Sigma fp Review

Sigma fp

My first thoughts when I opened the big box with all the camera gear was-“they forgot to enclose the camera” because the box was so light. Taking the Sigma fp out, I said “alright” as I put it in my hand-my hands are small and so is this camera. I loved the look of it and how it felt. It is the world’s smallest and lightest full frame camera.

I am not a photographer who understands manuals so I have to handle it to figure it out and this camera was super easy to figure out. I have used and reviewed MANY systems and several have been difficult to navigate, but not this system.

I got 3 native  lenses to use-the 45mm f2.8, 14-24mm f2.8 and the 24-70mm f 2,8. The camera also came with an adapter for Canon L lenses and I used a 70-200mm f2.8. ALL were flawless. 

At 24mp, the image quality is superb. One major plus is when shooting RAW, the files are DNG. This means that anyone who is using an older version of Photoshop can open the images without having to add another step by using the DNG converter. The JPEGs right from the camera were spot on so I didn’t even have to use the DNG files and this saves a lot of time for the working photographer.

My career has taken me all over the world and is quite diverse but the last several years I have gotten back to mainly concerts and I would cover hundreds per year. With the Corona Virus pandemic, that part of my career has come to a halt so sadly, I was not able to put this camera to that test but I have no worries that it can handle concerts as well as it handles everything else and when I took it out at night, it focused fast in a dark scene I was very impressed with the images at 102,000 ISO

The additional LVF 11 LCD viewfinder is rather large and cumbersome, but quite the attention grabber and definitely helped when it was sunny outside.  Several other photographers asked me what I was using and commented on how awesome it looks. I would like to see a smaller viewfinder in the future and one that can be attached easily, as this one needs a tool and 2 hands. The back screen doesn’t articulate and is sometimes hard to see in the sunlight and I would love to see that change in the future too.

My work has been as a still photographer and I haven’t ventured much into video but the FP supports UHD 4K and 24, 25 and 30 FPS. The files also read as DNG and I was able to pull out a wonderful still image that is perfect for newspaper or magazine work. This is wonderful for so many reasons, but mainly for the photographer who needs both video AND stills. Mentioning this to some photographer friends and showing them the still image, their responses were “this is a game changer for us.”

I would like to see 2 card slots in the future and I also think this is important for the photographer who shots both stills and video.

When I went into Grand Central Station, I wasn’t sure what I would find since we are still in the middle of a Pandemic. I never like to draw attention to myself and prefer to keep every piece of equipment on me instead of in a backpack for many reasons but the main one being it is easier than having to take the backpack off. I was able to walk wearing my photographers vest which carried 3 lenses and the camera body. For the Urban photographer, this is an added plus.

Between the amazing image quality, the smallness of this system and it’s ease of use, I really liked this camera and for the photographer on the go, this is the perfect system.

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

https://www.adorama.com/l/?searchinfo=sigma%20fp&sel=Item-Condition_New-Items

Photos and Review By Debra L. Rothenberg

 

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