(Credit: Sigma)
Sigma is best known as a maker of premium, affordable lenses for photo and video cameras, but it makes cameras too. We won't blame you if you didn't know, as Sigma's cameras have long fallen into the "quirky alternatives for very specific photo nerds" bucket, well off the beaten path. The company is leaning strong into that heritage with its newest mirrorless camera, the Sigma BF, unveiled last evening just ahead of CP+, Japan's largest photo equipment exhibition.
Sigma BF: Stunning Industrial Design at Forefront
From an industrial design standpoint, the BF is a breathtaking camera. It squeezes a 24MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor into a tiny, lightweight body (2.9 by 5.1 by 1.4 inches HWD, 15.7 ounces), but it's not what's inside that counts here. The BF's chassis is milled from a single piece of aluminum and splits its facade between a perfectly smooth finish and a diamond knurled pattern that provides some extra purchase when handholding the camera.
The single block of aluminum design concept is one we've seen before, inside and outside the camera industry. Apple famously used this method for its unibody MacBook Pro enclosures and Leica went with a similar look on the very first L-mount camera, the T (Typ 701), in 2016.
And you'd not be wrong to compare the BF's design to another small, boxy, full-frame L-Mount Sigma camera, the fp mirrorless. The fp (and its high-res twin, the fp L) have a similarly squarish, sized-down chassis, but the similarities end there. The fp is a video camera first and foremost, and is meant to be built out into a larger rig with the addition of accessories. The BF, on the other hand, is as bare-bones as it gets. Or, as Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki describes it, "radically simple."
(Credit: Sigma)Yamaki-san lauds the BF's minimalistic approach to controls. The camera has three function buttons, one control dial, the shutter release, a power button, and a touch screen. This is in contrast to other enthusiast cameras that have loads of controls. The BF also incorporates haptic feedback into its dial and function buttons, a first for the industry.
As for the camera's name, you won't find this in any press release, but Yamaki-san told journalists at Petapixel that the BF's moniker is from "beautiful foolishness," a phrase first used in a century-old book to describe the deliberate ritual that is the Japanese tea ceremony. There's no question in my mind that the BF qualifies for beauty; it's a gorgeous example of industrial design, one that I expect will be timeless. Good design often is.
That takes us to the foolishness, and while I haven't used the BF myself as of yet (Sigma tells me PCMag is getting a review sample this week, so stay tuned), I can see where it comes from. The BF is radically simple, sure, but it leaves a heck of a lot of stuff out, including some features that photo enthusiasts may miss.
(Credit: Sigma)First up is the shutter. Like the fp before it, the BF uses a fully electronic shutter without mechanical curtains. And while I expect its BSI CMOS sensor will scan fast enough to severely limit the instances of rolling shutter distortion, most 24MP chips read out briskly, which means there's no way to use a flash with the camera.
There's not much room to add accessories in general. The camera omits a cold shoe, so you can't put an optical viewfinder accessory on to match the view an attached lens, nor is there any electronic viewfinder add-on available. Heck, the camera doesn't even come with a strap, though Sigma sells an official accessory wrist strap separately.
These seem like foolish decisions to me when looking at the camera from a practical, pragmatic point of view. The BF makes some functional cuts in favor of its fundamentally basic approach to photography. On the other side, Yamaki-san touts the BF as the "easiest camera to use" and positions it as an everyday carry option for creatively minded photographers.
(Credit: Sigma)And while my initial thoughts are that the BF is a a camera with far more appeal for still images, it does video too. The BF records at up to 6K in one of its custom color modes or in a flat L-Log profile. L-Log is useful for expert level video editors who want to take control of color in the editing room. However I don't think a lot of video pros will find the BF to be that useful as the camera does not support external microphones.
Storage is also a concern for video recording; the BF has 230GB internal storage, enough to hold about 2.5 hours of 6K video. The camera does not have a memory card slot, just a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. Photographers won't have to worry about space, though, as the internal memory is enough to hold 14,000 8-big JPGs or 4,300 14-bit Raw DNG images.
(Credit: Sigma)The BF is available for preorder from authorized Sigma resellers today and is expected to ship in April. The camera is priced at $1,999 as a body only and is available in a black or silver anodized aluminum finish.
I Series Lenses in Silver
In addition to the BF, Sigma is adding silver color variations to its I Series prime line. The I Series is a line of compact, aluminum barrel optics with on-lens aperture control, but is currently only shipping in a black anodized finish. The silver I Series lenses are meant to pair with the silver edition of the BF and will be available across the entire line, and is shortening the product names by dropping the "DN" designation.
The silver versions of the 17mm F4 DG Contemporary, 20mm F2 DG Contemporary, 24mm F2 DG Contemporary, 24mm F3.5 DG Contemporary, 35mm F2 DG Contemporary, 45mm F2.8 DG Contemporary, 50mm F2 DG Contemporary, 65mm F2 DG Contemporary, and 90mm F2.8 DG Contemporary are slated for L-Mount Alliance and Sony E-Mount camera systems.
(Credit: Sigma)The updated lenses are priced identically and technically identical to the previous "DG DN" editions, and are technically identical with one slight exception: the updated version of the 45mm F2.8 now ships with a magnetic lens cap, missing from the original. The L-mount versions will start shipping in April with E-mount following in May.
16-300mm Contemporary: All-in-One Zoom for APS-C Systems
Sigma is bringing two new lenses to market as well. First up is an all-in-one zoom for APS-C camera systems, the 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary. The lens covers a 24-450mm (full-frame equivalent) angle on compatible cameras and is the first zoom of its type we've seen that starts at such a wide angle. Most all-in-one zooms have an 18mm starting point. The extra coverage is advantageous for landscapes, architecture, and other scenes that are just a smidgen too vast for a typical all-in-one zoom to capture in frame.
(Credit: Sigma)On the other side of the range, the 300mm reach is long enough to capture field sports from the stands or sidelines and wildlife in nature. It's a little short for birding, and doesn't go ultra-wide, but it gets everything in between, including macros. At the 70mm focal length, the zoom focuses close enough for half-size (1:2) reproduction. Other features include snappy HLA linear focus motors, 4.5 stop optical stabilization at 300mm, and a weather-resistant construction with anti-smudge fluorine on the front element.
Sigma is releasing the 16-300mm for Canon EOS R, Fujifilm X, L-mount, and Sony E mirrorless camera systems. The lens is sized for carry (4.8 by 2.9 inches, 1.4 pounds) and is expected to ship in E and L in April, with Canon R and Fuji X editions following in May.
300-600mm F4 Sports: One for the Pros
The other new lens is a super telephoto zoom that seems just about perfect for sidelines sports photography, wildlife photography in difficult lighting, and other applications that require both exceptional telephoto reach and ample light gathering. The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports promises to deliver prime quality results in the convenience of a zoom lens.
(Credit: Sigma)The 300-600mm comes with an impressive list of specs and features, including 5.5 stops of stabilization at 600mm, full weather sealing, rear filter support, and HLA linear focus. It's a big lens, there's no getting around that fact; its rigid, internally zooming barrel is 18.4 by 6.6 inches (HD) and the lens itself weighs 8.8 pounds. My shoulder is not looking forward to schlepping this one out in the field to get photos, though I expect its picture quality to make it worth dealing with the heft.
Serious wildlife and sports photogs can get the 300-600mm Sports at a reasonable (for this type of lens) $5,999 price starting in April for either L-Mount Alliance or Sony E cameras.
We plan on reviews for all of Sigma's new photo gear, so check back soon to read about how it performs.