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Sigma FP vs Komodo

J

John Pike

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I own a Sigma FP (the original non "L" version) and I've enjoyed it so far but I'm strongly considering a Komodo. I'm an artist and I shoot mostly on a tripod cinema style artistic personal projects. Lately lots of rivers and urban landscapes. I don't love working with the Sigma files- they are big and heavy and take quite a bit to process them easily in Resolve. I do like it's size.

I've rented a Komodo for the weekend and I'm trying it out. My first impression is that the files are very easy to work with and the quality really has a nice feel to it. I thought maybe not being a full frame sensor would be a problem but I don't really feel that way.

Anyways, I'd love to hear some thoughts on the Sigma FP and what advantages a Komodo may have over the Sigma.

Thanks!
 
I have both and love both. I did a test shoot with them and used the DZOFILM 20-55mm on one and the 50-125 on the other. On the Sigma FP (Older non L version) I shot 12 bit raw and I have to say when I got them in Resolve it was hard to see the difference right off the bat. I could easily use this as a b camera and inter-cut the footage just fine. I will use my Komodo on productions here and use my Sigma FP when I travel since it is more compact. No reason you can't have both cameras.
 
Han Vogen said:
The Sigma Fp has a nice image and raw files are very forgiving. It is very much a manual experience as the AF is useless. I think a tripod is a must have as the Fp lacks any IBIS.

https://youtu.be/T04U2c8gU2M
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thanks for that.
it only records RAW through an external recorder though still ? eve the newer version of the camera cant do internal RAW I assume ?
its a great little package otherwise. I see what you mean with tripod, that's the problem with such small and light cameras handheld.
 
Yes I get it can be adapted, but I prefer locking mounts that are solid and have tried to cut down on having to build my rigs up with excess (cages/baseplates) to stabilize large lenses that ultimately ends up defeating the purpose of such a tiny camera like the FP.

L-mount glass is of no interest only because I don't own any and don't really want to invest in more glass to another system when I already have some very nice EF cine-mod glass (i.e. Leica-R, Canon FD, Contax, etc.) and also shoot heavy PL glass a lot. My concern for the FP's mount and adaptors is very much that of what I dealt with when I first got Komodo. I recently had to give up on the Canon RF/EF adaptor for Komodo for this sole reason because I was getting image shift when using FF motors even with lighter cine-mod ef lenses. I have since went with the Kippertie adapta EF and PL adaptors and it has solved this issue with Komodo but the form factor is still very minimal and the adapta direct bolts right into the Komodo chin-strap which is a minimalist cage essentially.

Are there any solid L-mount to EF/PL mount adaptors available for the FP with say an integrated cage or something to keep size and weight down? I am interested in this cam for a personal day cam/family cam but also as a specialized interior car scenes or scenes requiring very odd placements even beyond the potential capabilities of Komodo (i.e. snorricam, face cam, etc)... FPV would also probably be very interesting and open up opportunities with the FP also.

Rakesh Malik said:
And it's a lot more flexible that way, since it's possible to adapt nearly everything to L mount, including EF.
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Andrew Reese said:
Yes I get it can be adapted, but I prefer locking mounts that are solid and have tried to cut down on having to build my rigs up with excess (cages/baseplates) to

Are there any solid L-mount to EF/PL mount adaptors available for the FP with say an integrated cage or something to keep size and weight down? I am interested in this cam for a personal day cam/family cam but also as a specialized interior car scenes or scenes requiring very odd placements even beyond the potential capabilities of Komodo (i.e. snorricam, face cam, etc)... FPV would also probably be very interesting and open up opportunities with the FP also.
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The Sigma EF- L adapter has a little foot, that foot can be removed and if you use the small rig cage, I believe it has an extra support that screws in to that foot. Looks like it makes a pretty strong and secure mount, but I don't have one personally to try out.
 
And thanks for all of this info and advice everyone. I think I still can't stop thinking about the Komodo, so I'm probably going to just buy one. Am I crazy- should i just be sticking to my FP?

Something about using the Komodo really delighted me this weekend and the files are just so easy to work with.
 
John Pike said:
And thanks for all of this info and advice everyone. I think I still can't stop thinking about the Komodo, so I'm probably going to just buy one. Am I crazy- should i just be sticking to my FP?

Something about using the Komodo really delighted me this weekend and the files are just so easy to work with.
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Komodo is very easy to work with yes.
 
John Pike said:
I wonder if I'm crazy to spend so much for just that much more easiness- or is there really a lot more I'll gain with the Komodo?
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are you really spending that much more though between the two systems ? keep in mind that unlike the Komodo, the Sigma FP cannot record RAW motion footage internally. so you would still need an Atomos or Blackmagic recorder to go with the Sigma to make use of the CinemaDNG from my understanding.
Plus the komodo has a lot of other extremely neat features that the FP doesn't. keep the future and possible business/ production growth in mind.
With the FP you ll be hitting the limit of its production capabilities fairly quick without stocking up on 3rd party gear....the Komodo seems to have a bit more room at the top.
 
Dominik Muench said:
are you really spending that much more though between the two systems ? keep in mind that unlike the Komodo, the Sigma FP cannot record RAW motion footage internally. so you would still need an Atomos or Blackmagic recorder to go with the Sigma to make use of the CinemaDNG from my understanding.
Plus the komodo has a lot of other extremely neat features that the FP doesn't. keep the future and possible business/ production growth in mind.
With the FP you ll be hitting the limit of its production capabilities fairly quick without stocking up on 3rd party gear....the Komodo seems to have a bit more room at the top.
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That is incorrect. I have a 500 gig SSD drive that fits in a shoe mount on the Sigma FP that uses the USB-C cable that I record the RAW Cinema DNG files too. You do not need an external recorder. The internal card just can't handle that speed, so you need the external drive.
 
Lars Wikstrom said:
That is incorrect. I have a 500 gig SSD drive that fits in a shoe mount on the Sigma FP that uses the USB-C cable that I record the RAW Cinema DNG files too. You do not need an external recorder. The internal card just can't handle that speed, so you need the external drive.
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oh wow seriously ??? Is that with the new L model only or the original FP too ? impressive.
 
The original FP too. It shoots cinemaDNG to an external SSD. Use Samsung T7s and T5s without any issue. If you want bRAW or Pro-Res however you'd need an ATMOS or the Blackmagic Monitor.

Otherwise I do mostly agree, that as an actual production camera the Komodo will likely shine and could probably be easily used for 5 years or so without significant upgrades.

The FP seems like it could be sort of fade away. One thing that's somewhat frustrating about the FP is just how niche it is. Very few people use one, and even less professionally so when searching for help your kind of on your own. That compared to for example this amazing community is a pretty big downfall.
 
Dominik Muench said:
oh wow seriously ??? Is that with the new L model only or the original FP too ? impressive.
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Recording raw over USB-C was a banner feature for the original fp from the get-go. I have a 1TB Samsung T5 for that purpose, and it works flawlessly.

That said, you CAN record cDNG internally to the SD card, but only at up to 8 bit. For the full 12-bit monte you have to use a USB-C device.

The catch is that the fp has some minor but dumbass frame rate and aspect ratio options. It does UHD but not DCI, and it does 23.98 and 25, but not 24. I reported that as a bug and Sigma copped an attitude about it, so IMO they blew it. It's a small thing, but that attitude is IMO foolish.

That said, I almost don't use my fp any longer now that have a Komodo. The resolution is very close, but the Komodo is fully functional without an external monitor, has wireless control via phone, and has 16-bit color. I plan to sell my fp as a result.
 
Dominik Muench said:
oh wow seriously ??? Is that with the new L model only or the original FP too ? impressive.
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Yep... like they said above. My komodo is great for local productions. But I am hoping to visit Egypt and play a tourist visiting the Pyramids and other sites once this pandemic has subsided. I would not want to take with my Komodo and Cinema lenses with for that. The Sigma will work great as a compact 12-Bit 4K Raw camera, and shoot stills.
 
Lars Wikstrom said:
Yep... like they said above. My komodo is great for local productions. But I am hoping to visit Egypt and play a tourist visiting the Pyramids and other sites once this pandemic has subsided. I would not want to take with my Komodo and Cinema lenses with for that. The Sigma will work great as a compact 12-Bit 4K Raw camera, and shoot stills.
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Put compact lenses on it, and a Komodo becomes a compact camera ;)

Put an 800mm lens on it, and it's no longer all that compact.

:anti-old:
 
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