SIGMA FP L
THE VERDICT
There is probably somebody out there who finds that the Sigma fp L fits their needs perfectly. Someone who wants a very compact camera that shoots super high-resolution stills, such as in a studio or for shooting landscapes, and has the time to process CinemaDNG Raw video files for amazing quality footage at 24p, where the dynamic range isn’t too great. But that’s quite an unusual and very specific mix. It might make sense if you are a Leica L-Mount user, already deep into the full- frame Panasonic or Leica systems with a bagful of lenses. Then, this is an excellent purchase for getting a very compact movie camera that you can squeeze into tight places and record Raw. As a stand-alone, all- round camera, it’s not quite an obvious buy, especially as the body and EVF comes out at around £2599/ $3198, which puts it close to the far more capable Sony A7R IV. But it’s a camera full of features for filmmakers, such as waveforms and easy access to picture profiles and Raw video in three different flavours, with decent PDAF and excellent image quality, too. If you like to do things a little differently, it could be the camera you have been waiting for.
ALL IN THE DETAIL There is an amazing amount of resolution in the still image left. Rubber plugs (below) cover the ports to seal out the elements
shoots internally in MOV All-I or Long GOP in 4K up to 29.97p, or up to 120p in Full HD. When choosing colours for 4K shooting, if you want a neutral setting you are limited to the 8-bit internal recording – which has around eight stops of dynamic range. The Colour Off setting is like a log profile, so is flat and needs grading, but it’s still only 8-bit and looks over-sharpened. Shooting 12-bit Raw externally, Colour Mode Off gives a flatter setting, so it’s good to grade and has about 11 stops of range, but it’s a very data-intense format. Recording to BRAW via HDMI and working on the image in DaVinci Resolve does give more range, but the image is softer and there can be moiré. The original Sigma fp quickly ate through the 1200mAh battery, and the more power-hungry fp L uses the same one and eats up energy even faster. You definitely need spares, although you can charge the camera via USB-C – as long as you are not using the EVF, that is. The USB-C socket now allows functionality for the camera as a webcam for streaming, too. The menus are not easy to navigate, but there is a decent waveform that can be set to two different sizes on the screen. The camera is small and minimalist, with few external controls. On the back, there’s a QS button for the quick select menu, which is a great way to alter all of the most-used settings. Hit QS, move the thumb pad wheel to change between settings, then spin it around to alter them. In Cine mode, you can change the codec, frame rate, time
HOW IT RATES
Features: 8 Shoots Raw video to an SD card, but still no built-in EVF Performance: 8 Great Raw andMOV files, but poor rolling shutter Handling: 7 The screen still doesn’t tilt, no headphone socket, no AF joystick Value formoney: 8 Raw video from a small camera, but EVF adds to the cost PROMOVIEMAKER OVERALL RATING: 8/10 It’s compact, shoots Raw and has finely detailed stills Pros: 12-bit Raw recording, 61 megapixels, compact Cons: Poor battery life, no headphone socket, fixed screen
code, shutter angle, aperture, ISO, colour and white balance. If you want more options, click the AEL button to take you deeper into the menu on the right. The body is rugged and solidly made, with decent weather resistance. It’s also surprisingly small, especially as it packs in a full-frame sensor and the L-Mount. The built-in image stabilisation is useful, too, although nothing like the systems on rival cameras. As we said at the start, it’s an odd mix of specs and functions, continuing Sigma’s love of the unorthodox.
More information sigma-imaging-uk.com
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