Hands-on with the Sigma fp
The Sigma fp is the world`s smallest full-frame camera. Built as a hybrid stills / video platform, the fp is highly modular and packed with features that many stills photographers would find esoteric in the extreme. The fp has clearly been designed with filmmakers in mind, and after using one for a few days, we suspect that they`ll love it.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Measuring 112 x 70 x 45mm and weighing only 422g (just shy of one pound) with a battery and memory card, the aluminum-bodied Sigma fp is a very small, very light camera, considering its sensor format. We`re told that fp stands for `fortissimo pianissimo,` which Sigma is interpreting as `very loud and very soft`. One way of interpreting that is `a lot of power in a small package`.
Sigma has achieved the fp`s compactness in a couple of different ways. Firstly, the body is the core of a very modular system. There`s no built-in viewfinder, no integral flash, and no grip. Leaving these things out means some serious space savings, and furthermore there`s no in-body stabilization, and no mechanical shutter, either. The fp is all electronic shutter, all the time. This has one major advantage for stills photographers - totally silent shooting - but a couple of disadvantages: a very slow maximum flash sync speed, and the potential for rolling shutter (`jello effect`) and banding in some lighting conditions.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
From behind, you can get an idea of the fp`s minimalist ergonomics. The rear of the camera is dominated by a large, touch-sensitive LCD, with only four direct control buttons to the right, plus a control wheel / 4-way controller. The accessory grip adds a protruding thumbrest but without this, the back of the camera is essentially flat. Below the screen you`ll find five more buttons, mainly geared to video shooters.
Because the form factor of the fp is essentially a flat-sided rectangle, with barely any p ...
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