Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-03-14)

42 14 March 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

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Sig ma f p

It’stheworld’ssmallestfull-framemirrorlesscamera

byfar,butdoesthismeanit’scompromisedinreal-

worlduse?AndyWestlaketakesadetailedlook

S

igmais bestknown as

oneof thefinest

third-partylensmakers,

butit’salwayshad an

interestin makingcamerastoo. The

firmlongagolearnedthatthere’s

littlepointin competingdirectly

withthelikesof CanonandNikon

bymakingidentikitDSLRs,so its

digitalmodelshavealwaysbeen

slightlyoffthebeatentrack. It was

thefirstto makea compact

camerawitha largesensorfor

higherimagequality,withthe DP1

in 2008,andhasdeveloped this

concepteversince.Itslatest model

followsa similartheme,buttakes

anotherstepup:it’stheworld’s

smallestinterchangeable-lens

camerawitha full-framesensor.

Thefp namecomesfromthe

musicalnotation‘forte-piano’

meaning‘loudandsoft’,suggesting

highperformancein a discreet,

unassumingpackage.

IndeedaccordingtoSigma CEO

KazutoYamaki,thedesign

concept was very simple: to make

the smallest possible full-frame

camera for travel. To this end, the

fi rm has removed everything but

the essentials needed to make the

camera work. So there’s no

viewfi nder, with just a fi xed rear

LCD for composing your images.

The mechanical shutter has

also been left out, leaving the

camera reliant on an electronic

shutter, and if you want to use an

external fl ash, this requires

bolting a hotshoe adapter onto

the side. Indeed the fp is

designed to be modular, with the

option to add various grips and

accessories to meet each user’s

needs. It’s a really interesting

concept, and quite unlike anything

else you can buy.

But just how small is the Sigma

fp, really? The basic body is a

rectangular box measuring 113x

70x45mm, making it broadly

comparable to a Sony Alpha 7 III

with the viewfi nder removed from

Ataglance

£1,999 body only

£2,399

with 45mm f/2.8 DG DN lens

● 24-million-pixel

full-frame sensor

● ISO 6-102,400

● 18fps shooting

● 3.1in, 2.1m-dot f ixed

touchscreen LCD

● 4K video recording

Testbench CAMERA TEST

For and against

Small size and light weight for

full-frame

Excellent build quality

Well-designed user interface

Impressive image quality in raw

Great integration of still and

video shooting

Handles poorly without an

add-on handgrip

Lack of either a viewfinder or

tilting screen is awkward for

composition

Sluggish touchscreen

AF-area selection

No smartphone connectivity

Very limited range of

well-matched lenses currently

available

Datafile

Sensor 24.6MP back-illuminated CMOS,

35.9mm x 23.9mm

Output size 6000 x 4000

Focal length mag 1x

Lens mount Leica L

Shutter speeds 30-1/8000sec

Sensitivity ISO 100-25,600 (standard),

ISO 6-102,400 (extended)

Exposure modes PASM

Metering Evaluative, spot, average

Exposure comp +/-5 EV in 0.3 EV steps

Continuous

shooting

18fps

Screen 3.2in, 2.1m-dot touchscreen

Viewfinder None

AF points 49

Video 4K (3840 x 2160), 30p

External mic 3.5mm stereo

Memory card SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-II);

USB 3.0 SSD

Power BP-51 rechargeable Li-ion

Battery life Not specified

Dimensions 112.6x69.9x45.3mm

Weight 422g