Emanuel

I'll surely love the camera if Sigma sends one my way to test ... and keep.  

You look great : ) It’s perfectly in keeping with the tone of your posts as always, and we’ve gotten used to it BTW ;- )

The 4k 100fps is just crazy detailed and lots of latitude IMO (given it's an action cam). I've been experimenting by taking short bursts of 5s and finding just the right moment, focus, FOV. I wonder if others shoot like this. It works fairly well as a substitute for having to take actual photos. I know it's not a real photo camera, but it works great in a pinch and with some interesting features.

Some really interesting things going on in the electronic music world at the moment.
A company called M-Vave released a product called the FM-1 which is a little £60 synth that ostensibly does FM synthesis like a baby Yamaha DX7 but adds other features and controls.

Someone decided to see if they could use Claude or Codex to see if they could hack it and put their own firmware on it to change it into what they wanted it to do.
And they were successful.
So other people thought they’d do the same to turn it into what they wanted it to do.
A lot of other people in fact.
I lost count at fifty but there is more or less a new firmware from someone every day making the FM-1 into what they want it to be for their music making.
And most of them are completely different from each other and take into account different genres of music making and more preferred workflows etc
The FM-1 is now just a development platform of components and everyone uses the screen, keypad, switches and encoders completely differently.
And how did M-Vave respond to this ?
Throw their toys out of the pram and threaten to brick everyone’s device and issue legal threats ?
Nope, they went “Fucking hell this is cool” and released the source code so everyone can actually build off it more effectively and make even more cool firmwares for different genres of music and unique workflows.
This largesse is obviously underpinned by their understanding that this will sell WAY, WAY more FM-1s than if they went the other way.
Previously, anyone who didn’t want the very specific type of synthesis and workflow the FM-1 offered would have gone “That’s cute and great value for money but it’s not something for me”.
Now it’s appealing to EVERYONE because there are firmwares to suit everyone and if there isn’t then it’s within their grasp to roll their own.
So not only buying it, they are buying them in multiples to have different firmwares on them.
This has been going on for about six weeks and whilst it’s been interesting in and of itself it’s what it’s caused in the past week that is very eye opening.
This is an Akai MPC one, a very sophisticated music production device that retails for about £700.

Behringer have now announced this, the Kick

Now, under normal circumstances this would raise a few moans but no surprise as Behringer have built their business on releasing products that are heavily “influenced” by other peoples.
However, what is different here is that they’ve seen what’s happened with the FM-1 and the Kick is not only open source but is also only going to be $150
Even by their standards that price is wild.
And they haven’t stopped there.
On consecutive days they’ve released two other products (a drum machine and a sequencer) that are also open source and the same price point if not lower.
Akai have come back with their own new product that will also be open source.
The genie is out the bottle here and going forward these companies are now just effectively selling development platforms with minimal functional “examples of operation” firmware.
And cutting out the cost to them and the end user of full blown software development.
Want a feature ? Make it yourself from the building blocks we give you and leave us alone.
From a manufacturer point of view, not having to deal with the demands of a certain section of whiney entitled arseholes who want everything bespoke to them even when it didn’t include it in the spec when they bought it would be reason enough to go this route 😂
Anyway, I’m wondering if a camera manufacturer might be brave enough to go down this route ?
Cameras as development platforms would be pretty amazing wouldn’t it?
Traditional guardians of the cripple hammers would be aghast but there’s nothing to stop an upstart manufacturer from doing it.
Someone like Sigma or Sigma or even Sigma would be very appropriate.
If they look at what’s happening with the nascent FP hacking and embrace it rather than ignoring it then things could get very interesting.
I don’t even think it needs to be either or as they could do this in parallel.
FP2 for £1800 or whatever it is and the FP2Dev for say £1400 would be an interesting proposition.
They could hardware protect it to fully lock down the FP2.
Well, for a while at least 😂

Maybe the iPhone 19 or 20 will go LOGIC?
I'd consider upgrading if that was the case....    but with my 17 Pro I now have Prores and Apple Log, so the images now look like they're from a camera and not from a phone.

The 1.55x has never looked this good on previous iPhone models. The adjustable aperture of the 18 Pro seems to make a huge difference in the overall detail and IQ. It also carries through on the video side and makes focusing much simpler.
The 1.55x was always pretty dreamy wide open and is even moreso on the 18 Pro, since it has a faster lens.
 
I have never tested it seriously on any of my other cameras, because it won’t cover full frame (whereas the 1.33x seems to if you find the right lens). But I suspect the 1.55x would actually work great on a M43 or APSC sensor. 
Here is another iPhone shot from this evening. There were a few raindrops on the lens, which created some interesting artifacts. 

100% agreed : ) Deserves a space of their own ;- )

Yes, the ZR is the new benchmark in a number of ways and for me is probably the pick of the bunch of these new ‘cine’ style bodies including: S9, ZV-E1, R6V and now FP2.
I love the size and build of the FP and the new rear LCD, but that lack of IBIS, aaaaaaargh!
S9 has the best video spec for me (the ZR beats it sure with it’s Red Raw but for the massive amount of storage it gobbles) but the ZR counters with a very nice body and rear LCD….except I would rather it was fully articulated (first choice) or at least tilted like the FP (second choice) but really don’t like the flip out to the side.
I don’t care for that side mounted EVF though. Ugly as fuck and all the FP would need for me is a base plate and grip and I’d be off with it. But that’s if it had IBIS, which it doesn’t so back on the fence waiting to see what LUMIX do.
FP2 was/is one single element away from being perfect for me.
ZR is two elements.
ZV-E1 two elements (rear LCD and something else I forget).
S9 two elements (rear LCD and overall build).
Someone will hopefully get it right soon…

Personally I am still intrigued by the FP form factor so will def be keeping my eye on this, specifically for travel/casual stuff - especially bcuz it seems to have a much better build than its competitors in that size range.

I posted some things in the older Sigma FP thread but I feel like these new FP hacks are picking up momentum and deserve their own separate space. In my opinion this project has big time EOS HD vibes and I’m getting old school Magic Lantern feelings all over again.  : ) 
Like most of you, I’m disappointed by the new Sigma FP2 and have always held off on the original FP because it just never made sense for the price and all the fiddling needed to use it. But time and time again I’m impressed with content coming from this mighty little brick. The users that know how to tame the massive cDNG files and work with all the shortcomings are rewarded with some truly glorious images and I want in on that mojo. 
Lots of new hacks making open gate possible on the FP and giving some new recording options that cut down considerably on rolling shutter and data rates. 
https://www.elcacharrista.com/en/articles/hacking-the-sigma-fp-with-ai/
 

Many of the shortcomings are still there of course, (the lack of flippy screen etc…) but for a now, $800 camera I feel like it’s worth picking up just to play around with. 
I’m also really excited about the new Super 16 mode. 
Super 16
At the last minute we decided to add a Super 16 crop mode -something I had asked about in this post two years ago, which is genuinely useful if you own cine lenses in that format. Recording quality is excellent despite the small image circle compared to full frame. At 2096x1238, with no scaling whatsoever, it is already more than the 1080p the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera gave us.

What are your thoughts on the new hacks and is anyone else thinking about getting an FP in 2026 now that gyrodata and open gate are crammed into this little guy? 
 

Some really beautiful tests with the new 3k open gate modes. 
 


 
 
 

I also found this video below, which combines a cheap adapter from Aliexpress with 17mm rear-filter and the Viltrox 28mm F4.5 lens.  He just sticks the mounting plate from the smartphone clamp for the anamorphic directly onto the Viltrox lens with tape, so hardly and ideal situation, but it is more proof of concept, and it covers FF too!

Test image:

Video:
 

I will say that even though the Beastgrip adapters are made for phone use, they actually have very good build quality and the newest versions have pretty decent optics, with 1.33x being better corrected than the 1.55x. They also have good front filter threads - the 1.33 uses 58mm and the 1.55 is 62mm. Once you get them properly attached to your lens, they aren't going anywhere.
The first versions are not as well corrected, but that may be what you are looking for. The build quality seems consistently good across all models and versions. I'm guessing you could find some on the used market for reasonable prices, as they aren't super expensive to begin with. 

Wow..  they're not optically perfect, but in the grand scheme of anamorphic adapters (and especially vintage anamorphic adapters) they're on the clean end of things for sure.
I'm now back to contemplating pulling the trigger on the 1.55x....

Here are a few shots with the Beastgrip 1.55x lens on the 18 Pro Max. These are both at F4. The adjustable aperture makes a night and day difference with the 1.55x especially for open gate stills/video. 

Somebody needs to tell Sigma that if you are FORCED to add components to the camera to make it usable, then it is no longer the "smallest full frame camera."
 
Now if the 2.5K ProRes Raw can be recorded internally, that will be a little interesting, but not for the same price as the ZR. And definitely not without IBIS.

Official listing on their website: https://www.sigmaphoto.com/fp2

Key specs via PP: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-fp2-everything-is-better-for-the-second-gen-modular-mirrorless-camera/
24MP partially stacked CMOS sensor
Up to 20fps stills
Video up to 6K open gate, including ProRes RAW output to SSD
Two USB-C sockets
Full-sized HDMI port
Tilt up/down 3.2″ 2.1M dot rear LCD
Optional 5.76M dot electronic viewfinder
Optional OM System/Panasonic compatible hotshoe
70GB internal memory
Larger, 16Wh battery, giving 370 shots/charge rating
460g (16.2oz) including battery and card
The Sigma fp2 will be available from November 11th at a price of $2199, body only, or $2749 with the new EVF-21 accessory or $2749 with the I-series 50mm F2 DG lens.

It's there, but not very distinct.  Here's a screen grab.

Why can't I see the tower anywhere in that fist frame?

You're pretty accurate on this one : ) Some elegant shots and atmosphere right there on your other entry, kudos to you, they sell the cam... ; ) Loved the voice too BTW :- )

Yes. I saw your video on YouTube. We've got pretty much the same lenses, minus the 10mm fisheye and the 50mm. Today, there was new firmware (version 4). Also, I installed Labs; so, I'm curious to see the improvements, especially for photos as it was seriously lacking.

@kye
As promised, here’s the video I mentioned over in the Narrative Films Shot in Uncontrolled Cities thread. I put together what I call my Mission Kit for the ILS, consisting of the Brightin Star 10mm fisheye, 7Artisans 10mm, TTArtisan 17mm, and the 7Artisans 25mm, 35mm and 50mm. The idea was to keep everything small, lightweight and affordable while still getting a very good image. The video is just a collection of footage shot with the different lenses, with each lens identified on screen. It’s not technical at all and it’s very casual. I’m just showing what these little lenses can do with the ILS. 
 

It’s a real fun camera to use. It actually brought my muscle memory back to the days of manual focusing. I remember when people used to talk condescendingly to people who relied on autofocus. Now it’s flipped. So funny. The  negative comments I read about using this camera is mind boggling. If the camera isn’t for you, just go about your business. Why try to bash the person wanting to experience something different? 

Went for a walk this morning. I was able to make a short video:
Sorry for the music. Everything is hand-held. Shot it at various frame rates. Most everthing shot in GoPro Log 2 (the slow-mo shots are in Natural) and plopped into a timeline for cutting and added FilmConvert with the GoPro Mission 1 Pro and GoPro Log 2 profile. No grain was applied. Anyway, you'll get an idea of the colors, electronic stab, etc.
I also wanted to say that I was able to update the ILS to the GoPro Labs firmware and use a QR code for putting a super-helpful histogram (better than the Lumix one on the GX800).