SIGMA fp L

Meet the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless cameras

Weighing less than 430g each, including battery and SD card, the fp and fp L are exceptionally portable, but deliver a powerful and versatile feature-set for both stills and video.

Both the 24MP sensor of the fp and the 61MP sensor of the fp L can shoot 12-bit UHD 4K cinemaDNG raw video, making them equally as capable for cine shooting as they are for stills. Intuitive design, powerful tech, useful features and unrivalled portability allows photographers to focus on the creative process.

The unique modular design of the fp and fp L allows them to be used fully stripped back for photographers who prefer to work light, or built up with a detachable hotshoe, EVF and hand grip as required. Its also easy to incorporate the cameras into a full rig for larger video productions or, at under 430g, for run-and-gun film-makers they’re perfect for use on a gimbal.

The fp and fp L are designed to be customisable and adaptable to every shooting situation, and being genuinely pocketable, these full-frame cameras are extremely easy and convenient to use. 

The menu system and button layout on the fp and fp L is highly intuitive, ensuring that photographers and film-makers can access the most important settings instinctively rather than having to search for them. 

On the top-plate of the camera, a stills/cine switch allows users to switch between the two quickly, and the internal menu system automatically changes depending on the mode. On the back of the camera there are eight dedicated buttons, two scroll wheels and five customisable buttons.

The 3.2-inch, 2,100,000-dot rear LCD display has touch functionality. On the side of the camera are USB-C, HDMI and microphone jack ports.

For anyone needing full-frame capability in the smallest possible package, fp Series cameras tick all the boxes. They’re ideal for landscape, street and travel photographers who don’t want to get bogged down with heavy kit but also don’t want to sacrifice quality.

SIGMA fp series cameras feature a full-frame, back-illuminated, CMOS Bayer sensor, which is 24.6MP in the fp and 61MP in the fp L. Both cameras can capture remarkably detailed 14-bit raw files with superb colour depth and accuracy and a large dynamic range. Noise is very minimal at higher ISO settings, and at the other end of the scale, an expanded ISO 6 functionality allows users to capture long exposure images in bright conditions without the need for an ND filter.

The SIGMA fp and fp L might be small and light, but they pack a remarkable amount of punch when it comes to their video capability, and have been used on a range of high-end productions. Both cameras can shoot 12-bit UHD 4K cinemaDNG raw externally to an SSD via USB-C, and 8-bit internally. It also supports Blackmagic RAW and ProRes RAW over HDMI recording, so there are options to suit all workflows.

The cameras have focus peaking, zebras, a waveform display, a shutter angle option and a range of Color Modes. For anyone wanting to use fp series cameras as a webcam, they are simply plug-and-play with no capture card or software required.

Both cameras have a Director’s Viewfinder mode that allows film-makers to mimic the look of Arri, Red and Sony cinema cameras, right down to the correct aspect ratio, so that they can quickly and easily test out different compositions and angles without moving the entire rig.

Custom frame lines can be added so the viewfinder can be adapted to mimic any major camera and lens combination. The fp L also supports anamorphic lenses, applying a de-squeeze so that the image appears correctly on the screen.

Thanks to its modular design, the fp and fp L are highly adaptable cameras that can be used stripped back as truly pocketable full-frame options, or built up into a full video rig for higher-end productions. 

A wide range of official and third-party accessories, including viewfinders, grips, hotshoes and cages are available, and there is a wide range of L-Mount lenses that can be used natively, both from SIGMA and other L-Mount manufacturers. 

These really are true photographers’ cameras that can be customised to suit the style of the photographer and the needs of the shoot.

Both fp series cameras are compatible with two external viewfinder options. The first is a loup-style optical viewfinder (LVF-11) that magnifies the camera’s LCD screen by 2.5x. It helps photographers to check the focus and decide on composition. The specially designed, high-performance lens has a special coating that delivers great visibility. Supplied with BPL-11 base plate.

The second viewfinder available is an EVF that bolts on to the side of the camera body. This features a 0.5in, 3.68MP OLED panel for an immersive viewing experience, and unlike most EVFs can tilt up 90° for easier viewing when shooting at below eye height. The EVF can be purchased as part of an fp L kit, or separately. By using a removable design, photographers and film-makers can choose to work with or without a viewfinder depending on how compact they need their kit to be.

The SIGMA fp L features an exclusive Crop Zoom function that makes the most of the camera’s 61MP sensor. Simply by pinching on the screen, users can choose to digitally zoom in by up to 5x at a reduced resolution. When shooting stills, a photographer might use the function with a 50mm prime on the camera, and by cropping in by say, 1.53x, they can quickly change the effective focal length to 76mm and still retain a 25.8MP resolution.

Similarly for video it’s possible to Crop Zoom to 2.5x and still retain the same 4K 12-bit read-out from the sensor. Beyond 2.5x, the video resolution drops to Full HD.

Being L-Mount, the SIGMA fp and fp L have a wide range of very high quality and largely affordable native primes and zooms available. In the SIGMA range alone, there are more than 40 full-frame L-Mount lenses, ranging from wide-angle primes to long telephoto zooms. Its also possible to use full-frame L-Mount lenses from other manufactures that are part of the L-Mount Alliance.

SIGMA also makes an MC-21 adaptor so that users can seamlessly attach Canon EF or SIGMA SA lenses, and a MC-31 so that film-makers can attach PL-mount lenses.

The fp series camera feature a range of Color Modes that help users achieve polished results in-camera. There are more than 15 different modes designed to suit different shooting situations, including a Powder Blue for a cool, dreamy look, and Teal and Orange for a Hollywood feel. The modes can be applied to stills and video, and can be accessed quickly using the Color button below the screen.