SIGMA BF: A Cult Classic in the Making, or Just a Beautiful Anomaly?

New camera iterations often offer incremental upgrades that don't always align with specific needs. Yet, some cameras break the mold, igniting a genuine sense of intrigue and the undeniable pull of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.). Enter the Sigma BF. This isn't just another camera; its promise of being uniquely good, undeniably quirky, and refreshingly different made it an instant standout.

As a landscape photographer, it's not often that I find myself attracted to the latest and greatest iterations of cameras. After all, most upgrades are added features that don’t necessarily appeal to or benefit my style of photography—or needs, for that matter. However, every so often, something comes along that triggers my Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.), something that stands out from the crowd and looks like it could be somewhat of a cult hero at some stage. This time it was the turn of the Sigma BF, so I had to get my hands on one to see just how good, quirky, and different it is.

Sigma is known to many for its excellent quality of camera lenses, of which I have owned quite a few. Each lens has its features and benefits, but most of all, it’s their tack-sharp optics that appeal to me and many others. However, less known is the fact that Sigma has been making cameras for many years—and yes, of course, I have used a number of them. The DP Quattro, the DP2, and the DP3 are all camera bodies that have graced my grip over the years, and while the image quality from them was incredible, thanks to the Foveon triple-stacked sensor, the user interface wasn’t, nor was getting the files from the camera to attempt to edit them. A frustration, I am sure, that has been felt by many using these cameras.

Additionally, these camera bodies were an unusual shape and design—some might say eclectic—and navigating around them was, at times, like guesswork, for me anyway. Fast forward to February 2025, and Sigma announces the launch of a brand-new camera system, with a release date of April 2025. This camera was to be the Sigma BF, which stands for “Beautiful Foolishness.” What this meant was yet to be seen, but as soon as I could borrow one from Sigma, I jumped at the chance, as this quirky addition to the Sigma lineup looked very interesting for many reasons.

Design

First up is the design. Sticking with their unusual form factor, Sigma once again changed the game with this new concept—a camera body forged from a single piece of aluminum, with minimal design and form. Taking a more traditional approach by placing the sensor in the center of the body (it was to the left and right before), this camera immediately strikes you as something that has been well thought out on paper, with some even suggesting that if Apple were to ever design a camera, then this would be it—but how would it hold up in the real world?

Available in two colors—a matte aluminum and a matte black—with beveled edges on two corners to make holding and using the camera less fatiguing over time, with the rest being sharp edges. The only texture on the entire camera is the front right, which has been done intentionally to provide more grip for your fingers, and the other texture is a thumb grip, which looks like it was tricky to carve into that single block of aluminum. Overall, from a looks point of view, the camera is certainly striking. Weighing in at 446 g (0.98 lb / 15.73 oz) including batteries, it’s not on the heavy side, considering what it’s made from. You have a USB-C (10 Gb/s) slot on the side, which allows for charging and offloading of images. Plus, in theory, it can connect external USB mics or receivers, but I have been unable to get that working.

The internal battery is rated for up to 7 hours of continuous use, though that will vary depending on whether you're shooting stills or 6K video. It uses an internal 230 GB SSD for storage, which Sigma says can hold up to 14,000 JPEGs, 4,300 raw photos, or 2.5 hours of 6K footage. There's no removable SD card or CFexpress slot, just that single internal drive.

Controls

Next, we move to the controls of the camera, taking the minimalist approach to a whole new level. Sigma has opted to have just five buttons and a scroll wheel. Two of the buttons are physical—the shutter and the power button—the rest are haptic buttons that don’t move but instead give you the reassuring feedback that they have been pressed.

Speaking of the power button, I have seen many first-time users struggle to find the way to turn it on. The power button looks more like a record button, with a single dot in the center. No text to explain either, but it’s a small initial hurdle to overcome upon first usage. The camera body has two screens—a large 3.15" touchscreen display, which acts as your viewfinder and image reviewer, and a small multifunctional screen, which displays the key info you need depending on what setting you are in. This does take the minimalist approach quite seriously—it looks great; however, it does come with its challenges—more on that later. The 3.2" LCD offers 2.1 million dots and is fixed (non-articulating), and there is no EVF included at all.

Functionality

Using the new controls does come with a learning curve, and one that some users might find amazing and intuitive, while others will find it too much to handle. For example, changing modes should be quite straightforward; however, it’s not. You need to rotate the dial to your desired setting—be that photo or video—and from there, you get an entirely new menu system for that setting. I have found myself at times struggling to get in and out of video mode, and while in either setting, I have also found it difficult to navigate quickly to the settings I want.

In theory, however, once you get all of your initial settings in place, it should be a simple task to then scroll to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and then change each one once you have selected it. But again, I found this quite cumbersome to manage on the fly. I instead had to stop and think about what I wanted to do, where it was in the menus, and what buttons I needed to press to get there, which invariably led to me missing the scroll because I turned the wheel one click too far or found that it had gone into auto (for some reason) and I couldn’t manage to change the settings to what I wanted. I have learned that if this happens, then press the wheel in the down direction, which will open a small submenu on the main screen, allowing you to get out of the dreaded auto setting.

You do have all the usual settings and features you would expect in this camera—histogram, level indication, focus peaking, highlight alerts (zebras), 8 frames per second burst rate, multi and spot metering, and face detection focus, which works on animals and humans.

Lenses

It uses the L-Mount system, so if you already have lenses from Panasonic, Leica, or Sigma’s Contemporary range, you’re sorted. The lens aperture control is located on the lens body itself, similar to traditional systems. There's no in-body image stabilization (IBIS), so handheld low-light shooting may require careful shutter speed selection or tripod use.

Sensor

The sensor is a full frame 36x24 mm, 25.28-megapixel CMOS unit—not a Foveon sensor as some had expected. There’s no built-in stabilization here, but the image quality, particularly in good light, holds its own. ISO performance is adequate, with a base ISO of 100 and a usable range to 6,400 without too much compromise.

Photo

Raw support is DNG, which is a welcome change from Sigma’s historically proprietary file types. The files are crisp, color-rich, and detailed, though dynamic range isn’t class-leading—certainly workable, but not as forgiving in high-contrast scenes as some others.

Video

The camera will record up to 6K at 30p (5,952 x 3,968), with full manual controls and the option for Sigma’s L-Log profile. There’s no internal fan, so overheating may be a concern for longer sessions, especially in warmer environments. Rolling shutter performance is decent—not standout—but the footage holds good dynamic range and color latitude for grading.

Audio

Now we get to one of the drawbacks of this camera design. There’s no hot shoe, so you lose the ability to attach a microphone that way. There’s also no dedicated 3.5 mm input or headphone monitoring—at least not that I have gotten working through the USB-C port. So if you're planning to use this camera for any serious video work with audio, be prepared to record separately or work around that limitation.

No Hotshoe

Due to its ultra-minimalist design, you don’t have the option for using a flash via hot shoe, nor do you have a built-in flash. So if you need to boost the light for exposures, you need to ensure that you have a continuous light setup, as you have no way to control the burst of light at exposure.

Summary

Overall, this Sigma BF camera is beautiful to look at but is let down by some of its minimalist design choices. Perhaps that was the reason behind the naming. The lack of an articulating screen has been a drawback I’d like to see addressed in the next version—perhaps then it could be called "BA" (Beautifully Amazing). All joking aside, it was a pleasure to use in most scenarios, except in bright light when I couldn’t see the screen and found myself struggling to compose without a viewfinder.

It also became tiring to hold the camera using just the thumb grip. The limited options for attaching a strap—just a single lanyard-style loop on the right—is, I feel, the main reason for that fatigue.

Image quality was very nice, as I would expect from Sigma. However, the menu system was the biggest letdown. I don’t understand why there’s a dedicated button for camera settings—it’s not something you use often enough to justify its button. That button would be better repurposed as a multifunction custom control. For example, switching between video and photo modes could be made far easier and would reduce frustration.

It left me wondering: Who is this camera designed for? What are the real-world use cases where it excels? Or was it more of a concept release as part of Sigma’s brand refresh, intended to appeal to the many Sigma loyalists around the world?

Perhaps the target audience is Leica users—people who want a camera that is both functional and beautiful. But in its current form, the “F” in the name doesn’t stand for “Functional,” in my opinion.

Either way, you’ll have to wait to get your hands on one. It takes 7 hours to mill the camera body, so there’s a waiting list. At the time of writing, Sigma has experienced delays in fulfillment due to its manufacture-to-order protocol.

Am I impressed despite the foolish quirks? Yes. But I do think it can be improved in the future. The concept is sound; the usability just needs refining.

You can see some sample images I took below.

What are your thoughts? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.