The EOSHD Interview - Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma and Takuma Wakamatsu, Sigma Fp Product Manager

[Andrew Reid]

On 9/5/2020 at 4:11 PM, Sid said:

For the Sigman current and previous Foveon cameras, does anyone have any thoughts about the quality of Quattro vs Merrill ?  Here is the article with the comparison (the Japanese woman's face).

An Ode to the Sigma Foveon Sensor

I have both the Merrill DP2/DP3... and the newer Quattro.

I'd say they are both superb but Merrill is more low-fi, not quite as technicolor.

They are like different types of film really.

[cameraeye]

On 9/7/2020 at 1:24 PM, markr041 said:

I shoot with the fp almost exclusively wigh Canon lenses. All work fine (IS, AF), but some perform better than others - faster AF. Performance is similar on Canon bodies, except no AFC in video mode with the Sigma adapter. Ask me about specific Canon lenses, as I have a bunch, and I can tell you about my experience (I shoot only RAW video).

Thanks. Initially I would be using the 50 f1.4, 17-40 L and less often 70-200 f4.

[TiiPii]

Great interview!

Thinking video mainly here... I think Sigma is in a great position compared other Japanese camera manufacturers, and that's because they don't have to protect some pro cinema camera line up like Sony, Canon and Panasonic needs to. These companies will always hamper their consumer cameras in some ways in order to not cannibalize the pro line up. Sigma has no such problem. If they can do it technically, they could create a consumer/prosumer cinema (hybrid) camera that rivals the highest end cinema cameras and not think twice about it, and possibly disrupt both the pro and consumer market segments. If they can, they should.

In my opinion they shouldn't concentrate on the resolution game, 8K, whatever. That's not important in vast majority of applications. And in those applications where you need 8K or 12K there's cameras that can do that now. The most important thing to concentrate still is the dynamic range and that's where Sigma's focus should be. I take higher dynamic range over higher resolution any day of the week. 4K is plenty, but the dynamic range of Sigma FP isn't.  It's good, but it should be better.

Foveon sensor cinema camera would be nice to have (at least as a technology demo), but it's probably not going to happen any time soon, if ever. If need be they should use the sensor know-how they have in-house and develop their own high end CMOS sensor (again concentrating on dynamic range and color more than resolution).

But why am I saying they should do consumer/prosumer cinema camera and not a high end expensive pro cinema camera? Because as a market, it sucks. I greatly doubt anyone is going to get rich by selling pro cinema cameras because volumes are so low, not to mention the whole rental house game. Sigma already knows this from their cinema lenses. That market sucks too, but it was a no-brainer to enter since they had the lenses already. The money is in the consumer/prosumer market and that's why Sigma is in great position, because they don't have to worry about existing pro line up.  They can create whatever they want as long as it's technically possible and doesn't get too expensive.

Oh, and the next camera needs to have OLPF. Need that for video.

[Andrew Reid]

The question is - how does one compete with Sony and Canon by offering something they don't.

It's certainly not easy on the camera side to do that.

What's great about the Fp is it's different. It's complimentary to a Sony or Canon mirrorless camera and very small.

But to really be mainstream you need an EVF, IBIS, mechanical shutter, and so the product becomes homologated and similar to the competition.

Making a Cinema camera could be an opportunity, but not just an FS5 II clone.

Pocket Cinema Camera rival perhaps?

[markr041]

5 hours ago, TiiPii said:

Great interview!

Thinking video mainly here... I think Sigma is in a great position compared other Japanese camera manufacturers, and that's because they don't have to protect some pro cinema camera line up like Sony, Canon and Panasonic needs to. These companies will always hamper their consumer cameras in some ways in order to not cannibalize the pro line up. Sigma has no such problem. If they can do it technically, they could create a consumer/prosumer cinema (hybrid) camera that rivals the highest end cinema cameras and not think twice about it, and possibly disrupt both the pro and consumer market segments. If they can, they should.

In my opinion they shouldn't concentrate on the resolution game, 8K, whatever. That's not important in vast majority of applications. And in those applications where you need 8K or 12K there's cameras that can do that now. The most important thing to concentrate still is the dynamic range and that's where Sigma's focus should be. I take higher dynamic range over higher resolution any day of the week. 4K is plenty, but the dynamic range of Sigma FP isn't.  It's good, but it should be better.

Foveon sensor cinema camera would be nice to have (at least as a technology demo), but it's probably not going to happen any time soon, if ever. If need be they should use the sensor know-how they have in-house and develop their own high end CMOS sensor (again concentrating on dynamic range and color more than resolution).

But why am I saying they should do consumer/prosumer cinema camera and not a high end expensive pro cinema camera? Because as a market, it sucks. I greatly doubt anyone is going to get rich by selling pro cinema cameras because volumes are so low, not to mention the whole rental house game. Sigma already knows this from their cinema lenses. That market sucks too, but it was a no-brainer to enter since they had the lenses already. The money is in the consumer/prosumer market and that's why Sigma is in great position, because they don't have to worry about existing pro line up.  They can create whatever they want as long as it's technically possible and doesn't get too expensive.

Oh, and the next camera needs to have OLPF. Need that for video.

While we are on the wish-list route, I vote for 4K60/50P. Slow motion is important, and used in many creative videos and film. 60P is also good for fast moving subject, sports, action etc. Z Cam, new Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic all have this option for either RAW or at least 10bit color. Sigma fp lags behind in this dimension of video capabilities.

And, btw, the FullHD 120P in the Sigma fp sucks, RAW or not. Everyone agrees. So, not line-skipping, pixel-binning 4K60P.

[Trek of Joy]

Great interview, hopefully the FP sells enough to avoid being a drain on other resources. Cameras seem like a real passion project and they definitely take a different approach compared to the mainstream brands. Seems like a second generation of refinements, AF improvements and better processing could make the FP a real giant killer.

Like others I'd like to see them move beyond the giant, wide aperture primes and the 2.8 zoom trinity. There's plenty of demand for smaller 1.8 primes as we've seen by the popularity of Sony's 20/35/85 1.8's and well reviewed third party lenses like the Samyang 45/75 1.8's. I love the rendering of the 35/1.2 - it looks like the best 35 ever made - I just don't want to carry it around all the time. Given the size of the new 85/1.4, there's hope Sigma lenses won't always be so damn big. I love supporting companies like Sigma, I'm glad they're around.

Chris

[markr041]

8 minutes ago, Trek of Joy said:

Great interview, hopefully the FP sells enough to avoid being a drain on other resources. Cameras seem like a real passion project and they definitely take a different approach compared to the mainstream brands. Seems like a second generation of refinements, AF improvements and better processing could make the FP a real giant killer.

Like others I'd like to see them move beyond the giant, wide aperture primes and the 2.8 zoom trinity. There's plenty of demand for smaller 1.8 primes as we've seen by the popularity of Sony's 20/35/85 1.8's and well reviewed third party lenses like the Samyang 45/75 1.8's. I love the rendering of the 35/1.2 - it looks like the best 35 ever made - I just don't want to carry it around all the time. Given the size of the new 85/1.4, there's hope Sigma lenses won't always be so damn big. I love supporting companies like Sigma, I'm glad they're around.

Chris

While we are on the wish list for lenses from Sigma:  One of the key advantages of the Sigma fp is it is small. A disadvantage is it lacks in-body stabilization. But, most Sigma lenses are big, as was said, and most also lack stabilization. To use the fp handheld for video, small lenses with OIS are needed. Right now, one really has to use Canon lenses for that.

[octoplex]

  

On 9/4/2020 at 7:06 AM, Andrew Reid said:

I'd like to welcome Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma and the product manager of the Sigma Fp...

Thanks for this great interview with Kazuto Yamaki and Takuma Wakamatsu.

Here in 2024, we're still waiting for a major update to the Sigma FP, so I wanted to offer my thoughts to Sigma:

Sigma is the only manufacturer making a cinema-camera in an ethical region (Japan). This makes their cameras VERY desirable to ethical filmmakers. Admittedly Arri (sort-of made in Germany...) and Sony (Indonesia) are getting closer.

As a cinematographer, my suggestions for an update to the Sigma FP/FP-L are:

- Add Global Shutter: Even if this requires a drop in resolution. Sigma could capture the entire market for ethical-filmmakers seeking a close-to-celluloid look. Rolling-shutter is over. Even if it's fast, it adds sub-perceptual oddness that does not replicate film.

- Focus on film-looks: The post-processing market is big (Dehancer / Filmbox  / LUTs etc) and there is an entire generation chasing the Kodak-Eastman stock that defined the 70s/80s golden-age of movies. Why not offer a camera that has been specifically designed to properly recreate this stock in hardware?

In summary: Other cinema-camera manufacturers appear to have lost all sensitivity to the 'romance' of the image they seek to capture.

I'm not sure what most video camera-companies are aiming for anymore. Some kind of super-sharp; hyper-resolute; bland-scrutinization of the 'real'; or so it seems.

The result is ugly without extensive post-processing.

Instead: Sigma could make a cinema camera that takes Eastman Color 5247/7247 film (or similar) as its benchmark. Sigma could refer back to the time when movies had SOUL, and use that as a starting point for a new ethos in the industry.

A new wave of filmmakers are tired of spec-sheet-junkie-YouTube-streamer-cams and ten-billion-pixel sensors made for instagram-yuppies.

Some of us are ARTISTS and want a cinema camera with "Made in Japan" ethics, and an image that prioritizes BEAUTY and GRACE; not pixel-counts and a bizarre-preoccupation with uncanny / creepy-levels of sharpness. We were happy with Super16.

I hope Kazuto Yamaki is somewhere out there, reading this.

Sending you, and everyone at Sigma, courage!

[eatstoomuchjam]

Red are (or were) made in the US... or at least, the assembly is done here.  Not sure about the individual components, but if that's the concern, then Sigma is no more ethical than anybody else who uses Sony sensors.

https://petapixel.com/2017/11/30/red-cameras-made/

[Ninpo33]

4 hours ago, octoplex said:

Sigma is the only manufacturer making a cinema-camera in an ethical region (Japan). This makes their cameras VERY desirable to ethical filmmakers. Admittedly Arri (sort-of made in Germany...) and Sony (Indonesia) are getting closer.

I applaud your devotion to ethical products but in 2024 this is not that easy. The global marketplace is a complicated beast and just because a camera label says something about where it’s assembled “made” you’re going to never know the true story of what is the most ethical choice. Huge companies like Panasonic and Sony are global players with products being made and sold all over. Trying to assign a value on the finished camera body which may consist of parts from China, rare earth conflict metals from Africa? Who knows at this point? 
 

And to the rest of your post, have you played with any Fuji products? Sounds right up your alley. The X-H2s sounds like it has everything you are looking for in a camera system with film looks and the sweet XTrans sensor. I love it. At the same time it’s important to remember that a clean and neutral image will always be a great starting place to grade into whatever look you want. Dehancer and the other software options can achieve most of what you are looking for with a few simple clicks with the added benefit of not locking in an image or burning in a particular look. 

[Andrew Reid]

On 11/5/2024 at 4:06 PM, octoplex said:

Thanks for this great interview with Kazuto Yamaki and Takuma Wakamatsu.

Some of us are ARTISTS and want a cinema camera with "Made in Japan" ethics, and an image that prioritizes BEAUTY and GRACE; not pixel-counts and a bizarre-preoccupation with uncanny / creepy-levels of sharpness. We were happy with Super16.

I hope Kazuto Yamaki is somewhere out there, reading this.

It's admirable how Yamaki-san looks after his factory, his employees. The temptation to hive off everything to China to please the shareholders isn't there in Sigma's case, which makes them unique in the industry.

[PannySVHS]

FP with evf, swivel or tilt screen and mechanical shutter, 10bit h264 codecs from Panny, please. FF 4K60p for better marketing reasons too. Thank you:)