Sigma fp – World's smallest & lightest mirrorless full frame camera

[LUF Admin]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Sigma today announced the sigma fp – the world's smallest and lightest mirrorless digital camera.

Sigma fp Images

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Full press release:

SIGMA announces the “SIGMA fp”, the world's smallest and lightest mirrorless digital camera* with a full-frame image sensor

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.

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.

[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.

[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.

[Bob Andersson]

Here's the movie:

I'm not sure how balanced this would be with your typical FF L-mount lenses but maybe paired with Leica M glass? Electronic shutter only? Will Leica use the same sensor?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[raadoo]

Am I the only one who is absolutely over the moon with this launch?

I can’t be. Surely, I can’t be.

This is exactly the kind of companion I was looking for my CL. Just as small, but FF; a potentially perfect platform for my M glass.

That way I have the CL + 11-23 + 55-135 for travel / autofocus / daylight shooting and the fp for low light / astro / extreme wideangle

That electronic stabilisation and the low light performance are still unknowns, though, so I guess the Panasonic S1 is still in the race, for me.

[jankap]

No aa-filter!  Very interesting. Rangefinder wide-angles?

Edited July 11, 2019 by jankap

[earleygallery]

This may not work so well with M lenses. 

Also, no viewfinder! Although they do refer to an 'eyepiece' for the LCD...... 

Nice compact body with Braun like 70's/80;s styling BUT FF L lenses are still huge.

[raadoo]

24 minutes ago, earleygallery said:

This may not work so well with M lenses. 

Also, no viewfinder! Although they do refer to an 'eyepiece' for the LCD...... 

Nice compact body with Braun like 70's/80;s styling BUT FF L lenses are still huge.

That eyepiece for the LCD looks absolutely massive, so I agree that no viewfinder seems like a bit of dealbreaker.

That being said, I expect Sigma (and maybe third parties) to come out with other accessories for this system, including some sort of viewfinder. And even if they don’t, I’m quite willing to look past the lack of a viewfinder because it’s small, light and FF.

And, yes, the L-Mount AF lenses are quite large; the Panasonic are big and heavy and Leica’s even more so. But M mount lenses, on the other hand, are quite diminutive and should pair well with the body. My thinking is that if they work well, ergonomically, with my CL (which, to me, they do), then they’ll work well with the fp.

Considering the current landscape of FF L-Mount cameras (SL, S1 & S1R), the fp is carving an interesting niche for itself. One that I, for one, will be paying close attention to.

[earleygallery]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

It remains to be seen if it works OK with M lenses. I suspect that wide angles may be an issue. 

With a compact lens I see the attraction, but not so much with larger lenses and 'zombie' mode shooting. 

[raadoo]

12 minutes ago, earleygallery said:

It remains to be seen if it works OK with M lenses. I suspect that wide angles may be an issue. 

With a compact lens I see the attraction, but not so much with larger lenses and 'zombie' mode shooting. 

Zombie mode 😂 I love that!

[LarryLeica]

That movie must have taken a while to shoot! Very impressive.

I used to have a beautiful set of M lenses but I sold them all off. 😞 I just didn’t feel I could reliably focus manually anymore.

I want a fast auto focusing little 35mm street camera. Could this be it? I had the little Sony, RX1R II, it was great,  but maybe not fast enough and too fiddly.

What would be the smallest 35mm lens for this camera? I’m not excited about zombie mode shooting. Can I mount a viewfinder on top? What about auto focus?

 

  

[gippo]

no viewfinder! it's not for me, too bad!

[E759]

Collapsible M lens @1:13!

[wlaidlaw]

A very far left field camera methinks. The concepts of full frame with no viewfinder are uncomfortable companions. That is why I had no interest in the X/TL models until the CL came out. I personally hate taking photos at arms length, which is an odd distance for me as it is too far for reading glasses and too near for my cataract replacement single vision lenses (I opted for these for competition night driving). I would slightly doubt that they will be queuing round the block and paying premium prices for an early model of this camera.

Wilson

Edited July 11, 2019 by wlaidlaw

[ron777]

+1.

A VF or EVF are essential for bright sunlit days where an LCD is rendered useless. And I can’t imagine an SL 24-90mm hanging off the front of that thing.

[drsamj]

As a long time Sigma camera user i will "wait and see".  I am holding on to my SD Quattro H and SA lenses, but the Sigma cameras always seem to have a "hitch in their giddyup".  Great IQ but requiring some extra effort.  Let's see how they blend in with with the software community.  Love the hype lets see the performance.

[ramarren]

I find it interesting. Yet another potential box with sensor to put my R lenses on, an FF technical camera in a very small form factor.

The only thing I see as a significant lack for me is that it does not have an accessory shoe on top so I can fit an optical viewfinder, but this might not be a big deal: just nip one off a junk camera and crazy glue it in place.

[ynp]

Interesting. It shall be good with the Actus as a digital back. 

[Simone_DF]

This is the first L-mount camera I find interesting. I'll wait for the Foveon version and see what happens though, right now the lens choice is appalling.

[Dave in Wales]

If they'd have been serious they'd have added a VF. Imaging trying to view that screen in bright sunlight.

[BernardC]

My how people jump to conclusions!

Sigma's site shows a detachable hot shoe as "supplied", and an available VF:

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

Interestingly, the VF is a loupe for the rear LCD. Seems quirky, but probably usable.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[jankap]

The EVF fails, OK. But it seems, that they offer a kind of magnifier for the LCD. 

I have this for the D-Lux-4 and for the Ricoh M-mount. A DIY construction with a HoodLoupe.

That works excellent, but doubles the depth of the camera.