SIGMA Interview with CEO Kazuto Yamaki – Foveon Update, fp Camera-To-Cloud and More

by Florian MilzJune 6^th, 2023

During Cine Gear 2023, we sat down with Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of SIGMA, to discuss the company’s latest releases, including the SIGMA 65mm T1.5 Cine lens and the recent partnership between Atomos and SIGMA to unlock camera-to-cloud (C2C) for the fp and fp L cameras. Also, if you’re interested in the upcoming Foveon image sensor, this is your chance for some insight into the current development.

Ever since SIGMA acquired Foveon and their unique Foveon sensor design, filmmakers have been curious about when the Foveon sensor will find its way into a new SIGMA camera like an updated SIGMA fp or fp L. CEO Yamaki-san revealed that it is still actively in development (we continually give you updates on this project). Although the company has assigned multiple engineers to this project, they continually run into technical issues.

No fp-sized Foveon-powered camera

Yamaki-san also revealed that the Foveon sensor needs a very powerful processor, which also requires a lot of power. So in order to make this technology usable, SIGMA will need to couple this with a large and powerful battery, which in return will make the camera a lot larger than the current fp form factor. We can only remain optimistic and hope that this sensor will be incorporated into a camera sometime in the future!

SIGMA 65mm T1.5 Cine Prime

SIGMA announced the development of the 65mm T1.5 FF High-Speed and 65mm T2.5 FF Classic Cine Prime lenses in late 2022 (we reported) and the lenses are now shipping to customers. These 65mm lenses were a direct answer to the demand of users who wanted a focal length between the already available 50mm and 85mm prime lenses.

The cinema market is important for SIGMA, and they are determined to continue releasing new cine products in the future.

SIGMA fp Camera-To-Cloud

Last month, SIGMA introduced firmware updates for the fp and fp L cameras to support Camera-to-Cloud (C2C) workflows with Atomos Cloud Studio and Adobe Frame.io.

Using the Atomos Ninja V+ Connect Module combo, any SIGMA fp camera with firmware version 5.00 and fp L camera with firmware version 3.00 will be able to transfer content directly to the Cloud.

You can find out more about SIGMA Camera-to-Cloud on the SIGMA website.

Disclaimer: Graham Sheldon is a SIGMA ambassador.

Do you own SIGMA fp cameras? What are your experiences using them? Share what you are most happy or frustrated about. What do you think about the Foveon sensor project? Have you already purchased the new 65mm Cine Prime lens? Which focal lengths would you love to see SIGMA release next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!