Sigma fp L: The Camera You've Been Waiting For!
The Sigma fp L is a high-resolution development of the company's compact full-frame interchangeable lens camera. It gains a 61MP BSI CMOS sensor, providing a more stills-focused platform than the original fp 24MP L-mount mirrorless camera.
Rather than looking at existing categories of cameras, Sigma says it's aimed to make a user-oriented camera that's designed to be flexible, adaptable and, fun to use. The FP L certainly isn't readily comparable to other existing models, but it is the smallest and lightest full-frame interchangeable lens camera on the market.
Sigma has created an attachable viewfinder to go along with the FP L, literally and figuratively. The EVF-11 offers a sizable, tilting 3.69M dot display connected to the camera's USB and HDMI ports.
Key Features:
61MP BSI-CMOS full-frame sensor
On-sensor phase detection
Eye-detect autofocus
Compact body with twin control dials
Dedicated Stills/Cine switch
Full-time silent electronic shutter
8-bit UHD 4K/30p video in MOV or CinemaDNG
4K output as up to 12-bit CinemaDNG to SSD, or Raw to external recorder
What it compares with??
| Model | Sigma fp L | Sony a7R IV | Sigma fp | Sony a7C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel count | 61MP | 61MP | 24MP | 24MP |
| Auto focus | Hybrid | Hybrid | Contrast-detection | Hybrid |
| Shutter type | E-Shutter only | Mechanical, Elec 1st Curtain, E-shutter | E-Shutter only | Elec 1st Curtain, E-shutter |
| Image Stabilization | Lens only | Yes | Lens only | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optional 3.69M-dot OLED, tilting, 0.83x mag. | 5.76M-dot OLED fixed, 0.78x mag. | Optional 3.69M-dot OLED, tilting, 0.83x mag. | 2.36M-dot OLED fixed, 0.59x |
| Video internal | UHD 4K/30p FF to 1:1 in 19 steps, 8-bit gamma encoded or Cinema DNG | UHD 4K/30p FF or S35, 8-bit gamma encoded | UHD 4K/30p FF or S35, 8-bit gamma encoded or Cinema DNG | UHD 4K/24p FF, 30p with 1.2x crop, 8-bit gamma encoded |
| Video external | DCI 4K/24p up to 12-bit CinemaDNG or Raw out to ext. recorder | UHD 4K/30p 4:2:2 8-bit gamma encoded | DCI 4K/24p up to 12-bit CinemaDNG or Raw out to ext. recorder | UHD 4K/24p 4:2:2 8-bit gamma encoded |
| Battery rating LCD/EVF | 240/- shots | 670/530 shots | 280/- shots | 740/680 shots |
| Dimensions | 113 x 70 x 45 mm | 129 x 96 x 78 mm | 113 x 70 x 45 mm | 124 x 71 x 59 mm (with finder) |
| Weight | 427g (15.1oz) | 665g (23.5oz) | 422g (14.9oz) | 509g (18.0oz) |
Phase detection autofocus
Additionally, the fp L has on-sensor phase detection autofocus, something the fp did not have. Similar to all phase detection systems, this enables the camera to determine how far it needs to drive focus to determine how out-of-focus it is. Though it's not a guarantee of either of these things, this technology powers some of the fastest and most dependable AF systems we've seen from other manufacturers. Although our Sigma fp L is not yet final, focus seems slightly faster and more accurate than the original fp model, especially when focusing on smaller AF points (though there is still some occasional wobble or hunting).
Eye-detection AF
Additionally, the fp L has eye-detection autofocus to assist in achieving flawless focus when taking social media and portraiture shots. The impressions are good because the Sigma can identify eyes in the frame, no matter how tiny.
A subject tracking autofocus (AF) system with a 7x7 rectangular grid of focus points is also included with the fp L. Although we haven't used it extensively yet, our limited usage thus far suggests that it is effective.
Crop zoom
The crop zoom mode on the FP L is one of the primary ways it utilizes its high pixel count sensor. To provide a closer angle of view, this produces a series of crops from the sensor (essentially a digital zoom, if you view at the same size).
The camera's maximum and minimum sensor region can be adjusted, ranging from full-frame to a 'Full HD' crop (1920 horizontal pixels). These are marked as 1.0 to 5.0x crops, so if you have a 24mm lens attached, you can go, for instance, from a 24mm field of view up to about a 153mm equivalent.
Naturally, you use smaller and smaller portions of the sensor as you crop in, and if you blow up to the same size, you'll pay a higher price in noise and a lower resolution for it. Based on our computations, the highest 5.0x zoom will employ a sensor area roughly equivalent to a conventional compact camera with 2.4MP resolution; therefore, it's important to think about where to draw the boundaries and if you'd rather crop afterward.
New color modes
Duotone and Power Blue are the two additional color modes that Sigma has added to the FP L. While Power Blue gives the images a cool, pale tint, Duotone applies one of ten contrasting color gradients to the image.
There are now fifteen color profiles as a result of these new modes. Additionally, there is an in-camera conversion option that allows you to experiment with different color profiles after the fact, provided that you are shooting DNG files.
Composite Low ISO Expansion
As one might expect from a camera that will probably work well for landscape photography, the FP L features several composite Low ISO settings. These create the illusion of longer, lower ISO photography by combining several exposures. It requires a stable tripod because there is no motion correction in between shots, but it allows you to use exposures as low as ISO 6.
Movie capture
Regarding movie quality, the FP L has excellent features. Internally, it can record 8-bit MOV or 8-bit CinemaDNG files at up to 30 frames per second in UHD 4K resolution. It's one of the few cameras that can record in both 23.97p and true 24p.
It's astounding how much thought and care Sigma put into the video in the fp L. In addition to focus peaking and zebras, which are now fairly common, the fp L also includes a waveform display to aid in exposure assessment. It also gives you exposure control in terms of shutter angle instead of just shutter speed.
In video mode, the fp L also has the Crop Zoom feature, which allows you to shoot 4K in any of 19 crops, ranging from the sensor's full width down to a native 3840 x 2160 region (roughly a 2.5x crop).
Similar to the fp, the fp L excels in video quality when external devices are connected to it. 10 or 12-bit CinemaDNG Raw video can be output if an external SSD is connected. As an alternative, you can output a Raw video stream over HDMI that is encoded as Blackmagic Raw or ProRes RAW, based on the external recorder that you connect. However, the quality of this stream seems to be lower than that of the CinemaDNG footage. It is also possible to output DCI 4K video (the wider, 4096 x 2160 format) with HDMI output, even if you decide against shooting in Raw.
The fp L also expands the number of aspect ratios available in the 'Director's Viewfinder' mode, used to simulate the coverage that various camera systems and their modes will give, were you to use the same lens on those cameras. This allows the use of the fp L as a means of previewing framing for directors using the Sigma alongside pro cinema cameras from Arri, Red, or Sony.
Optional EVF-11 viewfinder
The EVF-11 is an electronic viewfinder that screws into the side of the fp L's body. It should not be confused with the LVF-11 loupe-style magnifier for the LCD screen. It plugs into both ports as you screw it on, but first you have to take off the HDMI port cover and hold the USB port door open.
It has a large, comfortable eyepiece cushion, a 3.69 million dot OLED finder, and an upward tilt of up to ninety degrees. A sizable LCD/EVF switch on the side of the finder does just what you might expect—it doesn't have a sensor that will automatically switch on when you bring the camera up to eye level.
There's a 1/4-20 mounting point (tripod style) right below this switch, so you can attach a camera strap. There's also a headphone socket and USB-C passthrough below that, so you can keep outputting data to an external SSD. Nevertheless, HDMI pass-through is absent. The microphone input is still accessible because it is not blocked by the EVF
When you use the finder, the camera's back screen still functions as an AF touchpad. You must tap in the upper left corner of the screen to move the AF point to the upper left (as opposed to swiping about the point's current position) because it employs absolute positioning as opposed to relative positioning.
If you buy the viewfinder separately, it will set you back $699, but if you buy the camera as a kit, the cost difference is only $500.
Battery
The BP-51 battery used by the original FP is also used by the FP L. According to Sigma, this 8.7Wh device can fire 240 bullets on a single charge. This may not seem like much, particularly when filming, but happily, the fp L can be powered via its USB-C port and charged that way as well. This enables prolonged usage while using an external power supply, be it for camera use or video recording.