Sigma fp The Small Camera For Big Assignments ADVANCED FEATURES FOR BOTH PHOTO AND VIDEO
Sigma joins the full-frame mirrorless camera market, but is daring to do something different with its first L-Mount body, which is the smallest and lightest in its class.
Sigma’s goal with its new fp camera was to create the first full-frame mirrorless model that’s actually small enough to be pocketable. It’s also Sigma’s first L-Mount camera body which means it’s immediately compatible with a wider selection of lenses and accessories. The small size and light weight also make it suitable for a wider variety of applications including as a cine camera or even aboard a capable drone.
Consequently, the Sigma fp is currently the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame interchangeablelens mirrorless camera. The diecast aluminium bodyshell is fully sealed against the intrusion of dust or moisture, and employs a heat sink structure to ensure long periods of running are possible when shooting video. There’s an 8.0 cm LCD monitor screen with a resolution of 2.1 megadots and touch controls.
On the inside, the fp has a fullframe backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with a total resolution of 25.3 megapixels (24.6 MP effective) and a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 25,600 (extendable to ISO 6 and 102,400). Resolution is optimised by omitting an optical low-pass filter. Interestingly, the Sigma camera doesn’t have a mechanical focal plane shutter, and instead exclusively uses a sensorbased shutter which ensures silent, vibration-free operation and continuous shooting at up to 18 fps.
The Sigma fp has a full suite of advanced features for still photography – including face/eye detection AF – but is also very capable as a video camera with external recording in 12-bit CinemaDNG format at 24 fps or internal recording at either 8- or 10-bit and either 25 or 30 fps, All-I (All-Intra) compression for more manageable files, a ‘Director’s Viewfinder’ function, shutter angle control, waveform display, time code support, zebra patterns and a focus peaking display. Brand new is a mode called ‘Teal And Orange’ which has been inspired by the colour grading technique commonly used in Hollywood films. Each mode has a slider that enables adjustment of the effects strength.
The fp also employs the
‘Fill Light’ adjustment – with an expanded +/-5.0 EV adjustment range – which brightens shadows without altering the highlights and was only previously available in the Sigma Photo Pro software. Additionally for shooting stills, the feature list includes a choice of 12 colour modes, multi-shot HDR capture, auto exposure bracketing, flicker detection and correction,
12- or 14-bit RAW capture (AdobeDNG), and a total of seven aspect ratio settings.
With its large sensor, L-Mount lens fitting and extensive capabilities for both stills and video, the Sigma fp may be small in size, but has very big potential indeed.