Sigma today introduced the FP2, a complete redo of their earlier camera-in-a-small-box.
The box is similar, losing just a bit of depth and only .2 ounces (6g) heavier. The fp name of the earlier model is now an uppercase FP. Out back, the Rear LCD now tilts.
But it’s inside where the real changes lie. The FP2 uses the 24mp partially-stacked image sensor pioneered by the Nikon Z6III (which Panasonic also now uses). This opens up 6K open gate at up to 60P, as well as Apple ProRes RAW recording. Curiously, Sigma is using Leica’s L-Log. 70GB of internal storage is augmented by a UHS-II SD slot, and audio can now be 32-bit float with an optional accessory. One big change is that the FP2 uses phase detect autofocus, including subject tracking. This may be the biggest real change for those wanting a small L-mount box camera, as autofocus was the thing that really held the original fp back as far as I was concerned.
A new, larger capacity battery plus new viewfinder and other accessories round out the changes. Effectively, most everything changed (for the good) when you start doing spec-by-spec comparisons. At US$2199, the basic box lives in the Nikon ZR space, though smaller and L-mount.
Note one thing about the FP2: it does not have sensor stabilization. The implication is that this is a box you mount on a gimbal, which starts to make the small box idea, particularly when accompanied by the accessories, not so small.
After all the pushback on the Nikon Z5IIC used as a compact camera I got, it’s ironic that my initial impression of the smaller Sigma FP2 is that it isn’t as good a choice for a full frame walk-around compact, despite having a better Rear LCD. The reason? By the time you mount a lens on it, it becomes the usual lens-sticking-out problem for jacket-pocketing. Plus you have no hand grip nor any image stabilization.