rice farm<\/a> that is as much about keeping people in the area employed and fed as it is about making money. <\/p>\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/history_img06-800x533.jpg\")
The first phase of Sigma\u2019s Aizu General Factory in 1973 in Bandai Town, Fukushima Prefecture <\/p>\n
But make no mistake, photography is a hard business. Since Sigma\u2019s founding in 1961, so much about the market has changed. How people interact with photography and video has changed too. But as Yamaki writes in his letter, presented in full below, what hasn\u2019t changed is how much photography matters. <\/p>\n
On September 9, 2026, Sigma celebrates its 65th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Our company was one of the last to enter an industry once so crowded with camera and lens manufacturers that it was said a brand existed for almost every letter of the alphabet. Over the decades, fierce competition and shifts in the market and business environment forced many to withdraw. That Sigma has been able to maintain its independence and continue operating to this day is entirely due to the generous support of everyone connected to us, for which we are deeply grateful.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks to our customers who use and love our products. Although our products and services may have fallen short at times, your unwavering support has been our greatest source of strength. The stern feedback we received on occasion served as invaluable lessons that fueled our growth. We are also profoundly grateful to our dealers, business partners, and suppliers for their many years of support in sustaining our business, as well as to the local communities where we operate for their warm understanding and encouragement. Sigma exists today because it has been nurtured and supported by so many of you.<\/p>\n
Guided by the philosophy of our founder, Michihiro Yamaki \u2014 \u201cFor Happy Moments,\u201d reflecting his belief that photography accompanies people in their moments of happiness \u2014 we have strived to create products that are not only of high quality and performance, but also innovative, original, and beautiful. None of this was ever easy, but we feel we have been guided here by the sheer fascination of photography and filmmaking. Working within a field so deeply rooted in culture and art makes us feel truly fortunate.<\/p>\n
While technological innovations continue to transform the nature of photography and video, their core significance has not faded \u2014 if anything, it has become even more vital to humanity. As we look ahead, we will continue our daily efforts while reflecting on the role Sigma should play, and how we can contribute to the development of photographic and visual culture, social peace, and human happiness.<\/p>\n
With heartfelt gratitude for all your support,<\/p>\n
Kazuto Yamaki
Sigma, CEO<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a great letter, and it is safe to say Sigma has done a superb job living up to its founding legacy. The company continues to make outstanding lenses that are fun to use and relatively accessible. <\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/factory_img01-800x534.jpg\")
Sigma\u2019s factory in Aizu, Japan <\/p>\n
Alongside Yamaki\u2019s letter to the photography world, Sigma also released a really beautiful, somewhat trippy video. It features X-ray-like images of cameras and lenses, some great music, and a ton of colors. You really need to watch it; it\u2019s unlike anything else I\u2019ve seen. <\/p>\n
Please note that the video below has flashing lights and patterns that could affect people with photosensitive conditions. <\/p>\n
Congratulations on 65 years, Sigma. And here\u2019s to another 65. <\/p>\n
Image creditsSigma. Sigma\u2019s 65th anniversary video was directed by Daihei Shibata with music by Cornelius, creative direction by Ichiro Iwasaki, and video production by WOW inc.<\/p>\n
Affiliate Disclosure PetaPixel articles may include affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you buy through one. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amid the shuffle and chaos of Apple\u2019s annual iPhone event, yesterday also marked Sigma\u2019s 65th anniversary, and the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":843076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88],"class_list":["post-843075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/sigma-65-featured-800x420.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/history_img01-800x533.jpg\")
On September 9, 1961, Sigma Research Institute Co., Ltd. was established. This photo shows the early supporting members, including founder Michihiro Yamaki on the right. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789055051_184_maxresdefault.jpg\")
<\/p>\n