New Sigma FP2 released

[Jonathan-Mac]

Smallest FF ILC, faster sensor, optional hotshoe and EVF - Sigma are edging their way towards producing a mainstream camera and something that might be useful for photographers, not just videographers. Still no IBIS though.

Sigma's global page on the new camera (note: ant not included in purchase price): https://www.sigma-global.com/en/cameras/fp2/

And DPR's intital review and impressions: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/si...for-the-second-gen-modular-mirrorless-camera/

 

[xaviergut]

Interesting... I like the tilt screen and the 70gb internal storage... what about IBIS?

 

[Travis Butler]

Interesting... I like the tilt screen and the 70gb internal storage... what about IBIS?

No IBIS. But while IBIS would definitely be nice to have, I’ve gotten along fine without it on my OG fp.

I’ll be interested to see if the semi-stacked sensor will have the issue with banding when shooting the output from DLP projectors; it’s very rare in my experience, but it’s one of the few places I notice the electronic shutter.

Alas, can’t afford it anyway until I get employed again.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

^Sorry to hear about your employment status, Travis. And, congrats for being featured in a DPR article!

It WILL be interesting to see if the uptake amongst photographers will be better than the first FP. It is a stated goal of the Sigma CEO. The faster sensor readout should help. But then it's still not fast enough for true sports/wildlife. But then again, I'd be surprised if anybody would buy this to mount the 500/5.6, even if it had sensor readout speed like the Z8, so perhaps it's fast enough for it's intended audience.

I also wonder if this will pull any potential S9 buyers away. The ability to mount a EVF is certainly a major plus, for some of us.

 

[CharlesH]

I like the size. About the 500/5.6, I wonder if the lens image stabilization will work? Or the lens stabilization on the Panasonic 70-200 f4 or the 100-500 f5-7.1? The EVF is really expensive but puts it in a league beyond the S9.

 

[Travis Butler]

^Sorry to hear about your employment status, Travis. And, congrats for being featured in a DPR article!

Thank you! It was kind of a surprise to me... I saw the banner in the DPR forums and submitted a 'What's in your Bag?' on a whim, but didn't hear anything from them until it went live.

The job market has unfortunately been a series of disappointments... I'm sort of betwixt and between, my expertise is in a software development system (Filemaker Pro) aimed at small businesses, but they don't advertise on the big job boards. The people who do advertise on the big boards want years of experience in languages I don't have. And lower-end jobs look at my experience and assume I'll jump ship as soon as I find something better, so they won't hire me.

It WILL be interesting to see if the uptake amongst photographers will be better than the first FP. It is a stated goal of the Sigma CEO.

Yeah. I'll be honest, I'm still not sure why it got such a bad rep among photographers in the first place. I've heard the arguments, but none of them have been significant issues for me. Maybe I'm just weird.

The faster sensor readout should help. But then it's still not fast enough for true sports/wildlife. But then again, I'd be surprised if anybody would buy this to mount the 500/5.6, even if it had sensor readout speed like the Z8, so perhaps it's fast enough for it's intended audience.

Yeah, it's not a camera for sports/wildlife, except inasmuch as it's a small one that will go places the bigger ones with big lenses won't go. There's no way I'd try to take an S1II with the 500/5.6 into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example, or into the Everglades. Or even on a hike into Red Rock Canyon; it'd be fine for the roadside scenic stops, but there's no way I'd try to join the people you can see at the end of the trail on the right:

20250927-SDIM8059 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

I also wonder if this will pull any potential S9 buyers away. The ability to mount a EVF is certainly a major plus, for some of us.

Yeah. I've got to have an EVF, period.

 

[pdk42]

Sigh … another body with no EVF.

 

[pdk42]

Sigh … another body with no EVF.

Well, I guess there is this …

Not exactly elegant, but it looks a bit neater than the original Fp’s EVF. Too much of a kludge for me though. Roll on the S9.2 (maybe).

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Yeah, agreed on the kludge, although I love the idea that I can point the eyepiece up. Would be fantastic on a tripod.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

There's no way I'd try to take an S1II with the 500/5.6 into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example, or into the Everglades. Or even on a hike into Red Rock Canyon;

I'd certainly take the 500 on a hike if the objective of the hike was to capture wildlife. But otherwise, no. Long primes are not good landscape lenses.

Good luck on the job search. It can be tough out there.

 

[Travis Butler]

I'd certainly take the 500 on a hike if the objective of the hike was to capture wildlife. But otherwise, no. Long primes are not good landscape lenses.

Even if the objective is to capture wildlife, the combo is still too big and too heavy for me to carry on a long distance hike, or into rough terrain. That’s the point. All the extra capability in the world won’t help if you can’t get it where you can use it. Or use it when you get there, for that matter.

At least one of the hikers in my pic needed twin walking sticks. If the terrain’s that demanding, juggling the 1.3kg of the 500 on top of the 0.8kg of the S1II, while handling two walking sticks, is not gonna work.

That’s why the selection goes the other direction for me. I start with what I can reasonably expect to carry, and then see what capabilities I can fit within that limit. It’s relatively easy if I’m driving, I can carry a bag with 15-20 lenses I might want to play with, and pull out specific ones once I get there. If I’m going more than 5-10 minutes from the car, I pick more carefully because I can’t easily go back and swap out. If it’s a longer hike, that limits me to what I can comfortably carry for an hour or more.

And to get back to the topic, that’s where the fp shines. My fp kit is about half the size of my S5 kit:

• Apple iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 mini back dual wide camera 5.1mm f/1.6
• ƒ/1.6
• 5mm
• 1/60s
• ISO 250

• Apple iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 mini back dual wide camera 5.1mm f/1.6
• ƒ/1.6
• 5mm
• 1/60s
• ISO 400

Good luck on the job search. It can be tough out there.

Thanks!

 

[xaviergut]

Interesting... I like the tilt screen and the 70gb internal storage... what about IBIS?

More things thst I like about the Sigma FP ii:
dual USB-C ports, SSD recording, full-size HDMI, same battery as the Lumix cameras... and the idea of a hyper-modular, pocket-sized cinema tool.

Sigma was the first to put in the market this idea with the original FP. After that came the Sony FX3, and later the Lumix S9 and the Nikon ZR. It is a camera industry niche, but the FP ii is an hybrid camera, way more versatile than the others mentioned above.

There is a debate about the convenience of IBIS for videocentric cameras. I guess the size of the FP ii makes it ideal for gimbal use. Besides that you can use the electronic stabilization or even the gyroflow workflow in post.

I just find this camera more versatile than the Sigma BF... at least as a video/cinema tool.

 

[pdk42]

As a pure photographer (not videographer), the Fp makes little sense to me. The lack of an EVF and IBIS means it’s way less interesting that any of Panasonic’s cameras. Whatever size advantage it has is more or less nullified once an EVF is added. And whilst it’s nice to have a tilting screen, it’s still no substitute for the multi tilting screen on the S1 cameras.

So it’s a big no from me, which is a pity because in general I’m a big Sigma fan.

More generally, I can’t see how any manufacturer can be serious in addressing the photographer/stills market with a camera that doesn’t have a built-in EVF.

 

[pdk42]

And on the bigger point of size/weight with longer lenses, let’s be honest here. The body is not the biggest issue, it’s the lens.

If a lightweight system is really what you want or need, then an OM1 or G9ii plus one of the m43 télé zooms is the obvious way to go.

 

[CharlesH]

More things that I like about the Sigma FP ii .....

Yes, the FP2 seems very attractive. Small is good for me. I surely don't need another camera but I will follow the FP2, and if anyone from this forum gets one I will be very interested in their experience. And especially anyone that shoots hybrid. Imagine a two camera kit, with the partially stacked sensors running ProRes RAW in a kit smaller than my single S1M2. That is impressive.

 

[CharlesH]

And on the bigger point of size/weight with longer lenses, let’s be honest here. The body is not the biggest issue, it’s the lens.

True, except I already own the longer Panasonic lenses.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Even if the objective is to capture wildlife, the combo is still too big and too heavy for me to carry on a long distance hike, or into rough terrain. That’s the point.

Well, if you won't carry it, then of course you shouldn't buy it.

All the extra capability in the world won’t help if you can’t get it where you can use it. Or use it when you get there, for that matter.

Conversely, the lightest lens in the world won't help you can't get enough pixels on your subject.

I have no problem hiking technical terrain with walking sticks while carrying an S1RII, the 500, and several other lenses, although if I'm carrying the 500 with the objective of shooting wildlife, the other lenses I carry tend to be on the lighter side, like the 18-40 and 28-200, for the opportunistic landscape.

 

[pdk42]

If I were into wildlife, I’d get an OM1 with the “big white” (150-400 f4.5). It seems to me to be the best tool for the job. The combo weighs less than 2.5kg (around 5llbs), gives a 300-800mm equivalent range, internal zooming, constant aperture, stunning IQ, built in 1.25 TC, best in class weather sealing, great grip and ergonomics, and the speed and features for the genre.

I’d keep my l-Mount gear for landscapes and anything else.

 

[Pete_W]

If I were into wildlife, I’d get an OM1 with the “big white” (150-400 f4.5). It seems to me to be the best tool for the job. The combo weighs less than 2.5kg (around 5llbs), gives a 300-800mm equivalent range, internal zooming, constant aperture, stunning IQ, built in 1.25 TC, best in class weather sealing, great grip and ergonomics, and the speed and features for the genre.

But it costs a ridiculous amount of money. There are better full frame options out there for less.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

But it costs a ridiculous amount of money. There are better full frame options out there for less.

Exactly.

As impressed as I am with the Sigma 500, the new Sony 400 & 600 primes are truly amazing.