Sigma, who has made a big splash with affordable cine glass in the last few years, has just made a big splash with their new "pocketable" fp.

"Pocketable." Full Frame. L-mount. 370 grams. Dustproof, splash-proof, and with a large heat sink for long continuous shooting.

24p 4K, 12-bit CinemaDNG RAW. From the start, the list of specs for the new fp camera from Sigma is very exciting for filmmakers who want a small camera capable of big images.

The standout feature here is the small body with a large sensor. While there are other pocket-sized cameras out there (Blackmagic has named their small camera the pocket), they are usually built around the smaller MFT (micro four thirds) sensor size.

Sigma's latest entry in the field is built around the increasingly popular "full-frame" sensor size

Ful-frame refers to the size of 35mm stills images. Of course, a larger sensor means more heat, which needs more cooling, so typically larger sensor cameras have been... well... larger.

In Sigma's case, having a large integrated heat sink and specifically marketing this as being ready for cinema is very intriguing.

This camera is also exciting for being built around the L lens mount, which is an open standard shared by Sigma, Panasonic and Leica and available for others to build on as well.

This is in contrast to the brand-specific mounts we get from Sony, Canon, and Nikon. Yes, Sigma and others build lenses for those mounts, but you're locking yourself into just that brand of camera body by investing in it. Invest in an fp, buy some L lenses and adapters, and you can still shoot al those lenses on the Panasonic S1H, for instance.

This new camera also becomes an exciting option for directors and cinematographers as a C camera or even a directors finder.

Using an adapter you should be able to mount most lenses on the camera, and then using the full-frame sensor you can preview locations with the precise lenses you're considering using. All without having to move around the heavier full-frame camera bodies like the Alexa LF.

It even has a built-in directors viewfinder mode to preview the precise field of view of various other camera platforms for precise framing.

Yes, there are a lot of specs announced here, but for the moment we're left with more questions than answers.

The specs list "Atomos Ninja Inferno Supported," but since other units, like the Shogun Inferno, also work with HDMI, is there a reason that couldn't be used?

And does "Ninja Inferno Support" mean there might someday be RAW over HDMI? There is no power-input listed, but some of the photos seem to show mounting for an external battery, which is going to be vital since the native battery is small.

The main competitor here is the Blackmagic pocket, which has been WILDLY popular. One advantage offered by the Sigma is the larger sensor, which is going to give you better low light performance and match the field of view of your bigger cameras.

The largest advantages with the pocket are real audio inputs (mini-XLR vs. the 3.5mm of the fp), a headphone port (none in the fp, which means you'll need to work with an audio accessory for recording audio and listening to it), full-sized SDI, and the power input.

Even beyond all those advantages is Blackmagic Raw. While Cinema DNG is RAW, the file sizes are massive and it's a bear to work with in post. Hopefully, Sigma will support Blackmagic Raw internally or ProRes Raw over HDMI soon after release.

All in all, we can't wait to see one of these in the wild.

For more check out the Sigma site.

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