subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 14 March 2020 45
45.3mm
Autofocusis sufficientlyresponsive
andaccuratetogetquickcandidshots
Sigma45mmF2.8DGDN,1/100secatf/2.8,ISO 400CAMERA TEST Testbench
Thecompact-bodied,modularSigma fp is quite
unlikeanyotherfull-framemirrorless cameraFocal points
¼inthreads
Alongwiththeusual
tripodthreadonthe
baseplate,there’s
anotheroneachside.
They’reusedfor
attachingaccessories,
handgripsandeventhe
removablestraplugs.Connectors
Onthesideyou’llfind
USB-C,microphoneand
micro-HDMIports,
alongsidea connector
fortheadd-on
hotshoeaccessory.
Themicsocketalso
acceptstheCR-41
cablerelease.Processing
Color and Tone buttons
on the back provide an
access to a broad
range of in-camera
image-processing
effects.Heat dissipation
A large heat sink
behind the LCD screen
provides a means of
preventing the camera
from overheating
during video recording.Storage
There’s a single
UHS-II type SD
card slot, but you
can also record
files to an SSD
connected to the
USB-C port, which
should be
especially handy
for videographers.69.9mm
112.6mm
On the whole, the controls
operate with satisfying precision,
aside from slightly ill-defi ned
click-stops on the rear dial which
can hinder changing settings
quickly. Very little hardware
control customisation is on offer,
aside from defi ning whether the
movie record button should be
active in Still mode, and specifying
how the AEL button should
behave. But with an interface
that’s this well thought-out, you
don’t necessarily need it.
One area where the fp is let
down, though, concerns focus-
area selection. Usually you’re
expected to use the touchscreen,
but when you tap on the subject,
the response is disconcertingly
laggy, with the camera taking
almost a second to register the
new AF point. Things are no better
using the physical controls: you
need to tap the down button of
the d-pad, then AEL, and then use
the d-pad, which is unnecessarily
long-winded and requires a lot of
thumb movement. It’s a shame
the d-pad can’t simply be used to
set the focus area directly.
Viewfi nder and screen
Another drawback becomes
apparent when it comes to
composing your images. With just
a fi xed rear screen, you’re forced
to hold the camera out in front of
you to take pictures, smartphone
style. But with the fp being much
heavier than a smartphone or
conventional compact, it’s not a
particularly stable pose, and this is
exacerbated further if you fi t a
large lens. It’s a camera that’s
crying out for a tilting LCD.
Thankfully the screen itself is
excellent: at 2.1-million-dots it’s
sharp and detailed, and bright
enough to see clearly outdoors in
daylight. It previews colour and
exposure, and you can overlay
useful information such as
gridlines, an electronic level, a live
histogram and zebra pattern
overexposure warning. Pressing a
small button beneath the LCD
allows you to cycle through up to
four display modes with user-
defi nable levels of information. But
one disappointing quirk is that, as
with its L-mount cousin the Leica
SL2, there’s no apparent way to
preview depth of fi eld.
If you really want to shoot with
the camera at eye level, Sigma
offers the LVF-11 LCD View
Finder accessory for £289. This is
a massive hood for the rear screen
with a magnifying eyepiece, which
attaches via either the BPL-11
baseplate that’s supplied with it, or
the large HG-21 handgrip. It gives
a huge view that surpasses any
built-in electronic viewfi nder by
far, making it fantastic for
fi ne-tuning focus and composition.
Indeed the magnifi cation is so
extreme that you can see the fi ne
dividing lines between the LCD
panel’s pixels. But it also
makes the onscreen graphicsWeather-sealing
The fp is designed to
be dust- and
splash-proof, with
seals arranged at 42
points around the
camera body.Power
Sigma’s BP-51 battery
is also used by the dp
Quattro series, and is
identical to the
Panasonic DMW-
BLC12, so spares are
easy to find. It’s
charged via the USB
port, with a 1.8A supply
included in the box.