Come With Me to the Sigma FP2 Launch Event in NYC
I attended Sigma’s launch event for the new Sigma FP2, a small full frame camera that bridges high-quality photography and professional filmmaking. The event, held at the Balloon Museum in NYC’s South Street Seaport area, featured a panel discussion with three creators who praised the latest entry in Sigma’s full frame camera line, along with a chance for the press to use the new camera to photograph throughout the museum.
Photographer Kyler Steele spoke of how he enjoyed using the FP2’s color modes to "preview the photos that I'm gonna take. If I want to use the JPEG, I can use them. If I want, I can go into Lightroom and set those profiles as a base, or I can just custom edit it to look like whatever profile I like." Regarding the camera’s video capabilities, he said, "I was using the 6.2K L-Log, open gate. I was color grading that in DaVinci Resolve, and honestly it was perfect."
Photographer Sarah Teng spoke about how she integrated Sigma’s latest offering with her love of old lenses. "I tested it out with this Sigma Minolta 28mm f/2.8. Fully manual, and it's really cool because it just gives it a different look than using any of the Sigma actual digital lenses."
Sarah also appreciated the camera’s size. "I am a small person. I have really small hands, and I'm especially conscious of camera size. I also travel a lot. So having something that’s small and light is really important to me. The body itself feels like I'm holding a bar of soap," she said. Her soap reference should not be misconstrued to imply that the camera is slippery. The texture and feel of the FP2 are my favorite features.
Commercial filmmaker Graham Sheldon has used the original FP on TV sets, commercials, and films. Like the other speakers, he was able to integrate the FP2 into his professional work very quickly. On a recent job in Atlanta for the NFL, he needed to capture vertical and horizontal deliverables. "Often, two people are employed to capture the two formats." Being able to film 6K open gate means he can get both deliverables in the same file. "This is a camera you can run around with" or shoot the same codecs that his Alexa has. "Mounted five cameras to the exterior of a plane. The FP2, being only a pound, means we can rig it in places that I can’t put any other camera on. Some days it is the A-cam and other days it is the 'crash cam,'" he said.
I liked the camera’s form factor and control layout. There is a front command dial that hangs over the camera’s front edge in a manner similar to that of Leica’s black sheep, the M5 rangefinder. You can adjust settings using dials or a responsive touchscreen. I was using a dial to adjust ISO, but most of the time that I turned the dial, it would adjust some other feature. A Sigma rep assured me that you can map the dial to a sole command. I was surprised that the FP2 has anamorphic de-squeeze, even though Sigma does not make anamorphic lenses. This suggests they want the camera to be adopted by serious filmmakers.
Noteworthy specs, according to the press release:
- 24.5 MP full frame sensor
- Ultra-compact, modular design
- Dedicated photo and cinema modes
- 13 built-in color modes
- 6K open-gate video recording
- ProRes Raw support
- Up to 14.1 stops of dynamic range
- 32-bit float audio recording
- 70 GB of built-in storage
- Improved battery life
The Sigma FP2 is scheduled for release on November 11, 2026. Pricing and kit configurations have not yet been announced.
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