Sigma fp2: is a tiny full-frame video camera worth it?

Sigma has announced the fp2, a full-frame L-mount camera with a body weighing under 400g. It costs £1,899 body only, £2,399 with the new EVF-21 viewfinder, or £2,419 with Sigma's 50mm f/2 lens, and it's due in shops on 11 November. Both What Digital Camera and Digital Camera World give the same prices and date.

Short answer on whether it's worth it: if you shoot video for social and already know your way round a camera, it's one of the most interesting bodies of the year. If you want one camera that does everything without fuss, it probably isn't the one. I haven't had one in my hands yet, so this is a read of the spec sheet and the first hands-on reviews, not a verdict.

01What is the Sigma fp2?

It's the follow-up to the original fp, which was famous for being tiny, modular and a bit awkward. The headline numbers, as reported by both outlets:

• A 24.5MP partially stacked full-frame sensor
• 6K open gate video, up to 59.94fps in compressed formats
• ProRes RAW at 6K up to 29.97fps, recorded to an external SSD
• 4K up to 60fps full frame, and around 120fps in a crop mode
• About 70GB of internal storage, plus an SD card slot
• 32-bit float audio with the HU-21 hot shoe unit
• A 3.15 inch screen that tilts up 90 degrees and down 45

Weight is 376g for the body alone, or 460g with battery and card, according to Digital Camera World. What Digital Camera's write-up quotes both figures in different places, so if you see conflicting numbers online, that's why. It's the same camera, just weighed with and without the bits.

02Why 6K open gate matters for small businesses

This is the bit I actually care about. Open gate means the camera records the whole sensor, in a taller 3:2 shape, rather than chopping it to widescreen. In plain English: you film once, then crop a 9:16 vertical for Reels and TikTok and a 16:9 for YouTube or your website, from the same clip, without losing much quality.

For a small business that's a big deal. Most brand and event video ends up in at least two shapes these days. Usually it's vertical for social ads and widescreen for the website. Shooting with both in mind normally means framing a bit loose and hoping for the best, or filming everything twice. Open gate takes most of that headache away.

One clip, every shape. That's the feature, not the 6K.

It isn't unique to Sigma. But it's rare to find it in a body this small, and that's the point of the fp2.

03What it leaves out

Here's where Digital Camera World's hands-on gets useful, because the compromises are real.

• No in-body stabilisation. There's electronic stabilisation, but it adds a 1.25x crop and doesn't work in 6K. You'll want stabilised lenses, a gimbal, or software like Gyroflow, which can use the gyro data the camera records.
• No mechanical shutter. Electronic only. Fine for most video, less fine for fast-moving stills.
• No built-in viewfinder. The EVF-21 is £500 extra on the kit price and adds bulk.
• The screen doesn't flip to face you. So it's not a self-filming vlog camera, whatever the marketing says.
• No cooling fan. It relies on a ribbed back panel to shed heat. How that holds up on long 6K takes is something to watch for in full reviews.
• Front heavy with bigger lenses, and not much of a grip.

The reviewer summed it up as "a camera that asks you to make quite a few compromises in pursuit of something that few other cameras offer." That feels fair from everything on paper.

04Who should actually buy one?

I'd look at it if:

1. You already own a main camera and want a small second angle that matches it on quality.
2. You shoot a lot of vertical and widescreen from the same shoot, like event recaps or product launches.
3. You work in tight spaces. Cafes, small studios, cars, behind a bar.
4. You like a modular setup and don't mind building it up with a grip, viewfinder and SSD.

I'd skip it if:

1. It's your first proper camera. No stabilisation and no flip screen make life harder than it needs to be when you're learning.
2. You mostly film yourself talking to camera. A phone or a dedicated vlog camera will be less faff.
3. You're on a tight budget. By the time you add a stabilised lens, an SSD and maybe the viewfinder, £1,899 becomes a lot more.

05Is it worth it for social media video?

For most small businesses, the camera isn't what's holding their videos back. Light, sound, a clear idea and a decent edit matter far more, and I wrote about the free fixes in why your reels look cheap. A £1,899 body won't fix a muddled message.

But for people who already make a lot of video and are fed up shooting everything twice for different platforms, the fp2 is a clever tool. Wait for the full reviews after 11 November, especially on heat and autofocus. Digital Camera World found autofocus less reliable in wide-area mode on a pre-production unit, so that's one to check.

06The short version

Small, full frame, 6K open gate, from £1,899, on sale 11 November. Lovely as a second camera. Fiddly as your only one.

If you'd rather someone else worried about the kit and just got you footage that works on every platform, have a look at my services or drop me a line. What would you use a pocket full-frame camera for?