The Sigma fp is an bold new full-frame L-mount mirrorless camera that delivers pro-caliber still and video functionality in an astonishingly compact, robust, weather-resistant aluminum alloy body. Its mission: to deliver something akin to the convenience, portability and ease of use of a smartphone along with the high-end feature set and sophisticated imaging capabilities serious shooters demand. The basic rectangular body is also designed to serve as a module for configuring outfits ranging from pro-level video rigs to versatile high-performance still imaging platforms.
Measuring an ultra-compact 4.43 x 2.75 x 1.78 inches (W x H x D) and weighing in at less than 15 ounces (body only, including Li-Ion battery and SDXC memory card), the ingeniously innovative Sigma fp is the first Sigma camera to employ a 24.6MP BSI Bayer CMOS full-frame sensor. It provides 14-bit color depth, can capture full-res bursts at up to 18 fps, and incorporates a 49-point contrast-detect AF system providing face detection, eye detection, and focus peaking readouts. Its base sensitivity range of ISO 100-25600 can be expanded to ISO 6-102400, it offers UHD 4K video recording at up to 30p, can record Full HD video at up to 120p, and provides a maximum resolution of 6000 x 4000 pixels for DNG and JPEG files.
It also supports 12-bit Cinema DNG external recording at up to 25 fps for raw video data, incorporates Sigma’s “Teal and Orange” mode that mimics high-end Hollywood color grading techniques, and provides a top-mounted slider control for instant switching between STILL and CINE modes. The Sigma fp has a large 3.15-inch touchscreen LCD, a UHS-II SDXC card slot, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port, and a micro-HDMI port. An optional Sigma Mount Converter MC-21 enables the use of Sigma SA mount and Sigma’s Canon EF mount lenses, a “Director’s Viewfinder” function provides a variety of simulated professional effects based on those made by Arri, Alexa, and Sony cameras, etc., options that will be expanded with forthcoming firmware updates.
The first things you notice when picking up the Sigma fp are its solid feel, superb balance, well-placed, clearly labeled controls — and its exquisite form factor. Fitted with the standard Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN lens with its classic manual aperture and milled manual focusing rings on the barrel, it has a look that’s reminiscent of a classic vintage 35mm compact, like the original Leica CL, or perhaps the later Minolta CLE. It exudes a timeless quality that inspires pride of possession, a characteristic few contemporary cameras possess.
The second thing likely to catch your eye is the linear pattern of tiny holes or ports arrayed a few millimeters in front of the LCD, starting at the top to the left of the shutter button, and extending all the way around the body and up the right-hand side. These are convection-cooling ports for the heat sink built into the camera body that prevents excessive heat buildup in the sensor and other internal components. This is an essential feature given the fp’s high density, minuscule mass, and impressive throughput rate when shooting 4K video or extended hi-res bursts. This ingeniously simple system not only protects delicate camera components while maintaining its robust weatherproofing but also prevents image degradation and artifacts due to elevated sensor temperatures.
Easy, intuitive settings and controls:
Push the top mounted power switch forward to the on position, and touch the shutter button lightly and a legible array of the settings and readouts in use appear at or near the top and bottom edges of the large, bright touchscreen. With the camera in still capture mode, battery status, White Balance, ISO, aspect ratio, image size/quality, frame count, and AF mode are displayed along the top; color settings, exposure mode, shutter speed, shooting aperture, exposure compensation, meter pattern, and number of frames to fill the buffer are displayed along the bottom. Select a manual aperture on the lens and it appears in white at the bottom center of the screen. Set the aperture ring to “A” and the aperture now appears in green, indicating you can now set it to whatever aperture you wish by turning the overhanging front dial surrounding the shutter release — very cool.
The quick set (QS) button to the right of the LCD provides quick and easy access to frequently used settings and these can be readily custom configured to your taste and working methods. The default settings displayed on the LCD include ISO (including Auto ISO and Extended Range), meter pattern, drive mode, white balance, image quality, aspect ratio and Fill Light, a useful feature that lets you select a range of fill light effects (+/- 5 stops) that are applied to JPEG images.
To access the full range of control options, press the MENU button and use the rear dial as a 4-way toggle switch to move among the six Shoot menus, two Play menus, and two System menus. Navigating the settings in the sub-menus is straightforward and intuitive; to enable the selected setting simply press the OK button in the center of the rear dial. Below the screen is an array of 5 dedicated buttons — View (to see a captured image or video on the LCD), Display (which displays a level, a histogram, and a date/time readout on the LCD), Tone (Off, Auto-Mild, Auto-Strong, and Manual (+/-5), and Color, that provides a choice of 12 color renditions, including Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Cinema, Monochrome, and Teal and Orange, which highlights orangey skin tones and their complimentary teal hues to capture images and videos with a “cinematic emphasis.”
The fifth button is Mode, which provides instant access to basic M, A, S. and P exposure mode settings plus 3 configurable Custom (C1, C2 and C3) modes that work in both still and video applications. In short, setting up the Sigma fp to accomplish any particular mission is quick, convenient, and doesn’t require a steep learning curve. Indeed, its seamless and effective control setting system is similar to the one in the Leica SL, acclaimed by many experts as a model of intuitive simplicity.
The camera in action:
While the Sigma fp was conceived from the outset as a crossover camera with impressive pro-level video capabilities, it’s also an exceptional still picture camera. I shot over 500 frames handheld under a wide range of lighting conditions from brilliant sunshine to stygian darkness and the results were even better than I expected based on perusing its specs. Not surprisingly, it captured crisp high-definition images except in a handful of cases when I ignored the camera shake warning, but what really impressed me was its gorgeous natural color rendition in daylight, window light, and even under mixed ambient light sources. Its ability to differentiate subtle color hues and deliver great color balance right out of the box with no post-exposure tweaking is one of the fp’s most endearing features.
The fp is Sigma’s first camera with a Bayer-pattern CMOS sensor, but its overall performance clearly reflects the company’s long experience with the unique 3-layer Foveon sensor, the wise decision to forego the low-pass anti-aliasing filter, and Sigma’s technical prowess in developing advanced image processing software.
The majority of the test images included here were shot in A (aperture priority) mode with Auto ISO, single shot drive, AF-S, evaluative metering mode, AWB, DNG + JPEG high res image files, and 3:2 aspect ratio enabled. The AF pattern was set to single point AF to allow more precise evaluation of the camera’s AF performance, and this was aided in no small measure by the cameras large touchscreen LCD which lets you position the focusing spot wherever you want on the fly rather than locking focus and recomposing, which can lead to focusing errors.
In general the fp’s contrast-based AF system works superbly for capturing still images — it’s fast, precise, and locks onto subject details with alacrity even in low light. There are a few hybrid AF systems out there that may be a tad faster when tracking fast-moving subjects in AF-C (continuous) mode, but in any still picture mode the fp’s AF system performs on a par with any high-end camera employing a contrast based system.
One feature not present on the Sigma fp is a sensor-shift image stabilization (IS) system — it uses an electronic IS system instead, which works for JPEGs and non-DNG HD and 4K video but not with any image or movie captured as a DNG (Raw) file. That’s because the electronic IS system interpolates image files to create final output images that minimize the effects of camera shake, which is not possible with “pure” DNG files. Sigma made a wise decision in opting for electronic IS. Firstly, building sensor-shift IS into the fp would have noticeably increased the diminutive size of the body, the camera’s signature feature. Secondly, Sigma offers an excellent alternative that’s fully compatible with the fp, namely 19 Sigma OS lenses ranging from a 17-50mm f/2.8 to a 150-600mm f/5-6.3, all which provide built-in Optical Image Stabilization (OS) and pair with the camera via a Sigma MC-21 Mount Converter. These OS lenses counteract the effects of camera shake by moving elements within the lens, providing a 3-4-stop anti-shake advantage in handheld shooting,
Another thing you won’t find on the Sigma fp is a built-in hot shoe, but it does come with an ingenious HU-11 accessory that screws into the left-hand side of the body (see it in the photo above). This not only adds a dedicated 4-contact hot shoe but also provides a mounting platform for an accessory microphone, flash unit, remote control module, etc. and provides a ¼ x 20 threaded socket for reattaching the unique screw-in neck strap or attaching a tripod. To mount the HU-11 you need to fully remove the tiny rubberized port cover which helps keep the camera weatherproof when the hot shoe adapter isn’t installed. A word to the wise: it’s very easy to lose that little cover, so keep it safe!
Video capabilities:
To put the Sigma fp through its paces it was essential to shoot a few high-speed bursts and a couple of dozen 4K video clips. The camera’s firepower is definitely impressive at 18 fps and while I was unable to shoot any high speed action sequences, the AF-C mode worked quite well in keeping everything in focus as I shot people walking briskly down the main street of a small town in upper New York State. The buffer didn’t really impose many limitations under these circumstances, and I was able to capture 12-frame sequences without a hitch. It’s also worth noting that the shutter release is truly superb. Its action is extremely smooth and predictable and it requires very little finger pressure, but just enough to provide optimal control over the moment of exposure. Indeed it’s reminiscent of a classic Leica M, and it’s a great help in achieving sharp handheld shots at “impossibly” slow shutter speeds.
The Sigma fp’s capabilities as a video camera are exceptional, and while it doesn’t offer every high-end video feature, its specs alone are pretty amazing for a camera its size. I shot over an hour of 4K30p UHD video, some with the superlative high-performance Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens wide open at f/1.4 and the results are very impressive overall. At its best, the fp’s video image quality is spectacular, and the sound captured by its built-in stereo microphone is surprisingly vibrant and realistic.
While testing out the video features, I found that when using the multi-zone AF setting and shooting at f/1.4, the camera would sometimes lose focus, especially when shooting a challenging subject like a street parade at night, then pop back into focus when it detected something with sufficient contrast. When shooting a less challenging subject like people milling around in a café or walking down the street with the 45mm f/2.8 lens, AF performance in video was noticeably improved.
There’s an obvious workaround that will eliminate all these problems — including overexposure/underexposure when shooting at nighttime with the Auto ISO enabled — and that’s to shoot video like most experienced pros do. You’d simply use manual focus, set the focus at hyperfocal distance, and select a single ISO setting and stick with it. If you adopt that pro shooting style with the fp by all means get the accessory Sigma LVF-11 LCD Viewfinder. It attaches to the rear of the body, provides a 2.5x-magnified view of the LCD, and blocks stray light for clearer viewing. Granted, your fp will no longer be a pocket-sized classic with the LVF-11 mounted at one end and perhaps a heftier Sigma Cine lens at the other, but it will definitely be transformed into a pro-caliber video camera. Also while the naked camera handles extremely well, adding the accessory Sigma HG-11 Hand Grip can enhance security and comfort and makes it handle even better according to dozens of user posts.
In short, the Sigma fp is a unique and brilliant modular camera that’s destined to become an instant classic. The camera is a thing of beauty, and fortunately in this case, beauty is as beauty does.
