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A year with the Sigma fp L

AlanC

Well-Known Member
It shouldn’t work. It’s basically a (beautifully constructed and finished) aluminium brick. The controls are minimal. There’s no viewfinder, no tilt screen, no IBIS, no shutter and a 60MP sensor that takes just under 1/10 second to read, so if your subject is moving at any significant speed you’ll get rolling shutter. And the battery life isn’t great: around 200 photos or 2 hours if you let the camera go to sleep between photos rather than turning it off.

And yet, it does work. It’s small, light and easy to use. The images it produces have the most beautiful colour I’ve ever seen, the dynamic range is excellent and high ISO noise levels are low. And because I’m generally photographing landscapes, architecture and the occasional portrait or candid, rolling shutter isn’t an issue: I’ve seen it 2 or 3 times in around 2,200 photos, and all of those were fast moving birds.

The smaller Sigma i-series primes are a great match to the camera. I have the 17/4, 24/3.5 and 45/2.8: they’re all capable of resolving 60MP, all perform very well with minimal or no optical issues such as flare or chromatic aberrations (lateral chromatic aberration, purple fringing, is a personal hate of mine), and they all render in a similar and very pleasant way. The 24/3.5 is my favourite since I’ve long had a preference for the 24mm focal length and like its 0.5x macro capability. I also have the 65/2: an extremely sharp lens with a slightly different character to the other three, more “modern” and with a bit less of the residual spherical aberration that gives the smaller lenses their very smooth bokeh.

Put it all together and you have a small, discreet, and silent camera that just about everybody ignores (well, apart from the occasional, curious, fellow photographer who will want to know what it is), that’s a pleasure to use, and that produces the best image quality of any camera I’ve ever owned.

So while it’s definitely not for everybody thanks to its very significant limitations, it’s turned out to be just about my perfect camera. I’m so happy with it that I’m actually giving serious thought to buying a second one as a backup, and handing in my Gear Acquisition Syndrome card…

52846185349_6159a1d0eb_k.jpg Fountains Abbey by AlanC, on Flickr

53164296314_3953832782_k.jpg Parcevall Hall by AlanC, on Flickr

53196692784_8306de9c33_k.jpg All Saints Church, Kirk Deighton by AlanC, on Flickr
 
Thanks Alan, great photos. I can see why you like the fpL!
 
Lovely photo's and short review. I couldn't agree more, despite all it's limitations, the FpL is a great option for L Mount.
 
Lovely photo's and short review. I couldn't agree more, despite all it's limitations, the FpL is a great option for L Mount.
I've been admiring your photos on Flickr taken with the fp L for some time now, and I've been impressed by just how much it's actually possible to get away with in terms of fast moving subjects, such as Charlie the Border Collie. But using the fp L with the new 70-200/2.8 must be a rather awkward combination - all lens!
 
I've been admiring your photos on Flickr taken with the fp L for some time now, and I've been impressed by just how much it's actually possible to get away with in terms of fast moving subjects, such as Charlie the Border Collie. But using the fp L with the new 70-200/2.8 must be a rather awkward combination - all lens!
Thank you. Yes, it isn't the easiest of combinations but it is doable, results aren't always good but I get lucky sometimes. The FpL as you know is not an action camera but I love the files and colours it produces and I actually find autofocus pretty good. The 70-200 is a better fit for the S52 for sure.
 
Thank you. Yes, it isn't the easiest of combinations but it is doable, results aren't always good but I get lucky sometimes. The FpL as you know is not an action camera but I love the files and colours it produces and I actually find autofocus pretty good. The 70-200 is a better fit for the S52 for sure.
I just deal with the 'not an action camera' bit by shooting with manual lenses so I'm not tempted. ^_-
 
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