Pro Moviemaker Winter 2019

SIGMA ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Sigma shootswildWeston! When it came to filming the madcapmotorcycle race on the Weston- super-Mare beach, the world’s smallest full-frame mirrorless camera, the Sigma fp, was an ideal choice T ake a thousand speed freaks racing for three hours over a course that includes sand dunes, water traps and a mile-long

The camera that fitted the bill perfectly was the new Sigma fp, the world’s smallest full-frame camera and one that has the huge benefit of shooting CinemaDNG Raw files either internally to an SD card or to an external SSD at even higher bit rates. And with the Sigma fp using the L-Mount, a range of lenses can be fitted via adapters, in addition to the compact Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN lens we also had access to. The new Sigma fp is equally at home shooting stills and video, but we focused on the filmmaking potential. There is a large switch on the top plate to change from stills to Cine mode, and this affects the menu settings. It made it easy to shoot some stills, then quickly revert to Cine mode, aided by the logical user interface. And the QS (Quick Set) button on the rear panel is an easy way of bringing up all the key modes and parameters you might need to change. In a weekend of changing from shooting in bright sunshine to dusk, high- speed action to close-up interviews, plus B roll footage of bikes, spectators and the location itself, the QS menu was used very often. Changing the video format, frame

straight tackled at over 100mph, and you have one of the world’s toughest and most spectacular motorcycle events. The annual Weston-super-Mare beach race attracts all calibres of dirt-bike riders - from weekend hobbyists on their old bikes to world champion professional racers on thoroughbred racing machines. The sand flies everywhere, there’s salt water spray and the 50,000-strong crowd can get right up close to the action. It’s a tough environment for any camera, so when the Pro Moviemaker teamwere tasked with shooting the event, it had to be very special camera that fitted the bill. It had to be rugged and be able to fend off the elements. With light levels often low, especially filming interviews and behind-the-scenes footage or the riders and their mechanics, stunning performance at high ISO was imperative – the quality that only comes from a full-frame sensor. High frame rate options

IMAGES The Sigma fp had to contend against the challenging conditions of a motorcycle race

for shooting super-slowmotion always add to a production, so that was a much- needed feature. And with the race starting in bright late-October afternoon sunshine but ending at dusk, a camera capable of capturing a huge dynamic range was important, too. But most of all, the camera had to be small and light, and be able to be used handheld or on a lightweight tripod. With the car park being a mile from the start line and the track three miles around, the camera had to be small enough to fit inside a camera rucksack to allow fast access on foot to all parts of the circuit.

PRO MOVIEMAKER WINTER 2019