Following its tiny FP camera from 2019, lens brand Sigma has unveiled the new BF, a mirrorless full-frame affair carved from a single block of aluminum. It's aimed at shooters looking for a simpler, more intuitive approach to photography without all the technological excesses of modern gear.
The BF features a 24-megapixel 35-mm sensor coupled with a dual autofocus system, and shoots RAW and JPEG images, as well as 6K L-Log video. Its unibody design keeps the weight down to a modest 15.7 oz (446 g) including the battery, which is a fair bit less than the 23-oz (650-g) Sony A7 III.
I personally love the Japanese-made BF's subtle retro-futuristic styling, which is emphasized by beautifully machined surfaces and clean lines all around. Sigma has carried its philosophy of simplicity through from the camera's industrial design through to its software, which appears to be pared down for quick access to essential settings, and not a lot else.
The small set of three touch-sensitive buttons and a multi-function dial on the rear panel are laid out so you can use them all with one finger, while haptics give you feedback as you make adjustments. Apart from the TFT LCD screen on the back, there's a second little LCD – dubbed the Status Monitor – above the buttons that displays the current setting you're fiddling with.
In addition to adjusting electronic shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, and EV compensation, you'll be able to easily flip through 13 color modes for dramatically different output from the same frame.
While it's capable of shooting 6K L-Log footage at up to 120 frames per second, the BF is probably only good for capturing clips occasionally and not for replacing your other video gear. That's because it doesn't come with a headphone jack, mic jack, or a hot-shoe – which means it's not built for capturing high-quality audio or flexible enough to accommodate useful accessories. The LCD live screen is also fixed, so you can't use it as comfortably for solo vlogging as you would other cheaper cameras with articulating displays.
Sigma made a bold move with this one by skipping the memory card slot and instead offering 230 GB of onboard storage. The company says that's good for 14,000 JPGs, 4,300 RAWs, or 2.5 hours of video at the highest setting – and you can export content via a USB-C port. Again, this isn't ideal for heavy duty video content creation, where you'll want to be able to swap out cards quickly, and back them up independent of the camera.
Thankfully, you can switch out the battery on longer shoots, when you go beyond 60 minutes of video or 260 images. The BF is compatible with a long list of L-mount lenses; Sigma itself currently makes nine matching wide and standard prime lenses to go with the BF, ranging from 17 mm to 90 mm. The camera is pictured here with a 45-mm f/2.8 lens, and the company says that it will feel optimally balanced thanks to the way the mount is designed. It's not waterproof, but it should stand up to light rain.
If the BF's got you going, you can expect to pay US$2,000 for just the camera body in black or silver when it becomes available in April. The 45-mm f/2.8 lens pictured above will add another $549 to your shopping cart.
That's a pretty penny if you just go by the spec sheet – but judging by its appearance and the philosophy guiding its design, this is probably not for folks comparing features and megapixel counts.
Source: Sigma
