AGENDA NEWS Sigma’s small surprise! The new fp is the ‘world’s most compact full-frame mirrorless camera’ and shoots Raw video WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
When Sigma signed up alongside Panasonic and Leica as part of the new L-Mount alliance, it was thought the Japanese lens giant would solely be making lots of its photo and cine lenses to fit onto the full-frame cameras from its partners. So it came as a shock when Sigma unveiled its own L-Mount camera, which it says is the world’s smallest and lightest full- frame mirrorless. And the ace up its sleeve is that it can shoot CinemaDNG Raw files. The new Sigma fp incorporates a 35mm full-frame 24.6-megapixel Bayer sensor in a compact body, rather than the Foveon sensors it has used in previous cameras. The sensor is a back-side illuminated CMOS unit that has an ISO range of 100- 25,600, expandable to 6-102,400. It has a fully electronic shutter and contrast- detect autofocus. The weather-sealed body has a fixed 3.2-inch touchscreen, plus HDMI, mic and USB 3.1 sockets. For stills, it can capture 14-bit Raw files at up to 18fps, but only for 12 shots. The video spec is more impressive, as it supports 12-bit 4K Raw recording in 24/25/30p and has a waveformmonitor,
“The fp has a Cinemagraph function – a hybrid between still photography and video”
inspired by the colour grade commonly used in Hollywood films. Each mode has a slider that enables adjustment of the strength of the applied effects. There will also be an auto HDR function in the cine mode and a Cinemagraph function - a hybrid between still photography and video in the form of animated GIFs in which parts of a still image keep moving. These will be available via a firmware update rather than when the camera goes on sale in summer. The camera is just 112.6×69.9×45.3mm/ 4.43x2.75x1.78in and the body weighs 370g/0.82lb without battery and card. There is a single SD card slot. There will also be a range of dedicated accessories include a an EVF and lens mount adapter to take Canon EF glass. No prices have yet been announced.
IMAGES The Sigma fp has a 35mm full-frame 24.6-megapixel Bayer sensor. The body is weather sealed with a fixed 3.2-inch touchscreen, plus HDMI, mic and USB 3.1 sockets
shutter angle control and time code. There is a heat sink inside the fp in a bid to stop it overheating – often the curse of small mirrorless cameras. And a director mode allows you to preview videos in different aspect ratios. For raw video data, the Sigma fp supports 12-bit CinemaDNG external recording via a USB 3.1 connection in 8-, 10- or 12-bit at up to 30p. In ALL-I recording, which is optimal for editing H.264 compressed videos, it can shoot the same 4K frame rates as in Raw, but in HD this also adds 60, 100 and 120fps in 4:2:2 8-bit. Playing CinemaDNG footage in camera is to become available via firmware update rather than at launch. There are a number of different colour modes, including ‘teal and orange’,
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