'll make it: will you make an f/0.95 lens? And an 85mm f/1.2 is still missing, we feel. Will these come, or is it in design? Will there be an 85mm f/1.2 Art?
Okay. As for the f/0.95 lens, there's already such a lens in the market today, and we respect that there's such a product in the market today. I personally like to make that kind of lens, but we need to differentiate our product from the existing products. So it's quite a difficult lens to implement both the highest optical quality and the portable size and weight. But right now we don't have such plans, but sometime in the future I'd like to try.
Yes. We often have such a request. And up until now, since I think 2017-2018 timeframe, we have been focusing to have the wide range of lenses. And now, even today we still miss some focal lengths of some lenses, but we have a very nice, good range of lenses. So moving forward, we'd like to have such kind of niche but important lenses. Right now we don't have such plans, but sometime in the future.
I think you have a huge array of cinema lenses. I don't know if I should even ask for a focal length. And the best part is Sigma tried to actually balance between the clean optical quality, and you also gave a line of classic series of lenses where cinematographers often like the texture, the flash, and the organic character in the lens. So that is happening. You didn't want to balance both but you have given a separate line of lenses. Now we are using smaller cameras for cinematography, especially with the advent of cameras like the Sony FX3. Will you consider making smaller lenses for filmmaking, like these, which will have a balance of optical quality and character?
13 more exchanges in this transcript
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Yamaki, K. (2025, October 30). A Honest Conversation with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki San [Interview transcript]. Hornbill Studios. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1041415/
MLA
Kazuto Yamaki. "A Honest Conversation with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki San." Hornbill Studios, 30 Oct. 2025. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1041415/.
BibTeX
@misc{yamaki2025_1041415,
author = {Kazuto Yamaki},
title = {A Honest Conversation with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki San},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Hornbill Studios. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2025},
month = {oct},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1041415/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
