An In-Depth Look at the Sigma Fp

The Sigma fp is one of, if not the absolute smallest full-frame mirrorless digital camera in existence. With 4K video and 24-megapixel stills and at just 432 grams with the battery, this is a camera that bats far above its weight.

When Blackmagic released the Pocket Cinema Camera, it was, well, pocketable. Then came the 4K and now, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, which, well, isn't exactly pocketable. Sigma saw this gap in the market, for a cheap B-camera you can throw anywhere that is tiny and packs a big punch.

In this review from Only-Antonis, he shows off everything from battery life (which is surprisingly great) to video samples. I won't spoil the whole review, but the specs are impressive. With 4K at 30 fps, and 12-bit 4:2:2 to record with an external recorder like the Atomos Ninja V. If you drop the resolution down to 1080p, you can get up to 120 fps, which is great. 

Now, this is not just a video camera, but also a stills camera, able to photograph at 24 megapixels and up to 18 frames per second, able to take any L-mount lens from Sigma, Leica, or Panasonic (or whoever decides to make L-mount lenses), there is already a small but powerful range of glass for this camera, and with the small flange distance, it will be easy to adapt any vintage or cinema glass to the camera. At just $1,899, the camera is priced to change the game, directly targeting the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, which is over $600 more. 

Are you thinking of picking one of these bad boys up? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments below.

David J. Fulde's picture

David J. Fulde photographs people. Based in Toronto, ON, he uses bold lighting and vibrant colours to tell people's stories. His work in the film industry lends a cinematic energy to his photographs and makes for an always-colourful studio -- whether he's shooting portraits, fashion, or beauty.

Log in or register to post comments
9 Comments

Honestly, this is pretty interesting. I was worried about several issues (i.e. lack of actual shutter, etc.). But the rolling shutter seems VERY well controlled. And overall, image quality LOOKS pretty decent. Hard to know until it's in your hands, but seems like a neat offering. I certainly hope more people do this. Would LOVE to treat something like this as a perfect travel/street photo camera (also seems perfect for high-quality compact applications, i.e. on a drone).

By achieving something of a high value at a low cost. FP seems to fit that. :)

This is where language change comes from!

https://twitter.com/michaelgaubrey/status/1192479728097099777

Then please continue and tell us what you were going to say. I am quite intrigued by the mention of baseball players, and it may come as a trauma to Chuck to know that most of the world does not actually play or care about baseball at all...

Surely it is a fairly straightforward idea, and quite true, that this diminutive little Sigma FP camera packs a lot of punch for it's dimensions and price, hence "a camera that bats far above its weight". Just an expression. I genuinely am struggling to find any controversy at all in that, if anyone could explain further... :)

The correct expression is "punch above your weight", referring to boxing where boxers are separated into weight classes. It literally means that a boxer punches comparably to a boxer in a heavier weight class, i.e. with more power.

Whether "batting" refers to baseball, cricket or any other batting sport, the expression "batting above your weight" makes no sense because in none of these sports are batters separated into weight classes; nor is batting ability in any way related to the batter's weight.

We all understand what the author meant, there's no need to belabour the point; Chuck is simply pointing out that the author got the expression slightly wrong. In a strict sporting sense, "batting above your weight" is nonsense.

Ah, now I stand corrected. Many thanks. Apologies to Dana and Chuck. :)

to be fair ... i would imagine that in the batting order clean up hitters tend to be heftier than lead off and contact guys.

as along time Leica shooter ands cinema-lens user, Im very impressed with this camera...such a nice complement to my film cameras and Leica M bodies...lots of snaps, no issues so far. Skin tones with the Leica Summicron-C cine lens is excellent