Sigma Corporation’s Founder Posthumously Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Michihiro Yamaki lauded for invention of rear attached teleconverter and interchangeable mount systems by PMDA at CES event

RONKONKOMA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider for some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, is proud to announce that Michihiro Yamaki, founder and former CEO of Sigma Corporation, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Photoimaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA). The award was delivered at the Imaging Night event, hosted by the PMDA at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Jan. 7 in Las Vegas.

“I was lucky enough to witness my father’s passion for photography, and I’m inspired every day by his efforts and accomplishments”

Yamaki was honored for his lifetime of industry contributions, which included the invention of the rear-attached lens teleconverter, a product quickly adopted by the photo industry, as well as the development of the first interchangeable mount system, known as the Yamaki System (YS) which became the foundation of Sigma Corporation. He later led Sigma in its purchase of Foveon in 2008, which resulted in the manufacturer’s unique and proprietary use of the Foveon X3 direct image sensor in its digital cameras.

Yamaki passed away on Jan. 18, 2012 at the age of 78. His son, Kazuto Yamaki, has replaced his father as the company’s CEO.

“I was lucky enough to witness my father’s passion for photography, and I’m inspired every day by his efforts and accomplishments,” said Kazuto Yamaki. “He would have been very honored by this award. I plan to continue my father’s vision of enhancing the world of photography with our brand of cameras, lenses and accessories. By focusing only on photographic equipment, we remain committed to delivering the industry’s highest quality photographic products.”

Sigma Corporation is the largest, privately held, third party lens manufacturer in the world. The privately held, family-owned company is more than 50 years old and now offers the largest selection of interchangeable lenses for Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic and Olympus camera systems. The manufacturer has also expanded its offerings to include digital single lens reflex cameras, compact digital cameras, and high-quality lens filters and flashes.

For information about Sigma, visit www.sigmaphoto.com.

About Sigma Corporation

For more than 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. This family-owned organization is the largest, privately-held, third party lens manufacturer in the world, producing more than 50 lenses that are compatible with most manufacturers, including Sigma, Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax. Sigma Corporation 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.