SIGMA has teamed up with Women in Media for a collaboration on the SIGMA fp and recently released 2.0 firmware. Eight cinematographers have been chosen to test the updated fp camera and select L-mount lenses. These cinematographers will have 2 weeks of independent shooting & testing during which they will be able to share thoughts and questions with Sigma Staff and Technicians.
After two weeks of test shooting with the fp and lenses, our Chosen Participants and SIGMA Reps gathered to discuss their experiences and screen clips. The following are snip-its taken from each of their reports, full details from the round table discussion will be posted at a later date.
Check out all of our chosen participants:
Danna Kinsky (Camera)
With of over 25 years behind the camera, I have lensed award winning narrative films, documentaries, music videos, commercials, branded content, reality TV, corporate videos, and more.
Melinda James (Camera)
LA-based cinematographer enamored with visual storytelling and fueled by good stories. Wide experience working on branded content, shorts, and music videos.
Bianca Halpern (Camera)
Brasilian in L.A. / Cinematographer + Owner of BECiNE + Mom
“I used it mainly to shoot something like a Mini Doc as I wanted to see how the camera would respond on a One Woman Band Crew, and see if it could be used for a smaller job with natural light.
I had one person holding a bounce card for the interview, but everything else is Natural Light. I really liked the OFF Color Space as it gave me a lot to play with in Post Production. I was able to achieve the blacks I wanted, even if they were way lifted because I worked with the Sigma 35mm Classic for the Project.“
Sherri Kauk (Camera, Grip & Electric)
Sherri’s cinematography is fast and beautiful – shooting the Emmy-winning CBS series ‘The Inspectors’ in 2.5 shoot days per episode and the Netflix distributed feature, LOEV
Jendra Jarnagin (Camera)
Jendra Jarnagin is an award-winning DP with over 25 years experience working in feature films, episodic television and online series, commercials, music videos, documentaries and VR.
Crystal Kelley (Camera)
I am a storyteller at heart with a background in theatre and crossed over to filmmaking. I love to combine technology and imagery, so becoming a DP is the most natural career path for me.
“The primary concern I have with all cameras is how well it performs in low-level lighting conditions. I did a simple test with colorful fruit and vegetables surrounded by black fabric. I set the camera’s ISO to 3200 and opened the 45mm lens to its widest aperture of F/2.8. I changed the ISO incrementally by thirds up to ISO 25,600. When I get to ISO 8000 I start to see noise, a slight blue color shift, and digital artifacts in the blacks. I was glad to get at least on more stop out of the camera, but had hope to be able to push the ISO more.“
Shanele Alvarez (Camera)
I am a classically trained Cinematographer and Camera Operator who thrives on creating artwork with camera angles, movement, and lighting with experience on scripted and non-scripted projects.
“These days it’s so easy to get hyper focused on spec sheets and spit hairs on every little detail or shortcoming a camera may have. In the end, there is no such thing as a perfect camera, but every once in a while one shows up, stands out, and disrupts the norm. I believe that’s what Sigma has done with the fp. This is a camera that could produce amazing images in the right hands and could find a place in any shooter personal or professional inventory. I will definitely be adding an fp to mine and I would recommend that you add one to yours as well.“
Sandra Valde (Camera)
Sandra Valde worked her way up through the camera department and has over fifteen independent feature credits, including Jewtopia, directed by Bryan Fogel, Love is All You Need, for director Kim Rocco-Shields and AFTER EVERYTHING directed by Hannah Marks and Joey Power.
“The Cinema DNG 12 bit format handled color rendition beautifully. I aimed to create the colors of deep purples, magentas, blues, greens and yellows that were saturated and rich. The Cinema DNG 12 bit format produced colors wonderfully without any further color correction beyond the BLACKMAGIC 4.6K Film to Extended Video v4 LUT.
The Cinema DNG 12 bit format also handled this low-light situation very well. I was able to see detail where I wanted to see detail and the Cinema DNG 12 bit format with the LUT created such rich blacks. I did this test fairly early on in my testing process and automatically rated the camera at ISO 800, which is what I’m used to working with. I felt 800 ISO captured this scenario well, but I wish I had shot at ISO 3200 because I later found it to be very clean and workable, particularly in low-light scenarios.“
