ISSUE 123
54 / GEAR
TESTED: SIGMA BF
Minimalist mirrorless for max style £1969 sigmauk.com
With its carved aluminium shell and stripped-back controls, Sigma’s high-resolution BF is built for those who prize aesthetics and a solidly built camera above all else
But for many, the BF makes very little sense. It has no viewfinder or card slot, a fixed screen, just four buttons and one USB-C port. There’s no image stabilisation or mechanical shutter, and the battery life isn’t great. You can buy a far more capable camera – but that would be missing the point entirely. Sigma might have built a camera for the sort of people who iron their socks, but it hasn’t skimped on the important bits, such as image quality. Inside it is a 24.6-megapixel BSI full-frame CMOS sensor, and phase detection AF with subject detection modes that work well. Images are recorded to 230GB of internal memory. You transfer images via the USB-C port, which offers fast data transfer and charging. With few controls, the user interface is vital and also has a refined look. The main shooting settings are displayed on the live view screen, with secondary settings in the optional menu and more detailed settings in the system menu. The default live view screen shows basic info such as shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, aperture and colour mode, but all that can be hidden for a clean view of the subject. It sounds great, but the buttons and menu system take some getting used to. Style over real-world speed and usability? Definitely. But you expect this from an anti-retro camera that seems built to frustrate spec-hunters. With the colour mode so prominent on the home screen, Sigma obviously thinks users will often be switching between the 13 different looks, which are Standard, Rich, Calm, Powder Blue, Warm Gold, Teal and Orange, FOV
Specifications
Sensor 36x24mm full-frame BSI CMOS, 24.6 megapixels Stills formats JPEG, Raw in 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 21:9, 14-bit Video formats H.264/265, 6K at
29.97fps, FHD to 120fps Storage Internal 230GB ISO range 100-102,400
Shutter Electronic, 30secs-1/25,600sec
SILVER MACHINE The Sigma BF is a thing of joy to look at and touch, less so to actually use though
If you live in a carefully curated house with a smattering
Classic Blue, FOV Classic Yellow, Forest Green, Sunset Red, Cinema, 709 Look and Monochrome. These do give some decent straight-out-of-camera looks. However, if you prefer shooting Raw and processing post-capture, you can. And what stunning pictures you’ll get. The images are sharp and detailed with low noise, wonderful colours and lots of headroom to play with in the edit suite. The camera produces simply glorious files – both in stills and video. Yes, the BF supports 6K video in up to 30fps and goes up to 120fps in HD, with up to an hour of recording on one charge. L-Log support maximises dynamic range. The camera has a built- in mic for scratch audio, but no input for an external mic or headphones for monitoring. With no articulating screen, using the BF for video is a pain. You can use USB-C headphones or a mic, but not both at the same time. But understand what this camera is for and why, stick to stills and you may have found an image-making machine that delights your soul and brings you visual pleasure in all ways.
Exposure modes PASM Drive modes Up to 8fps Lens mount L Screen 3.15in touchscreen, 2.1 million dots Connectivity USB-C Battery BP-81, 260 shots Focusing S-AF, C-AF, Manual Stabilisation In video only Dimensions (wxhxd) 130.1x72.8x36.8mm Weight 446g body only
of sculptural furniture, your wardrobe is 50 shades of black and you drive a Polestar to your job as an architect, Sigma has just the camera for you. This is the new BF, featuring a body carved from a solid block of aluminium, which takes seven hours. It uses L-Mount lenses – perfect for Sigma’s latest Contemporary series of primes. Like these optics, it comes in either silver or black. The BF has pressure-sensitive haptic buttons and a single control dial, with no eyelets for camera straps. It might cost £1969 for the body only, but it’s designed to be a fresh, simple camera that’s intuitive and a joy to use.
Verdict The Sigma BF doesn’t make a lot of sense when compared to its rivals. But if you value creative constraint and aesthetic boldness, it might be for you. You can think of it as a modern Leica-style experience at half the cost. It excels in stills, with elegant control, rich image quality and an inspired design. Features 15/25 It omits a massive list of features, like an EVF or memory cards, but do you really care when it looks this cool? Handling 16/25 A total disaster. With few dedicated buttons and a fixed screen, it can be a frustrating experience getting to grips with it Performance 22/25 Stunning images with lovely colours and very low noise if you shoot Raw. AF isn’t great for tracking anything speedy Value for money 19/25 At the price, there are lots more capable cameras, but that’s not why you buy a bit of kit as cool as this Overall 72/100 Overall scores make this one of the worst results for any camera we’ve tested. But if you love it, you’ll get amazing images Pros Super-stylish, great image quality, decent memory, solid body Cons Fixed touchscreen, no EVF, quirky handling, poor video options
STREET LIFE The speedy AF with a fast lens wide open makes the BF a stunning choice for candid photography
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