Sigma announced the BF, a compact 24.6-megapixel full-frame interchangeable lens camera designed to “evoke the essence of photography” through a “radically simple” design featuring just three buttons, a dial, and a shutter release.
Measuring 5.1 by 2.9 by 1.4 inches (129.5 by 73.7 by 35.6 millimeters) and weighing just 13.7 ounces (388 grams), the L-mount Sigma BF is designed to “focus on the joy of photography” by removing distractions and stripping down the experience to just the bare minimum. To do this, Sigma says it created a simple, clear, and completely new user interface that deviates significantly from other modern cameras. The main photography-related settings live on the live view screen, secondary settings in an optional menu, and “management functions” along with more detailed settings live in the system menu.
Sigma says photographers will be able to easily adjust key parameters like shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, EV compensation and color mode at the “touch of a finger.”
The Sigma BF is also the first mirrorless camera to incorporate haptic feedback into its dial, center button, option button, and playback button, which Sigma promises are always accurate and comfortable to press.
The default screen on the rear display (which has a resolution of approximately 2.1 million dots) promises to only show the minimum necessary information and Sigma even designed a way for those to be removed as well, so nothing stands between the photographer and the image. The current active settings are displayed on a secondary status monitor which allows the live view screen to remain uncluttered.
Sigma says that the body design is the first camera in history to feature a “true unibody” design. That is to say, the camera is carved from a single block of aluminum — a process that takes seven hours. As a result, Sigma promises unprecedented rigidity and a weight that harmonizes with any attached lens.
Given that it features a unibody design, digital storage is included with the BF. The camera ships with a built-in 230GB SSD which Sigma quotes as able to hold more than 14,000 JPEG files, 4,300 uncompressed RAW images, or 2.5 hours of video at the highest-quality setting. USB-C is used to connect to a computer and offload photos and footage.
The 24.6-megapixel sensor features a native ISO range of 100 to 102,400 and is expandable down to 6, 12, 25, and 50.
The camera features a hybrid autofocus system that combines phase detection with contrast detection and uses “state of the art algorithms” to deliver accurate and quick focus of subjects. It is able to quickly focus on people, dogs, and cats via its subject detection mode.
The Sigma BF can capture video at up to 6K resolution and in L-Log in H.264 and H.265 at up to 29.97 frames per second (fps) in 6K and 4K and up to 119.88 fps in 1080p Full HD.
The compact camera also has 13 color modes to “open up new avenues of creativity.” These include Standard, Rich, Calm, Powder Blue, Warm Gold, Teal, Orange, FOV Classic Blue, FOV Classic Yellow, Forest Green, Sunset Red, Cinema, 709 Look, and Monochrome.
Below are a few sample images taken with the Sigma BF, provided courtesy of Sigma:
The Sigma BF will be available in black or silver and is scheduled to ship by April 2025. Both versions will retail for $1,999.
Sigma is also updating its I Series of compact prime lenses. It will be adding silver as a color option for the L-mount lenses to perfectly match the silver finish of the BF while also the laser engraving on the body and product line badge are newly updated for all nine black models in the Sigma I series for both L-Mount and Sony E-mount lenses. The 45mm f/2.8 DG will be upgraded to support the magnetic metal lens cap, too. The optical formulas and performance will remain unchanged. These changes will be reflected for L-mount in April and E-mount starting in May.
Image credits: Sigma
