Sigma FP: A Filmmakers Review with Cinematic Footage

I hope you enjoy the intro. I poured my heart into that one.
Buy the Sigma FP - geni.us/VMBO
Every hill, every mountain that you climb and conquer in filmmaking needs to be celebrated, but only cautiously because as you approach the peak of that mountain the next mountain starts to appear and its bigger and more daunting than the last.
All of the stock footage, sound effects, motion graphics in this video are from ENVATO ELEMENTS - geni.us/rWVK8 (Affiliate Link)
Music I used in this video - Artlist: geni.us/5TLj (get 2 extra months free).
Follow me on Insta: @thefilmalliance
Free Video Course on Exposure - • What is Aperture ISO a...
0:00 Motivation
1:13 Introducing the Sigma FP
1:36 My Experience
1:48 12 Bit CinemaDNG
2:14 How I obtained it
2:24 Shooting With it
2:45 What We Will Cover
3:23 First Round of Shooting
3:35 Memory Consumption
4:25 Why Raw
5:45 Sigma FP Lenses
6:03 1080 12 Bit Raw
6:24 Second Round of Shooting
7:00 Street Shots
7:32 Transcoding the CinemaDNG Files
7:49 Will I purchase?
8:07 Conclusion
8:35 Negatives
Here are some other things I used to make this production.
Cameras
Sony A7siii (Acam) - geni.us/J24Nap
Lens A7siii geni.us/5MfrWpY
SD Cards for A7siii - geni.us/tBRFyo
Gimbals
DJI RS2 gimbal for the A7siii - geni.us/Np7bh
Sony ZV-1
SD Card I use for ZV-1 - geni.us/r4ii
Longer Lasting Batteries for the ZV-1 - geni.us/gw1t
Mini Top Handle - www.ulanzi.com/products/ulanz...
External Battery - (Mine is sold out but this will work) amzn.to/3527Ama
External Battery Mount (Mine came with a tripod but this will work) - amzn.to/3rOg7D8
All the gimbals I’ve used with the ZV-1
Crane M3 - geni.us/OAnWM
Affiliate Disclosure:
=============================
Some of the links used in the description will direct you to Amazon, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
#sigmafp #cinematic #review
=============================
Contact Joinfilmalliance @ gmail

[@thefilmalliance]

Have you ever used the Sigma FP? If you would like to see more videos like this one like and subscribe!

[@thepropolys]

I use two FPs for my videos with the Blackmagic Video Assists. Big fan of them :)

[@monsoon_movies]

Can this camera make big films?

[@ReachFilms]

The sigma FP seems to be the new pocket cinema camera

[@thefilmalliance]

What a great point. I wonder how BM will respond?

[@ReachFilms]

@@thefilmalliance I was looking at buying the FP but ended up getting an R7 instead. However if I didn't have a Komodo I would of purchased for the raw video features and full frame sensor

[@sebastianquintanilladoming8807]

in deed! pure cream :)

[@bportaro]

Tips: 1. Use Slim Raw to manage the large amount of footage. Simple. Cuts size of files greatly with no loss. 2. Use Davinci Resolve. Free. Manages the FP Cinema DNG raw files so simply. 3. Get the Dark Power Laboratory custom SSD mount which literally screws into the side of the FP. It’s brilliant. It looks like it’s part of the camera. No more quirky clamps and external SSD’s. After you do all of the above, you can thank me for it. You’ll never want to go back to your Sony ever again. I just made the switch. There is nothing like 12 bit raw on the FP.

[@thefilmalliance]

What a great comment. OK so you’ve really helped me out here. If I were to get slim raw, how much does that actually cut my file size? say I got 100 gigs of footage memory. Will It cut it in half? by a quarter? I’m a final cut pro user and I am hesitant to start using Davinci resolve because of the learning curve. Was it easy for you to learn?

[@davidclark2476]

@@thefilmalliance it cuts it way way way down. And it has many options for you to choose. Lots of compression options

[@markbrown1609]

good tips. whats a good computer you recommend my friend?

[@cinecodegames]

@@thefilmalliance About half in lossless. There are options to do lossy compression that cuts even more, I personally use VBR lossy and I got about less than 30% of the initial file size.

[@taikanekkula5386]

Does the Dark Power Laboratory custom SSD mount block the micro HDMI port for monitor also? I have heard it two ways, some sources says with DPL custom SSD you can't use the external monitor, others says it leaves room for the HDMI port and the cable. If it leaves space, does it help or hinder the management of HDMI cable?

[@schoeferfilm]

Great video Joe 👍🏻 but I hope you continue your excellent ZV1 reviews and tricks 🙏😉 best cinematic greetings from germany

[@DylColeman]

Great video dude! I love your emphasis on learning and growing. Just picked up a Sigma FP myself and I'm loving it. I'm a Resolve user so the workflow is a tad less complicated, but I still have the extra step of running it through SlimRAW to reduce the file sizes. Not the simplest of workflows, but worth it in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your experience

[@thefilmalliance]

Hey Dylan, yes you are at that point I am where the extra workflow is worth that beautiful shot. Thanks for the compliment and yes let’s learn/grow together

[@A1Bokeh]

dude! lol found you

[@sigmaphoto]

Love it! 👏

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks again for letting me borrow it. Its an unbelievable camera

[@zkramez]

Great video. I use it for photography. It’s AWESOME

[@weightsandwaifus299]

Awesome camera. Great footage. Incredible content.

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for that. Did you pickup the FP?

[@joyoffilming9500]

Great review - although the footage you show does not seem to be too demanding for your moderate color grading. For all who would like to achieve a more cinematic look from their APSC, Full Frame, or even iPhone a few tipps (that will solve much, but not all - applies to Davinci Resolve): - Shoot in a log-Profile - even at low light (it's a complete misconception that Log does not work well in low light) - Set the project color space in Davinci Resolve to ARRI LogC - this is a very wide gammut with just awesone color and highlight roll-offs - Do a proper color space transformation at the beginning of your node tree (from camera to Arri LogC) and do all the grading in the ARRI LogC color space - Do a proper color space transform at the very end of the node tree (from Arri LogC to Rec709 Gamma 2.4) - either with a color stransform node or (even better) with the DR built-in LUT for FilmPrint emulation (Kodak 2383) The most common and biggest mistakes I see over and over again being made are: - Editing in Rec709 - Doing a manual de-Log'ing of the footage with a contrast curve (completely falsifies the colors) Anyway, sometimes I wish to have the option of 12 bit in camera to give my grading more leeway, especially with dark blue skies. Not convinced? Then watch this grading comparision: kzbin.info/www/bejne/laG8nWV7pZukmJY

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you so much for this comment. It probably helped a ton of people.

[@WINTERMUTE_AI]

I love this camera!

[@edwardrobison3684]

Thanks for making a great video about this camera and your journey to shooting RAW! I have been flying the sigma fp on my Cinelifter drone for about a year now. I have it writing the 4K 12bit footage to a Samsung T5 drive. I also color grade in davinci, which is a great workflow for this camera. You just drop the folder of cdng files into the media bin and it shows up as a clip ready to grade and edit. I also use slimRAW to “losslessly”, drop the file sizes to 1/3 of the original size for RAW storage purposes. I am constantly blown away with the quality that comes out of this camera! The footage looks great next to the ground and helicopter footage we shoot with the Sony Venice camera…

[@thefilmalliance]

Wow this is great info. Are you rigging it out? Like with Dtap batteries and on steadicams? Or just doing gimbal and handheld stuff with it?

[@aoi_p]

So good!🔥

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for that. It was fun making this one. Do you have the FP?

[@davidwilson2509]

excellent review thanks. like how you said that once you saw the viewfinder you could see that cinema look. Thats what i saw the first time i used it and its now my favourite cinema camera at moment. great stills camera too i use it a lot with vintage lenses. Its also really good in low light

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes, you are absolutely right man. Thank you so much for the comment.

[@Hardwaremoney]

Great video!

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you, I had a lot of fun making this one. I actually found the music before I even started to make a video and I knew that was the one

[@CephasDigitalAgency-qt9np]

great review, passion filled voice ! We love it. (CDA team)

[@thefilmalliance]

Much appreciated! Glad you all enjoyed it

[@JS-df5vy]

I mostly shoot stills, while the nvme, tilt screen & viewfinder attachments from dark power labs in china have added a lot of fun to this camera. Great workmanship from both entities. Firmware 4.0 & growing L-mount options too have taken it into another dimension.

[@thefilmalliance]

Dang, that all sounds amazing. Whats special about firmware 4.0? I don't know, I didn't even know they had that latest update.

[@jd5787]

Hi! Mind sharing the Aliexpress seller's page please?

[@deaafrizal]

it's look professional, love it. i just wondering if this camera become my daily vlogging camera lol

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes absolutely, but you need a system that could handle all of the footage files, because they are massive. Thank you so much for the comment.

[@akhtarnadeem621]

Excellent!!

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you. I really appreciate it. Do you have the Sigma Fp?

[@dr.frankinspain253]

Amazing!! I have a question which has nothing to do with "RAW" filming...but has to do with any camera without a viewfinder....How do you get over not being able to see the screen in daylight. Do the hoods available really help? Maybe I'm just old but I really find it difficult, especially in photography, to SEE what exposure etc. is right....maybe I need to approach in a "digital" mind...I'm I relying too much on my human vision?

[@thefilmalliance]

Hey there, yes, it is difficult to see. I don't think this camera is made as a standalone and go out and shoot. I think its made to be rigged out with a lot of accessories

[@Joe_I_Hadley]

Nice video Joe

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for that, my favorite part is the intro. I was trying to make my video is a little different than what other people do.

[@mxdst14k29]

Good video bro!!!!

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks man!

[@shawnfoodfever]

wow,such a great experience. it eat up a big memory.

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes it does. DO you have the FP or thinking about picking one up?

[@DrWasim]

Thanks man. Would love to see a breakdown of the RAW workflow for FCPX users.

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes, I should do that. Its a little tricky but once you get the hang of it, its pretty easy

[@GUDZON_CREATIVE]

Workflow with cdng files from sigma fp is amazing 👌

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for sharing. What are you editing on?

[@GUDZON_CREATIVE]

@@thefilmalliance Davinci Resolve, you can check the result on my KZbin account)

[@marcopervo]

Thanks for a great review. Consider recoding external Pro Res on your other hybrids for more latitude in post for your paid jobs.

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for the tip! Thats actually so smart. How is Pro Res Raw compared to Cinema DNG?

[@TonesAdventuresHD]

Nice footage coach! Nice of them to let you borrow it!

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes it was, thanks for that. Are you planning on picking up the FP Tone? or sticking with the ZV-1 for now and waiting on the ZV-2? haha

[@TonesAdventuresHD]

@@thefilmalliance I am a firm believer of make the best of what you have and I am satisfied with the ZV 1. Of course if I had the funds I would get a full frame camera!

[@innstikk]

Nice. Adjust shutter speed? You can easily setup the camera to change ISO, aperture and shutter if you want without using Q menu. In addition you can setup false colour button to check exposure etc. I never change the shutter angle, but use ND filters (or variable ND filter).

[@thefilmalliance]

What awesome info. Shoot I wish I would have known that. It would have made the experience that much better. The false color option would have been super helpful as well. What are some must have accessories you got for it? Thank you in advance!

[@Panotaker]

I just got the FP a couple of days ago. I got the kit lens and the Canon adapter. The adapter works great with the canon lenses. I already had a 1 terabyte T5, a Ninja V, and Davinci Studio. I will probably get the EVF eventually.

[@thefilmalliance]

So please tell me, are you shooting in 4k 12 bit raw? I noticed the 2 TB I had, only gave me 45 mins of shooting so that means you will only have 22 minutes (ish). Do you plan to continue to off load your footage as you record throughout the shoot?

[@Panotaker]

@@thefilmalliance I mainly bought the camera to take short clips, and to play with the 12 bit cinemaDNG files. I have plenty of other cameras to take long clips. I’m barely just playing with the camera, but I think you can get more than 22 minutes out of a one terabyte SSD. When I find out later this week, I’ll reply here and let you know. I guess I can always shoot pro-res with the ninja and get longer videos that way.

[@Panotaker]

@@thefilmalliance well I did a quick test in my living room. With a freshly formatted 1 terabyte T5 SSD, and a fresh battery, and the camera recording 4K 23.98 FPS 12 bit, it recorded a 53 minute video. The low battery indicator came on at 49 minutes, and the hard drive got filled up and the battery died within seconds of each other at 53 minutes. So unless you are going to shoot with an external power supply, there is no point in getting a 2 terabyte SSD, unless you are going to shoot shorter clips and swap batteries.

[@tomguder]

now I know I stick to 8 bit and my ZV-1 in 4K ... upgrading is a never ending story :) Thanks for your effort!!

[@thefilmalliance]

Hey Tom, there ya go. Thats what I was hoping. That people come to conclusions without having to go experiment

[@MTBs]

Very interesting! Have been thinking about getting one of those, but it will never fit in to my work flow.

[@thefilmalliance]

I know for the work that you do I think the ZV one and GoPro work great. This is more for longform narrative work and documentaries in my opinion. It’s crazy how much memory you blow through

[@MTBs]

@@thefilmalliance You are right, but I really would like something like a Sigma FP or BMPCC for some sequences.

[@User_not_found_403]

sweet - please get one! would love to learn along with you on the sigma fp

[@thefilmalliance]

Man, I am tempted. Do you have one? Do you shoot in 4k 12bit Raw?

[@User_not_found_403]

@@thefilmalliance I do have one along with an FX3 and an A5100. I got it modded to have a flip screen, but there's no firmware support so it doesn't auto flip the image for you. Love the full frame, raw and form factor. Just wish the AF was better. I can live without IS by using a gimbal, but good AF would make it more practical for me.

[@venturasurfing]

I'm only a minute into the video, but had to stop and comment, "I LOVE YOUR INTRO!!!"

[@thefilmalliance]

Haha, thank you so much, that is so nice of you. Do you have the Sigma FP?

[@venturasurfing]

@@thefilmalliance I don't. If I was not already invested into the Pocket 4K, the Sigma would be a no brainer, believe me. The Pocket and I have a hard time parting. When it was first brought to market, I visited my local camera store and asked if they would be stocking that camera. The salesman looked at me and said, "I don't think you want that camera, it doesn't have auto-focus." Yes, it was said with attitude. That made my mind up right there :)

[@ChrisWhittenMusic]

Several users from a year or more ago have compared codecs, you have to shoot 12 or 10 bit CDNG (raw) to an SSD, recording internally is nowhere near as good quality. I also use Slim Raw and Resolve. Slim Raw is super easy to use. After I've finished my edit I dump the footage on to a cheap WD My Passport for archive.

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you sir for the comment. I really appreciate the insight.

[@ADHTube]

The very fact that you acknowledge God as the one who’s given you the gifts you have in the intro, led me to subscribe! Glad to be here. 👍🏾

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you so much. That is so nice of you. You are the first person who has ever said that. I appreciate it.

[@ericcoen8894]

Do you like 28-70/2.8 contemporary?

[@monsoon_movies]

Sir big films available Sigma fp camera used

[@richardgoose5205]

I own one along with a DJI drone, headphones, and gimbal, and a 15 promax iPhone. I I edit all my footage with da Vinci resolve. Load up perfectly, runs excellent, executes without lag For the price and what it can do. If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve bought it a long time ago.

[@digwillhachi]

best camera ever

[@thefilmalliance]

Yes, it is a great cam.

[@35mmdigitalcinema]

This camera looks great, but I am finding it hard to decide between the FP an the S5. What do u think about that ?

[@thefilmalliance]

Dang thats a hard one. Does the Lumix S5 shoot in 12 bit raw?

[@stanleystevens6278]

@@thefilmalliance No the S5 doesn't. You can get an Atomos Ninja V to record ProRes RAW with the S5.

[@gayshrink3190]

What area of the country are you shooting from? That old bus is cool.

[@thefilmalliance]

Hey there, I'm actually on a trip, but I shoot all over the place. Thanks for the comment.

[@dark-california]

I really have no clue what to think after watching this 'review'. Can only say I appreciate Sigma their hospitality to let you try it

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks, yes, it has been a super eye opening experience. I don't know how to handle the large file sizes though. Do you have the Sigma FP?

[@dark-california]

@@thefilmalliance Not yet, but actually I found a nice mint one. Seller is gonna sent me all details tonight. SlimRAW will compress all. Actually I was just talking about the file size of CineDNG, since it requires a lot of storage. Most use a T5 and load it directly into Resolve. But I suppose the compressed footage will speed up things all ...

[@theindiefilmdude]

Can't wait to nab my Sigma FP!

[@thefilmalliance]

Hey there, Please tell me if your picking the Sigma FP over like the BMPCC and why? Im very interested to know!

[@thepropolys]

@@thefilmalliance I sold my BMPCC 6K Pro to purchase two Sigma FPs. The image looks cleaner to me (less noise, crisper), the FP is better in low light. The BMPCC cameras are also super awkwardly shaped... They're similar in a lot of ways, though. The FP is a quirky camera and has a lot of flaws, but I still like it.

[@ibengumelar]

the camera is mind blowing.. i wish i had one..

[@thefilmalliance]

I hear ya, it’s pretty cheap for what it gives you. Don’t forget you’ll need a lot of memory storage. What camera do you have again?

[@ibengumelar]

@@thefilmalliance i got sony zve-10 with sigma 16mm f1.4 and a kit lense. Still plan to get another lense, maybe a sigma 56mm f1.4. Mostly i use for filming instead of capturing still images. What do you think?

[@billyoung9538]

I'm curious on your alleyway shots with this camera, if they were shot in RAW, did you adjust the exposure to capture the sky, or try to recover the sky in post by adjusting the gain/iso, and then use curves to bring the other portions up to match? RAW has tons of power IF one sets up their exposure range correctly. It's possible that the sky could be recovered if you didn't initially expose with the intention to try and capture it, but it might not be as successful. This is one of the reasons in the RAW shooting world they say expose to the right, or expose to the highlights, because the rest is often recoverable with some gain/ISO adjustments later. I guarantee it has far more shadow latitude than one might initially believe.

[@TacticalCactusMedia]

Take a look into SlimRAW. Helps a lot with managing file size with the FP

[@thefilmalliance]

Thank you so much. I have had a couple people mention that to me. I will look into it. Thank you so much for the suggestion. Do you have a Sigma Fp?

[@albeirocuesta1]

👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@thefilmalliance]

Did you pick up the FP or sticking with your ZV-1? haha

[@dylandigby1776]

The 65mm f2 is a real gem if you ever get a chance to use it

[@thefilmalliance]

I have got to try that one out. That f2 is a beautiful thing. Is it heavy when on the camera?

[@dylandigby1776]

@@thefilmalliance not bad at all. I mostly do stills with the fp and L, but it would probably still be gimbal friendly

[@sidvicious3129]

Was there any problems with heat in a body that small?

[@innstikk]

No. The camera is one large heatsink and as fp does not do lots of processing but stores RAW it doesn't generate so much internal heat. I have not had any heat issues in hot summer sun nor cold winter winds

[@thefilmalliance]

Not at all, They developed this camera with that in mind.

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks for helping out. Great info! DO you have the FP?

[@innstikk]

@@thefilmalliance I have 3 fp and 1 fpL

[@sidvicious3129]

@@thefilmalliance Not yet, I'm looking to buy. I need a stop-gap before making my way to the FX6 or FX9. These two Sony's are impossible to get and have been out of stock for well over a year.

[@sandeepmortal]

I have the ZV1 and I would like to see how it stacks up against this giant

[@rawbsworld6604]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5e1qKKNiKpsnJI

[@thefilmalliance]

Thats a great idea, and something I plan on doing very soon. Stay tuned!

[@monsoon_movies]

Big films Meking available camera

[@ericpmoss]

Everything about Sigmas screams "film', including every PITA quirk, plus weird interfaces, plus terrible battery life. But the film look really is special. I have some of their DP Merrill Foveon sensor cameras, and would still use them IF... they had EVF and decent battery life, and non-psycho menus. It's nuts that they try to make them so small -- too small, to be blunt. My Mamiya 7 is a monster by comparison, but 100x easier to use because it's human sized, not munchkin sized. IMO they need to make a big Foveon sensor that doesn't do that weird tiling, and get someone from say, Leica M7 engineering team to make it all usable.

[@thefilmalliance]

Thanks so much for your comment. Yes I agree I actually love the Sigma FP. I think it’s a very underrated camera and I think that sigma will only be coming out with better cameras from here on out. Have you looked into the new Sony FX 30?

[@AbrahmShearer]

I appreciate the content and gave you a like for you efforts. Constructive criticism if you are interested. Your intonation rises at the end of almost every sentence which doesn’t make for a natural delivery. Save the rise for a few points of emphasis. Thanks again and keep at it.

[@thefilmalliance]

If not you then who will tell me? I really appreciate the constructive criticism and always welcome it. To be honest I didn’t even know I did this so I will have to make sure I stop, except for a few points. Thanks again for helping me out I really appreciate it

[@LarsSteenhoff]

Slimraw can make it smaller

[@thefilmalliance]

Can you explain that? It makes it smaller but doesn't compress it or have it lose quality?

[@thepropolys]

@@thefilmalliance It is a lossless compression algorithm.

[@edaracedream1403]

what is the dynamic range??? 12?? 14? 16? what?

[@thepropolys]

It's similar to the blackmagic pocket cameras. Around 12.

[@edaracedream1403]

@@thepropolys 12 isn't enough :(

[@thepropolys]

@@edaracedream1403 Know of anything with more in this price range?

[@dm.b7560]

The only reason why you say ARRI and RED are too high for you, is because you have not understood the key behind cinematic images maybe, and is not the camera, or the equipment. Looking at your shots, you just luck and important aspect, you should start playing more with depth of field, correct exposure, blurring the foregrounds and backgrounds, playing more with perspectives and long lens, nice video man, you have it all , you just need to practice, all the best.

[@wyat5011]

The color/image quality is not that great

[@TopSecretVid]

too bad the autofocus is horrible

[@user-wb1ox8jm8o]

Cool but videos from this sigma looks like always out of focus

[@thefilmalliance]

Hmm, In the woods?

[@user-wb1ox8jm8o]

@@thefilmalliance I think almost everywhere. Beautiful colors, shadows, dynamics but the image is never crisp and with well defined details. To me looks too softened the focus.

[@TonyRomeNewMoney]

I shot raw and got two daughters

[@Pkouyjo]

Sorry, but I don't get it. Your talking head part is great. Your B-Roll part looks good when you're shooting with a different camera. But every footage you showed from the Sigma, it is absolutely horrendously awful. In fact, several other videos from other KZbinrs also had awful footage from this camera. 06:28 you wanted to show dynamic range. The footage looks like a phone shot from 2012. 04:46 footage looks awful. There's flickering, the contrast is all strange and the colours are ugly. I have no idea what was going on here and how you didn't realize it's awful, because, like I said, everything else you shot looks good.

[@freepalestineus]

Yes!!! Check out my IG, I'll be posting more content with the Sigma FP. Love that camera!

[@thefilmalliance]

Yay, I am so glad. Thank you for the comment. How do you like the Sigma FP?