Introduction

Ease of Use

Front of the Sigma fp

The Sigma fp has quite an unusual design that's quite unlike any other mirrorless camera currently on the market.

In terms of its target audience, the Sigma fp is very much a cine camera first and foremost, although it does still cater for stills photographers too.

Measuring 112.6 x 69.9 x 45.3mm and weighing a mere 370 grams without the battery or memory card fitted (422g with), on paper it's the most compact full-frame mirrorless camera currently available.

Having said that, Sigma have removed a few key features in order to keep the size and weight down that many photographers will object to, principally a handgrip and a viewfinder - you won't find either on the new fp.

Instead, Sigma are actively encouraging you to fit your own accessories to the fp, thereby customising it for your own personal use.

This is a common approach in the world of video, less so for stills and hybrid photographers, reflecting the fact that the Sigma fp is primarily designed to be a video, rather than stills camera.

Rear of the Sigma fp

As well as releasing their own official dedicated accessories, including two differently sized hand-grips, a viewfinder (the LVF-11) and a base grip, Sigma released the design blueprints for the fp camera well ahead of its launch so that third-party manufacturers could more easily produce accessories for it.

So it's worth bearing in mind that most videographers will incorporate the Sigma fp into their own customised rig, and even stills photographers would benefit from adding one of the handgrips and the viewfinder.

All of which will make the Sigma fp bigger, heavier and more expensive that its base configuration and price might at first suggest. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an important point to bear in mind when considering this camera.

Sigma UK sent us the "bare" fp camera body with no accessories and the 50mm F1.4 DG Art L-mount lens for review, so all of our comments about its usability apply to what you get when just purchasing the body only.

As mentioned above, there's no hand-grip at all on the front of the Sigma fp, just a slightly textured surface. There is a pronounced thumb-rest on the rear, but you really need to add either the HG-11 or larger HG-21 grips to help steady the camera during shooting, especially if you don't also add the viewfinder and therefore have to hand-hold the camera at arm's length.

Utilising a die-cast aluminum alloy body body, the Sigma fp is an exceedingly well built camera that feels like it will withstand a lot of abuse.

Top of the Sigma fp

A series of environmental seals around the camera's buttons and seams prevent the intrusion of dust and water, making the Sigma fp suitable for use in adverse weather conditions.

The Sigma fp is the first ever Sigma camera not to use a Foveon sensor, a technology that Sigma actually owns. Instead the fp utilises a traditional Bayer sensor, in this case a 24 megapixel back-illuminated variant.

The fp is also the first ever Sigma camera to use the new L-mount standard, which is supported by Sigma, Leica and Panasonic. Compatible lenses from all three manufacturers can be used with the fp, and Sigma have already committed to releasing 9 L-mount lenses.

In addition, Sigma's new MC-21 Mount Converter enables the use of Sigma SA mount, Canon EF mount and and Arri PL mount interchangeable lenses on the fp camera.

Therefore, even at launch, there's already a wide range of lenses that can be mounted on the Sigma fp.

Our review sample came with the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG Art lens, a rather big and heavy prime that didn't feel particularly well-balanced on the fp without a hand-grip fitted.

The Sigma fp In-hand

Cradling the lens in your left hand and operating the camera with your right proved to be the best way to operate this combination.

The 3.15 inch LCD screen on the rear displays 100% of the image and the 2,100K pixel resolution is very good.

It's a touchscreen LCD, so you can move the AF point by pressing the screen, and scroll through and magnify your images during playback. Annoyingly you can't interact with the menu system, though, or change any of the onscreen settings.

The screen is also fixed in place, making it harder to use when holding the camera at more awkward angles.

The Sigma fp offers support for both JPEG and 14-bit RAW recording formats. There are 3 different JPEG compression levels (Fine, Normal, Basic), three resolution settings (High, Medium, Low) and a choice of six crop modes (21:9, 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, 7:6 and 1:1).

The RAW files are saved in the commonly used Adobe DNG format, which can be processed in all modern convertors and editors.

The start-up time from turning the Sigma fp on to being ready to take a photo is OK at around 1.5 seconds.

The Sigma fp with the Sigma 45mm Lens Attached

Thanks to its electronic shutter, the fp has an excellent burst mode of 18fps should you feel the need, although it can only actually record 12 shots in a single burst, which does rather limit its potential.

The Sigma fp offers a full range of advanced exposure controls via the Mode button on the rear of the camera, including aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual and manual focusing, with three Custom modes so that you can save and recall your preferred settings.

There are no auto-everything or scene modes on this camera, which is a veritable breath of fresh air at a time when most manufacturers are stuffing their cameras full of clever technologies that take control away from the user.

The aperture or shutter speed are set by using the forefinger-operated control dial on top of the camera which encircles the shutter button, with the circular control wheel on the rear setting the aperture in the Manual shooting mode and exposure compensation in the other modes.

In practice we found this wheel to be a little annoying in use, as its action is a little "loose" and imprecise and prone to either not responding or being accidentally activated. We'd have much preferred a second dedicated control dial on the rear instead.

Thankfully, most of the other principal controls in the fp's pared-back design are well thought out and rewardingly tactile.

The Front of the Sigma fp

On top of the camera is a large Power switch, a self-explanatory Cine / Still switch, a one-touch movie record button, and a large shutter release dial encircled by an even larger control dial.

On the rear are an array of buttons located to the right of and directly below the LCD screen.

The fp has three metering modes, Evaluative Metering, Center Weighted Average Metering and Spot Metering. Exposure compensation can be set in 1/3 stop increments from +5.0 to -5.0 stops and a simple auto bracketing function is also available.

Auto-focusing is one of the weaker points of the fp, primarily because it uses a contrast-based AF system, rather than a hybrid one that also incorporates phase-detection.

In good light it proved to be quick and reliable, but in low-light the fp is more sluggish and at times frustrating as it hunts for enough contrast to focus correctly. On occasion we were forced to switch to manual focus and use the camera's focus peaking feature to lock onto the correct point in the frame.

There are also only 49 focusing points to choose from and three AF modes, Single AF, Continuous AF, and Manual Focus, activated by pressing up and down on the rear scroll wheel respectively.

The Sigma fp's Main Menu System

Choosing an AF point in this way is a rather convoluted affair - we found it easier to either set the focus to the middle point, then focus by half-pressing the shutter button and recompose the frame for off-centre subjects, or just use the touchscreen and tap on the main subject.

The Face/Eye Detection AF mode successfully detects human faces and prioritizes focusing on them.

Manual Focus is also available, which obviously avoids the auto-focus issues. It's possible to magnify the LCD display by 8x to check the focusing by pressing the OK button, although this doesn't provide enough magnification or clarity to ensure precise focus.

Focus peaking is a better bet as it puts a coloured outline (white, black, red, or yellow) around the subject in the viewfinder for instant confirmation of the person or object currently in focus.

The Sigma fp is a very capable Cine camera, with a wealth of options and formats on offer. Most notably, it's capable of recording raw CinemaDNG video at 4K UHD/24fps in 12-bit format.

The 4K 12-bit RAW DNG video can only be captured externally to an attached SSD drive or external recorder, with internal recording limited to 4K 10/8-bit RAW due to the recording speeds of UHS-II cards.

There's also 4K UHD (3840×2160 pixels) video at 24, 25 or 30 fps in a 10- or 8-bit format.

The Sigma fp with the Sigma 50mm Lens Attached

When shooting 1080p, the Sigma fp can record 12bit Cinema DNG RAW internally to an SD card as well as externally.

Sigma's new Director Viewfinder display option allows the camera's HUD to replicate the look of leading professional cinema cameras from the likes of Arri, Sony and Red plus other film cameras and anamorphic lenses, a nice feature that adds to the fp's credentials as a b-camera.

There are currently no Log or LUT options when recording video, a rather surprising omission on such a capable cine camera.

Instead you can use the camera's various Color options to give your footage a certain look and feel in-camera, with "Cinema" and "Teal and Orange" being the most obvious candidates, or use the curves-like Tone adjustment to grade it.

Note that you can't currently playback Cinema DNG footage in-camera, a feature that is due to be added in a future firmware update (as yet unspecified), as is the camera's support for cinemagraphs.

The Sigma fp doesn't have a built-in pop-flash unit or an external hotshoe. If you want to use flash with this camera, you'll need to fit the hot shoe unit (HU-11), which commendably is at least included in the box, but does add further bulk to the base camera.

One of the key drawbacks of the fp's reliance on an electronic shutter is that the maximum flash synchronization speed is limited to 1/30sec, making this camera a poor choice for studio work.

The Front of the Sigma fp

The battery life is also pretty poor, with the 7.6V 1200mAh NP51 unit providing a CIPA quoted life of 280 still shots - we managed 250 images before needing to recharge. Sigma have decided to only supply one battery in the box, so you'll need to budget for a few spares to get through a days shooting.

The Sigma fp only has an electronic in-body stabilisation system, which when enabled takes three frames, compares them, and creates a composite image into a still image or video.

There's no IBIS in this camera. Instead, if the attached lens is stabilised, you should turn off the electronic system and use the lens-based stabilisation instead.

The main menu system on the Sigma fp, accessed by pressing the Menu button below the navigation pad, is clear and simple to use. There are three tabs along the top, Shoot, Play and System, subdivided into 6, 2 and 5 screens of options respectively.

Due to the large LCD screen and restricting the number of on-screen choices to 5, the various options and icons are quite clear and legible, and each option uses a combination of text and helpful small icon.

The Sigma fp Mounted on the Sigma 160-600mm Sports Lens!

The menu system actually changes depending on if you're shooting in the Cine or Still mode. Sigma have also cleverly appended either STILL or CINE to any options that specific to each shooting mode, something that other manufacturers would do well to copy!

There's also intuitive Quick Set menu that's accessed via the QS button on the rear of the camera. As its name suggests, this provides quicker access to eight key features - for example, ISO, Metering, Burst Mode, White Balance, Image Size, Image Resolution, Crop Mode and Fill Light in the Stills mode.

One of the drawbacks of the Sigma fp's compact size is the single memory card slot, rather than a dual system, especially as it's housed in the same compartment as the battery on the bottom of the camera, rather than having its own dedicated slot on the side. This makes it less suitable for tripod use.

On the left-hand side of the Sigma fp are three different covers - the top one for the USB 3 port, the middle one for the hotshoe accessory connector and HDMI port, and the bottom one for the shared microphone input and remote control socket. Note that the middle cover can be completely removed, so try not to lose it!

The fp has a pair of beefy shoulder strap lugs, each held in with a removable 1/4in screw - cleverly you can remove these to reveal standard-size tripod bushes for vertically mounting the camera or attaching other accessories.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 24.6 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 11Mb.

The Sigma fp dealt with noise very well in both JPEG and Raw formats, with great results from ISO 6-3200. At ISO 6400 and 12800, noise and artifacts are becoming more obvious, although the effect is not unattractive, with ISO 25600-102400 best reserved for emergency use.

The night photograph was very good, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds allowing you to capture enough light for the majority of after-dark situations.

The 12 different color modes quickly allow you to stylise both your stills and cine footage. The HDR mode only works for JPEGs, though, and proved to be a bit too aggressive for our liking.

Noise

There are 15 full ISO settings available on the Sigma fp for both JPEGs and RAW files. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and RAW on the right.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 6 (100% Crop)	ISO 6 (100% Crop)
ISO 12 (100% Crop)	ISO 12 (100% Crop)
ISO 25 (100% Crop)	ISO 25 (100% Crop)
ISO 50 (100% Crop)	ISO 50 (100% Crop)
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
ISO 25600 (100% Crop)	ISO 25600 (100% Crop)
ISO 51200 (100% Crop)	ISO 51200 (100% Crop)
ISO 102400 (100% Crop)	ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Sigma fp has 3 different JPEG image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine (11.04Mb) (100% Crop)	Normal (8.09Mb) (100% Crop)
Basic (6.25Mb) (100% Crop)	RAW (35.4Mb) (100% Crop)

High Dynamic Range

The Sigma fp offers a pretty aggressive HDR mode, which is only available when RAW is not selected as the file quality option.

Off

Auto

+1 EV

+2 EV

+3 EV

Night

The Sigma fp can shoot long exposures up to 30 seconds long in the Shutter Priority or Manual shooting modes, and there's a Bulb setting for even longer exposures.

Color Modes

The Sigma fp offers 12 different color modes, accessed via the Color button on the rear of the camera.

Standard	Vivid
Neutral	Portrait
Landscape	Cinema
Teal and Orange	Sunset Red
Forest Green	FOV Classic Blue
FOV Classic Yellow	Monochrome

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sigma fp camera, which were all taken using the 24.6 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Sigma fp enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sigma RAW (X3F) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

It may hold the title of World's smallest full-frame mirrorless camera, but straight out of the box, the Sigma fp feels incomplete - there's no viewfinder, no handgrip, no flash support, and it feels unbalanced when using any moderately sized lens.

Instead, Sigma are actively encouraging you to rig the camera for your own personal use, be that simply adding a viewfinder and handgrip for stills, or incorporating it into a much more elaborate rig for film-making.

Consequently, the fp ends up being bigger than the hype might suggest, and more expensive too, but it shines by virtue of offering so much adaptability, something that other cameras don't offer so readily.

Sigma have gone to great lengths to both release dedicated accessories for the fp and encourage third-parties to do so too, realising that they don't have all the answers, and subsequently the fp camera will find a place in a lot of varied shooting situations.

Having said that, we feel that it's better suited to life as a video camera, and less well suited to stills photography. Not that its stills output isn't excellent, but rather that the format of the camera, its reliance on an electronic shutter, and just the sheer breadth and depth of video options make it more appealing as a b-camera for video.

There are also some common issues that the Sigma fp suffers from, however, whatever format you shoot in, most notably the slow and often inaccurate auto-focusing, pretty terrible battery life, and limited touchscreen functionality.

Overall, though, the fp is a a rather nice camera, and a giant leap forwards for Sigma, who have previously released a range of niche, Foveon-sensor cameras that have made very little impact on the market.

The likable Sigma fp certainly deserves to do a whole lot better, and certainly has the potential to do so, especially if shooting video is your main priority.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sigma fp.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sigma fp from around the web.

Specifications

News

The Sigma fp is the world's smallest and lightest mirrorless digital camera with a full-frame image sensor.

It incorporates a 35mm full-frame Bayer sensor with 24.6 effective megapixels into a compact body that weighs just 370g, bucking the recent trend for bigger mirrorless cameras.

The Sigma fp will cost $1,899 / £1,999 and be available from 25th October 2019 in the US and late-November in the UK.

Key Specifications

• Full Frame Sensor 
• 24.6 MP
• 4K CinemaDNG 12bit 
• 120fps
• L, EF, PL Mount 
• Smallest full frame camera on the market

Pricing (Updated)

In the US, the Sigma fp will go on sale on 25th October 2019, priced at $1,899 body only or $2,199 for the camera with the Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens.

In the UK, the Sigma fp will be available in November/December 2019 priced at £1,999 body only or £2,399 for the camera with the Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens.

3D Data

Sigma have now released the 3D data for the new Sigma fp camera and accessories.

https://www.sigma-global.com/en/cameras/fp-series/download/

Sigma Press Release

SIGMA Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of “SIGMA fp”, the world's smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless digital camera*. The SIGMA fp incorporates a 35mm full-frame Bayer sensor with 24.6 effective megapixels in a compact body, and boasts great versatility and scalability that allows mixing-and-matching of a variety of interchangeable lenses and accessories. It is a camera that is casual enough to take anywhere, anytime, and high-spec enough for serious still and cine shooting in the highest image quality, all in a robust and classy body.

Regardless of the differences in shooting scenes and styles or genre boundaries between stills and videos, this new camera is set to expand the freedom and possibilities in image shooting and art creation further than ever before. A “pocketable full-frame” camera: SIGMA fp, is now available. 

＊As of July, 2019. 

SIGMA's take on an entirely new system camera.

The world's smallest and lightest “pocketable full-frame” camera is here. 

The environment that surrounds shooting and art creation is undergoing radical changes. In this day and age when one user may have both a high-performance interchangeable lens camera and a smartphone camera, using them flexibly according to specific purposes and settings, SIGMA stopped and questioned the inherent value of a digital camera.

As a result, SIGMA set itself to develop a user-oriented digital camera that reflected the idea of “how a camera can be” in a more flexible and true-to-life manner, without conforming to manufacturers' ideas of camera-centric categories and hierarchy.

#sigmafp #sigma

Development concept

Pocketable full-frame│Impressive portability and power

The “smallest and lightest body possible” with which one can express their creative ideas whenever they want, combined with a “full-frame sensor” that is suitable for serious occasions without compromising on image quality, and “superb build quality” that makes the camera the perfect linchpin of a high-performance lens system.

Scalable│Versatile scalability

An “open and liberal system” that allows one to pair the camera with lenses and accessories, whether from SIGMA or other brands, using a variety of attachments, complete with “versatile scalability” that makes the camera adaptable to any scenes.

Seamless│Full-fledged, liberating shooting functions

A “highly intuitive UI” that allows one to move between full-fledged still and cine shooting modes with just one finger, making for a “seamless and truly creative tool” that goes beyond style and genre differences. 

Making it a top priority to realize these three concepts all at once and without requiring any trade-offs, SIGMA selected only the elements and mechanisms that were truly needed with no compromise to create the SIGMA fp as the embodiment of an “entirely new digital camera that SIGMA can offer to the world right now.”

It's a camera body that changes its configuration with great flexibility centered around the user.

It's a tool that gives the user the joy of a new camera life that they themselves are yet to discover.

It's a new system camera that will overturn the paradigm of “digital cameras.”

The SIGMA fp is here to broaden the potential of “image shooting” ad infinitum.

For more about concept, please refer to the link:

https://www.sigma-global.com/e...

Key features

1. World's smallest and lightest full-frame camera

With overall dimensions of 112.6×69.9×45.3mm and body weight of 370g, without battery and card, the SIGMA fp is the world's smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera*. It employs a back-illuminated 35mm full-frame Bayer sensor with 24.6 effective megapixels for high-quality images. Covered on the front and back sides with die-cast aluminum alloy for its superior robustness and thermal conductivity, the compact body of the SIGMA fp is built with a signature heat sink structure and sealing on 42 points for a dust- and splash-proof structure, making it a perfect camera to use for long hours under all types of environments. With its small body and great adaptability, the SIGMA fp enhances the joy of full-frame image quality, no matter what one's shooting settings may be.                     

＊As of July, 2019. 

2. Electronic shutter for a variety of settings

“Able to shoot whenever you want, wherever you want”―to realize this concept, the SIGMA fp incorporates a construction without a mechanical shutter for quiet shooting. This allows shooting without worrying about noise in a situation where one would have hesitated with a conventional camera because of its shutter sound. It gives no shutter shock even when shooting in quick succession at a frame rate of 18 frames/sec. eliminating even the tiniest shakes.

In addition, the absence of a mechanical shutter, whose performance level can change through continuous operation, means that the SIGMA fp is a camera with improved reliability.

3. Superior options in artistic picture & video creations

The SIGMA fp is a frontrunner in incorporating functions that help exploring the photographic and cinematic creations.

For instance, in addition to a number of different color modes, the SIGMA fp has newly introduced the “Teal and Orange” mode, inspired by the color grading technique commonly used in Hollywood films. Each mode has a slider that enables adjustment of the strength of the effects to apply, providing even greater control in one's creations.

The SIGMA fp is the first SIGMA camera to employ a tone curve adjustment function in addition to "Fill Light", a special adjustment function of SIGMA Photo Pro, and they are both available in-camera. It has also newly introduced "TONE" and "COLOR" buttons for a quick access to each of the tone control and color mode menus.  With these enhanced functions and a variety of operation elements, the SIGMA fp makes it simple and easy to create an image, in-camera with great details, be it still or video.

4. Advanced picture & video generating functions

The SIGMA fp employs a number of advanced technologies for image and video generation.

The Auto HDR function takes advantage of an electronic shutter to take multiple pictures of different exposures (3 frames for still photography and 2 frames for video) at once, which can then be merged into a single picture or video with a great dynamic range that could not have been achieved in normal shooting.

The Cinemagraph function, meanwhile, achieves a hybrid between still photography and video in the form of animated GIFs in which parts of a still image keep moving. With this function, the SIGMA fp is capable of creating Cinemagraphs in-camera.

Note: The Auto HDR function in the Cine mode and the Cinemagraph function are to become available via firmware update scheduled at a later date.

5. L-Mount

The SIGMA fp uses the L-Mount*, characterized by a short flange focal length, large diameter, and superior durability. For interchangeable lenses, in addition to the wide-ranging choices of SIGMA lenses, other manufacturers' lenses can also be an option through the L-Mount Alliance with Leica Camera AG and Panasonic Corporation. With the SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21, SIGMA SA mount and SIGMA's CANON EF mount lenses can be used, making the best out of one's lens investment.

*The L-Mount Trademark is a registered Trademark of Leica Camera AG.

6. Supports full-fledged video production

For raw video data, the SIGMA fp supports 12-bit CinemaDNG external recording. With 4K UHD/24fps recording, it produces video data that can be used even in filmmaking. It also supports ALL-I recording which is optimal for editing H.264 compressed videos.

For video output, it uses USB3.1(GEN1), which allows a smooth data transmission to an external recording unit. As it also supports cinema camera-like user interfaces, the SIGMA fp is a camera that can be taken straight to video production settings.

Note: The feature of playing CinemaDNG footages in-camera is to become available via firmware update scheduled at a later date.

7. Seamless transition between Still and Cine modes

Going from the Still mode to the Cine mode at the flip of a switch. Each mode comes with a specially designed operation system and displays, making it possible to concentrate on shooting in each mode, stress-free.

For more about other features, please refer to the link : https://www.sigma-global.com/e...

Dedicated Accessories

- SIGMA HOT SHOE UNIT HU-11

- SIGMA LCD VIEW FINDER LVF-11

- SIGMA BASE PLATE  BPL-11

- SIGMA HAND GRIP HG-11

- SIGMA LARGE HAND GRIP HG-21

- SIGMA CABLE RELEASE CR-41

- SIGMA ELECTRONIC FLASH EF-630

- SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21

- SIGMA BASE GRIP BG-11

- SIGMA AC ADAPTER SAC-7P 

- SIGMA DC CONNECTOR CN-21 

- SIGMA BATTERY CHARGER BC-71

- Li-ion BATTERY BP-51

[Specification]

Product name                                                                                     SIGMA fp

Type	Type		Interchangeable-lens SLR Type Digital Camera
	Storage Media		SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card(UHS-Ⅱ supported) / Portable SSD (USB 3.0 connection, USB bus power supported
	Lens Mount		L-Mount
Image Sensor	Type		35mm full-frame(35.9mm×23.9rnrn) Back-illuminated Bayer CMOS sensor
	Camera effective pixels/Total pixels		Approx.24.6MP(6,072×4,056)/Approx. 25.38MP (6,104×4,142)
	Aspect ratio		3:2
	Color filter System		RGB Primary color filter
	Still Image File Format Image		Lossless compression RAW(DNG) data12 / 14 bit, JPEG(Exif2.3), RAW(DNG)+JPEG: recording is possible
	Image Aspect ratio		[21:9] / [16:9] / [3:2] / [A Size (√2:1)] / [4:3] / [7:6] / [1:1]
File Size	RAW	HIGH	6,000×4,000 (3,840×2,560)  *():In DC Crop Mode
		LOW	3,008×2,000 (1,920×1,280)
	JPEG
	[21:9]	HIGH	6,000×2,576 (3,840×1,648)
		MED	4,240×1,824 (2,736×1,168)
		LOW	3,008×1,288 (1,920×824)
	[16:9]	HIGH	6,000×3,376 (3,840×2,160)
		MED	4,240×2,392 (2,736×1,536)
		LOW	3,008×1,688 (1,920×1,080)
	[3:2]	HIGH	6,000×4,000 (3,840×2,560)
		MED	4,240×2,832 (2,736×1,824)
		LOW	3,008×2,000 (1,920×1,280)
	[A判 (√2:1)]	HIGH	5,664×4,000 (3,616×2,560)
		MED	4,000×2,832 (2,560×1,824)
		LOW	2,832×2,000 (1,808×1,280)
	[4:3]	HIGH	5,344×4,000 (3,408×2,560)
		MED	3,776×2,832 (2,416×1,824)
		LOW	2,672×2,000 (1,712×280)
	[7:6]	HIGH	4,672×4,000 (2,992×2,560)
		MED	3,312×2,832 (2,112×1,824)
		LOW	2,336×2,000 (1,488×1,280)
	[1:1]	HIGH	4,000×4,000 (2,560×2,560)
		MED	2,832×2,832 (1,824×1,824)
		LOW	2,000×2,000 (1,280×1,280)
Crop			Equivalent to approx.1.5 times the focal length of the lens (on 35mm cameras)
Color Space			sRGB / Adobe RGB
Movie Recording Format	Camera Internal Record	Movie Format	CinemaDNG（8bit / 10bit / 12bit）/ MOV:H.264 (ALL-I / GOP)
		Audio Format	Linear PCM (2ch 48kHz /16bit)
		Recording Pixels / Frame Rate	3,840×2,160 (UHD 4K) /23.98p, 25p,29.97p, FHD(1,920x1,080) /23.98p, 25p, 29.97p, 59.94p, 100p, 119.88p
	HDMI External Output	Movie Format	HDMI Loop out “External recorder record: ATOMOS Ninja Inferno, Blackmagic Video Assist 4K supported
		Audio Format	Linear PCM(2ch 48kHz /16bit)
		Recording Pixels / Frame Rate	3,840×2,160 (UHD 4K) / 4:2:2 8bit 29.97p / 25p / 23.98p 1,920x1,080 (FHD) / 4:2:2 8bit 119.88p / 100p / 59.94p / 50p / 29.97p / 25p / 23.98p
Focus	Auto Format / Focus Mode		Contrast detection system, Single AF, Continuous AF(with moving object prediction function), Manual Focus
	AF Measurement Distance Detection Range / AF mode		-5~18EV(F1.4:IS0100) / Auto, 49-points selection mode, Free Movement mode, Face / Eye Detection AF mode, Tracking AF mode
	AF Lock		Half-press the shutter button, or press the AEL button.
	Other Focus Functions		AF+MF, MF Assist, MF Guide, Focus Peaking, Release Focus Function, AF-ON, Quick AF, Pre-AF, AF during Image Magnification Exposure
Exposure Control	Metering System		Evaluative, Spot, Center Weighted Average Control
	Metering Range		-5~18EV (50mm F1.4:ISO100)
	Still Image Shooting Mode		(P) Program AE (Program Shift is possible), (S) Shutter Speed Priority AE, (A) Aperture Priority AE, (M) Manual
	Movie Shooting Mode		(P) Program AE, (S) Shutter Speed Priority AE, (A) Aperture Priority AE, (M) Manual
	ISO Sensitivity (Recommended exposure value)		ISO 100-25600, Expanded sensitivity ISO6,12,25,50,51200, 102400
	Exposure Compensation		±5 EV （in 1/3 stop increments）
	AE Lock		Half-press the shutter button, or press the AEL button (setting change required).
	Exposure Bracket		3-frame/5-frame stage exposure 3EV (1/3 Step, Standard→Underexposure→Overexposure) (Sequence changeable)
Image Stabilization System			Electronic system
White Balance			12 types(Auto, Auto(Lighting Source Priority), Daylight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Color Temperature, Flash, Custom 1, Custom 2, Custom 3)
Shutter	Shutter Type		Electronic shutter
	Shutter Speed		30 to 1/8,000 sec., Bulb
	Self-Timer / Remote control		2 sec./10 sec. (Self-Timer)
Drive	Drive Modes		Single shooting, Continuous shooting, Self-timer, Interval shooting
	Continuous shooting speed		HI: 18 fps, MED:5 fps, LO: 3 fps
	Maximum number of shots		HIGH：12-frame、MED：12-frame、LOW：24-frame
Monitor	Type/ Coverage		TFT color LCD monitor Aspect Ratio3:2, 3.15", Approx. 2,100,000 dots / Electrostatic capacitance system touch panel /Approx.100%
Flash (when to use external flash)	Flash Light Emission Mode		S-TTL automatic light control, Manual, Wireless flash, Multi-emission
	Flash Mode		Red-eye effect reduction / Slow synchronization, 2nd Curtain synchronization
	Exposure Correction		Max. ±3EV in 1/3EV-step increments
	Flash Tuning Speed		Max. 1/30sec. *1/15 sec. or less at 14bit
	External Flash Support		Available when the Hot Shoe Unit HU-11 (supplied with this product) is mounted.(S-TTL, Wireless support, X contact)
Interval shooting			Available
Color Mode			12types( Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Portrait, Landscape, Cinema, Teal & Orange, Sunset Red, Forest Green, FOV Classic Blue, FOV Classic Yellow, Monochrome)
Other Functions	Recording Mode	STILL Mode	Fill Light / Shading Correction / HDR shooting
		CINE Mode	Still image shooting during movie shooting / HDR shooting / Director's view finder
	Playback Mode	STILL Mode	In-camera DNG Development
		CINE Mode	Cinemagraph/ Still image cut-out
Built-in Microphone, Speaker			Stereo microphone, Monaural speaker
Display Language			English/ Japanese / German/French/ Spanish/ Italian/ Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese/ Korean/ Russian / Dutch/ Polish/ Portuguese / Danish/ Swedish/ Norwegian/ Finnish
Interface	USB		USB3.1　GEN1　Type C
	HDMI		Type D (Ver.1.4)
	Release Terminal		Also used as an external microphone terminal.
	External Microphone		Available (Plug-in power support)
	Headphone output		Unavailable
	Flash-synchro Terminal		Dedicated terminal (with hot shoe unit HU-11 (supplied with this product) mounted)
Power	Power		Li-ion Battery BP-51 *USB power supply available (when the power is turned off)
Dimensions/Weight	Dimensions		112.6×69.9×45.3mm
	Weight		422g (including battery and SD card), 370g (Camera Body Only)
Environment	Temperature		0～+40℃
	Operating Humidity		85% or less (no condensing)
Accessories			●LI-ION Battery BP-51 ●Strap ●Strap Holder ●USB AC Adapter UAC-11 ●USB Cable(A-C)SUC-11 ●HOT SHOE UNIT HU-11 ●Body Cap ●Instruction Manual ●Warranty ●Warranty Sticker
Optional Accessories			●HAND GRIP HG-11 ●LARGE HAND GRIP HG-21 ●LCD VIEW FINDER LVF-11 ●BASE PLATE BPL-11 ●CABLE RELEASE CR-41 ●BASE GRIP BG-11 ●DC CONNECTOR CN-21 ●BATTERY CHARGER BC-71 ●AC ADAPTER SAC-7P ●ELECTRONIC FLASH EF-630 ●MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21

Image Gallery

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First Impressions

Photography Blog attended the UK launch of the new Sigma fp mirrorless camera at Brighton City Airport, UK.

Find out what we thought of Sigma's brand new camera by reading our detailed first impressions...

Pricing

The Sigma fp will go on sale on 25th October 2019 priced at £1999 / $1899 body only.

It will also be available in a kit with the new Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens for £2399 / $2299.

Key Specifications

• 24.6 megapixel full-frame sensor
• 4K Cinema DNG 12bit 
• 120fps mode
• Supports L, EF, PL lens mounts
• Smallest full-frame camera on the market
• Weighs 370g
• Electronic shutter only

Target Audience

In terms of target users, the Sigma fp places more of an emphasis on the video side of things and is predominantly aimed at cinematographers, although it does still cater for stills photographers too.

Size and Weight

Weighing just 370g and measuring 112.6 x 69.9 x 45.3mm, the Sigma fp is a very small full-frame camera indeed.

In fact, it's the smallest and lightest camera with a full-frame 35mm sensor currently available on the market.

Controls

Despite its tiny dimensions, on the whole we found the Sigma fp quite pleasurable to use, with the principal controls being well thought out and rewardingly tactile.

On top you'll find a large Power switch, the self-explanatory Cine / Still switch, a one-touch movie record button, and a large shutter release dial encircled by an even larger control dial.

On the rear there are an an array of button to the right and below the LCD touchscreen.

Starting at the top-left, there's an auto-exposure lock button and a QS button which opens up a Quick Set menu showing the main options for the currently selected shooting mode.

The Focus button toggles between the various focus modes, and underneath that is a control wheel with an OK button at its centre.

The Menu button opens a fairly logical menu system that's easy to read due to the large text size.

Underneath the screen is a row of controls - the Playback button, an LED displaying SD card activity, the Display button, Tone button and Color button, and finally the shooting Mode button.

Sensor

The Sigma fp has a 24 megapixel full-frame back-illuminated Bayer sensor with no low-pass filter, likely one made by Sony, although we haven't confirmed that yet.

Sigma aren't using a Foveon sensor inside the fp, despite owning Foveon and using it in their previous stills cameras.

Video Recording

The Sigma fp is a very capable Cine camera, with a wealth of options and formats that out-perform the likes of the Sony A7S, Nikon Z6/7, and the Panasonic Lumix S1H.

Notably, it can record raw video at 4K UHD/24fps in 12-bit format!

There's also 4K UHD (3840×2160 pixels) video at 24, 25 or 30 fps in a 10- or 8-bit format.

The 4K 12-bit RAW DNG video is captured externally to an attached SSD drive or external recorder.

Internal recording is limited to 4K 8-bit RAW due to the recording speeds of UHS-II cards.

For 1080p, the Sigma fp can record 12bit Cinema DNG RAW internally to an SD card.

Note that you can't playback Cinema DNG footage in-camera, which is more than a little confusing at first.

Stabilisation

The Sigma fp has an electronic in-body stabilisation system. When enabled, this takes three frames, compares them, and creates a composite image into a still image or video.

If the attached lens is stabilised, you'll obviously also benefit from that system too, although it's unclear exactly how the two work in tandem.

Auto-focusing

The Sigma fp only has a contrast-based auto-focus system with 49 points and three modes, Single AF, Continuous AF, and Manual Focus, so it's certainly not the most sophisticated on the market by any stretch of the imagination.

In good light it proved to be quick and reliable, in low-light a little more sluggish.

There are also Face Priority and Eye Priority AF modes for human subjects.

Electronic Shutter

The Sigma fp only has an electronic shutter - there's no traditional mechanical shutter in this camera.

Consequently there's no shutter shock and the camera is virtually silent in use.

It can also shoot at 18fps in the fastest burst mode and offers a top shutter speed of 1/8000th second.

LCD Screen

The Sigma fp has a 3.15-inch, 3:2 LCD screen with a high resolution of 2,100,000 dots.

At first glance it seems as if the LCD screen can be pulled out and tilted, but it's actually a large magnesium heatsink that runs around the camera to help keep it cool - the screen is actually fixed in place.

The LCD panel is touch-sensitive. In use the camera was quick to respond to our various prods and pokes, and it can also be used to control the menu system as well as set the AF point and take the picture/start the video - take note Sony...

Lenses

The Sigma fp is the first Sigma camera to use the L-Mount standard. We tried a number of Sigma L-mount lenses at the launch and they all worked flawlessly with the fp.

Even better, with Paansonic and Leica also supporting the L-mount standard, there's a wide range of native L-mount lenses for the new fp.

And if you've already got some Canon EF or Sigma SA lenses, you can fit the MC-21 mount adapter on the Sigma fp in order to use those lenses (we haven't tried this yet).

Battery

Battery life isn't great on the Sigma fp. It's officially rated at 280 still images, but once you start recording video the battery soon starts to drain more quickly than that figure suggests, so you'll need to budget for at least a few spares to get through a full days shooting.

Memory Cards

An unfortunate consequence of the Sigma fp's tiny size is the single memory card slot, rather than a dual system.

Even worse, it's housed in the same compartment as the battery on the bottom of the camera, which will inevitably prove awkward for avid tripod users.

Weather Proofing

The Sigma fp is fully weatherproof thanks to dust- and splash-proof sealing on a total of 42 points over the camera’s body.

Image Quality

All three of these shots were taken from a fast-moving helicopter through the plexiglass windows.

You can see more Sigma fp sample images and videos here.

Early Verdict

The Sigma fp is an intriguing new mirrorless camera that offers something genuinely different to the other options on the market.

After spending a couple of hours trying it out at the UK launch event, we feel that we've only just scratched the surface of what it's capable of.

Until we get one in for a full review, why don't you share your thoughts on the new Sigma fp by leaving a comment below?

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma fp full-frame mirrorless camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma fp camera with the 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens.

A gallery of hands-on photos of the Sigma fp mirrorless camera.

Image Gallery

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Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images and videos taken with the brand new Sigma fp full-frame mirrorless camera.

A gallery of JPEG and Raw images taken with the Sigma fp mirrorless camera.

Sigma fp Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The Sigma fp enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sigma RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

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