http://www.digitalcameraworld.com MARCH 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^109
and it’s worth sounding a note of
caution – the Sigma fp is designed
to be small, but most L-mount
lenses are definitely not.
You can use compact classic
lenses from Voigtländer for example,
via adaptors, and use the Sigma fp
as a kind of low-cost Leica, but for
mainstream autofocus photography,
the majority of the L-mount lenses
you can get right now are designed
on a much larger scale than
this camera body.
In video, where the Sigma fp
is at the centre of a much larger
shooting rig, this is not an issue.
Key features
Part of the explanation for the small
size of the Sigma fp is that it does not
have a mechanical shutter at all, only
an electronic shutter. An electronic
shutter does present its drawbacks
for stills photography, though. There’s
an increased likelihood of ‘rolling
shutter’ effects with fast panning
or fast-moving subjects, and the
fastest flash synchronisation speed
is a sluggish 1/30 sec.
The back of the camera is where
you get the detail of the Sigma fp,
with controls both to the right and
below the LCD. The display is touch-
sensitive, but while you can use
it to select focus points, you can’t use
it for making menu selections, hence
the wide choice of buttons. A QS quick
selection control takes you to your
main options in any situation, and
these are navigated to using the rear
jogwheel control, But there is
(naturally) a Menu button to take
you to the extensive set-up options
for this camera.
A good example of the range of
options can be seen when looking
at those for the optional Director’s
Viewfinder. Here you can specify
the screen proportions you want
this to give, replicating those of
industry-standard cine cameras
from Arri, Sony and Red.
The Sigma fp does not offer Log
or LUT options for video, but this is
offset by its support for CinemaDNG
capture, which offers a lot of
headroom for colour grading later.
Alternatively, the Tone button at the
back allows you to tweak contrast
so that you can set a flat video
output: this can give you a wide
dynamic range that you can then
tweak to your liking in the grading
process in post-production. There
is a frightening selection of
colour options, too, including
the ‘teal and orange’ look currently
in vogue in Hollywood movies.3
Don’t go looking for
a viewfinder! It’s quite
likely the fp will be
used in a rig with an
external monitor.4
The rear display is
touch-sensitive for
setting focus points,
but you have to use
buttons with menus.5
The controls on the
rear are minimal but
effective. The QS
button accesses
common settings.6
These grille-like holes
are a heat sink to
help keep the fp
cool while shooting
high-resolution video.7
The Sigma fp uses
L-m ount len se s ,
also supported by
Panasonic, Leica and
third-party makers.8
The main control dial
is easy to find with
a fingertip, and the
Sigma fp’s controls
are straightforward.Build and handling
Sigma has also announced, already,
that there will be a range of add-ons
for the fp.... And when you pick up the
camera, and realise just how small it
is, you see why. This is little more
than a box, which has been stripped
right down to make it the size that it
is. There is no electronic eyelevel
viewfinder as standard – and
the LCD does not tilt or rotate.5387Sigma f p Mirrorless
The fp’s photographs are packed with colour, contrast
and detail... and that Sigma 45mm f/2.8 lens is a cracker.46