Sigma fp2 Arrives With 6K OpenGate and 70GB Storage, But No Foveon

Sigma today officially announced the fp2, a full-frame compact L-mount body aimed at hybrid shooters, and the headline numbers are these: a 24MP partially stacked CMOS sensor, 6K OpenGate video, up to 20 fps bursts, and 70GB of built-in high-speed storage. Rumors pegged the price at $2,500. Sigma hasn't confirmed it. That gap between leaked figure and official pricing matters, because everything else about this camera reads like a spec-sheet race to parity rather than a reason to switch systems.

What actually changed from the original fp?

The fp2 is Sigma's update to the original fp, not the 61MP, photo-first fp L — which Sigma discontinued alongside the fp earlier this year. The resolution drop to 24MP signals a deliberately cine-centric positioning. On paper, the deltas are real:

• Sensor: partially stacked full-frame CMOS, which Sigma says significantly cuts rolling shutter distortion — a readout approach similar to Nikon's recent bodies.
• Autofocus: subject detection with dedicated Bird Tracking added, plus improved speed and accuracy over the fp's contrast-detect human/animal system.
• Burst: up to 20 fps (up from 18), with a buffer that holds 200 frames in a single burst.
• LCD: now tilting — 90° up, 45° down — replacing the fp's fixed screen.
• Storage: SD slot plus 70GB of internal high-speed storage.
• Audio: 32-bit float recording via the HU-21 unit, designed to prevent clipping and distortion, replacing linear PCM.
• Video: 6K OpenGate recording using the full sensor for multi-platform cropping, up from standard UHD 4K.
• Viewfinder profiles: now includes ARRI ALEXA 35 and Sony VENICE 2 / BURANO framing simulations.
• Battery: 30% longer life — roughly 370 stills or 130 minutes of continuous video versus the fp's ~280.
• Extras: flash sync to 1/50s, Lumix/Olympus hot shoe compatibility, and a physical Color button with 13 creative modes.

First reported by L-Rumors. Some of those rumored details — the sync speed, the hot shoe — remain report-level claims until shipping units are tested.

Who is this camera for?

Not stills specialists. The lower resolution rules that out, and Sigma clearly wants the fp2 measured against cinema tools — some reports named Sony's FX3-class video-only cinema cameras as the direct competitor. It's built for shooters who liked the fp line's colors and hybrid workflow. Sigma's own earlier fp review praised its high-ISO output: a print at ISO 6400 on the Prograf 1000 held up well against other 24MP cameras, cleaner than a Leica M10, slightly more detailed than a Panasonic S1 — though neither matched the S1's high-ISO color rendering.

Reader reaction online has been positive on the revival itself; commenters called the news "very exciting" given the lineup had been discontinued. Excitement about existence isn't excitement about capability.

What Sigma didn't say

No Foveon sensor. That's the omission photographers will notice. Sigma's long-anticipated Foveon technology is absent, and the launch landed as a letdown for photographers expecting it. By the Phoblographer's own assessment, there's nothing here other cameras can't already do — Sigma is playing catch-up, not innovating. If you're skilled with your current kit, there's no compelling case to upgrade or switch.

One more wrinkle from the supply side: reports say a DRAM shortage is reshaping camera roadmaps, with Lumix S9 pre-orders placed today not shipping until mid-January. Component scarcity, not just product strategy, may set the pace for L-mount availability through the end of the year.

The bottom line

The fp2 is a credible spec-catch-up with genuinely useful hybrid features — 6K OpenGate, 32-bit float audio, 200-frame buffers — but it arrives late to standards its competitors set, and the Foveon question stays open. Watch for confirmed pricing and real-world rolling shutter tests before committing $2,500 of speculative budget; Sigma's next move on Foveon, not the fp2, will tell us whether the company plans to lead or follow.