S IGMA FP | USER REVI EW
“IF YOU USE SSD TO RECORD RAW YOU CAN CHOOSE UP TO 12-BIT”
IMAGES There are already a large number of accessories for the fp, such as the LVF-11 LCD viewfinder
making it incredible for night- time shooting. The Sigma fp has different colour options, chosen via the button on the rear. This includes the fashionable teal and orange colour grade, as well as vivid and natural. There is no Log, but the Flat profile gives an increase in dynamic range. One of the bugbears is battery life. The camera has a 1200mAh battery but doesn’t come with a charger, so you have to charge the camera via USB-C. The relatively small battery is down to the compact size of the camera, but it runs down soon and you’d need a bagful for a full day’s shooting. We never managed more than an hour on a charge. And, to charge the batteries, you need to put them in the camera, so it’s not ideal. A separate £99/$99 charger is available and a worthwhile buy, as are spare batteries. Of course, the flexibility of USB-C means you can use a portable power bank to charge up the camera. These are now affordable and relatively easy to come by, although you can’t charge the camera up while using it. For that, it has to be switched off. That means when the camera is on, the USB-C socket can be used for an SSD hard drive to record to. Sigma does offers AC adapters for use when you have mains power and want to shoot for extended times. In fact, there are already a range of accessories, like the £290/$292 LVF-11 LCD viewfinder, different handgrips for more comfortable shooting, and a base grip. Sigma’s fp may be new, but it definitely seems like the start of a whole new super- compact system that will only grow and get better with time.
headphone socket, so you can’t hear the sound you are recording. If you don’t use Raw, but go for the highest quality MOV All-I, it can record in up to 440Mbps, but once you have seen the incredible quality and flexibility you get from Raw files it’s difficult to accept anything less. The dynamic range is reduced in MOV, too, but the rolling shutter is well controlled and certainly comparable to any full-frame rivals. The colours are still bright but neutral, and there is lots of detail – especially in 4K, of course – and noise is incredibly well controlled. 8-BIT TO 12-BIT If you want to record internally, or even externally to a USB-C drive, then the lowest spec 8-bit Raw gives you all the benefits of Raw files, but with more manageable sizes. However, MOV gives you image stabilisation while Raw doesn’t. The amazingly low noise at high ISO is partly due to the large sensor, but also to Sigma’s processing of the signal. Like the Panasonic S1, it can pretty much see in the dark,
rate supported is 23.97 fps. So that’s a pain if you want to film in the more normal 25 fps. For that, you need to drop to 10-bit. Another cost of Raw is in complexity, as you have to process the Raw files in a programme like DaVinci Resolve. Fine if you edit in Resolve, but if you use other NLEs like Final Cut Pro X, then it adds time and a learning curve to get the best out of each file. The big issue is file size – the space you need to record and store them, and the computing power to edit them. CinemaDNG has never been a hugely popular Raw format as it gives very big files. That’s the price you pay for ultimate quality; however, more efficient Raw files like Canon Raw Light, Blackmagic Raw or ProRes Raw offer most of the advantages of full Raw files in smaller and more manageable sizes. When shooting Raw to the SD card, you can’t review the footage on the camera as it can’t read CinemaDNG, although Sigma says a forthcoming firmware update will make it possible. There is also no
JANUARY 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 65
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