Introduction
I must thank Mr Lawson from Sigma Singapore for kindly arranging the review set of the Sigma BF and engaging me in a valuable behind-the-scenes discussion of the Sigma BF, allowing for a more wholesome review.
The Sigma BF has a name that has taken on many versions for what the letters 'B' and 'F' imply but it does has a formal origin where the "BF" stands for "beautiful foolishness," which is from the 1906 "The Book of Tea" by Kakuzo Okakura; which seeks to share the mind's ruminations for the purer and basic essence of existence, away from the distractions of life.
*You can find the excerpt here, in an article by Jan Johnsen (2023)
I will say that to really understand the Sigma BF, you have to appreciate this mindset.
One will be truly foolish to look at the Sigma BF through a purely technical sense, and that is missing the whole forest for the trees.
Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 on Sigma BF
Let's start.
tl:dr
My take of the Sigma BF is that it is a Bold Step Forward, the word 'Foolish' is hardly true in that I can see that Sigma has likely realised that it would be a fool's errand to attempt domination in the camera market specifications wise and went with the alternative, focusing on a striking unique design which tugs at the user's heart strings with a design philosophy that is easy to endear.
This is a camera that further cements Sigma's reputation as a reputable camera maker from their humble beginnings as a third-party lens manufacturer (if one recalls, the fp was also a very unique camera).
Sigma should be proud of this achievement, achieving what some other established camera makers have not and probably never will have the courage to attempt.
Mark my words, the Sigma BF is destined to be a cult classic in a few years down the road.
Reviews of the Sigma BF are aplenty, a lot focused on how the beautiful design of this camera has caught hearts; hence, instead of just another technical-based review regurgitating specifications, I will elaborate on the 5 key areas anyone should know about the Sigma BF.
This review will be long, and in fact, I will probably write two reviews, but I guarantee that you will have new insights at the end of this journey.
1. The Philosophy
"Here at Sigma, instead of designing the lenses for the cameras, we design the camera for the lenses we have" This was one sentence Mr Lawson shared that stuck with me and a refreshing take on camera design.
The Sigma BF's most important feature is its simplicity.
Instead of producing another 'standard' camera choked full of functions that most users will not bother using, Sigma has gone to the extreme, designing a camera that is seen as a 'design-first' priority for everyday moments; for the photographer who loves to indulge in the moment being captured,
The fact that the system menu of the Sigma BF has only 10 items and a page long on a camera with only 3 physical buttons is testament to this belief that Simplicity can be Beautiful.
And one point that stood out is that simplicity does not imply a loss of quality, and Sigma was never keen to negotiate on the build quality, instead bringing forth a never-seen-before in Sigma build quality and design with the full aluminium machined-from-a-block body that caught everyone's attention.
The metallic camera cap alone puts many more expensive brands to shame
Sigma Singapore has actually received purchase queries of the camera cap alone, from owners of more expensive L-mount cameras.
2. Technicalities
A summary of key specifications is below. For the spec lovers, you can find more details at the Sigma official site.
- A full-frame 24.6 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor for L-mount
- Phase and Contrast detect auto-focus with subject tracking; focusing tools include focus peaking and magnification at 2x, 4x, 8x
- Electronic shutter, 1/25600s to 30 seconds, bulb mode supports up to 5 minutes
- Stabilisation - EIS only for video
- ISO100 to ISO102,400
- Up to 8 fps at Maximum Resolution for up to 350 Frames (Raw) / 1000 Frames (JPEG)
- Video recording: 6K* (6K: 6016 x 3384) / 23.98, 25, 29.97 fps
UHD 4K / 23.98, 25, 29.97 fps
FHD / 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94, 100, 119.88 fps - 1 x USB-C (USD 3.2 at 10Gbps) port for charging and data transfer. There are no other ports.
- Internal memory of 230GB, no external card slots
- fixed 3.15-inch touchscreen LCD at 2.1 million dots with a mini status monitor
- no WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities
- Uses the BP-81 battery, rated at 260 shots
- 130.1 x 72.8 x 36.8 mm at 446 grams with battery
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
3. Performance and handling
Obviously, the most attention-grabbing feature of the Sigma BF is its stark and gorgeous aluminium body with its sharp angular corners. Despite the non-existent grip look, the Sigma BF is surprisingly comfortable to hold, especially since the textured surface actually goes beyond pure looks and provides a nice grippy surface.
Further augmenting a decent grip are the presence of two rounded corners that make the camera comfortable and the elegant-looking machined thumb grip. An honest view is that the Sigma BF was designed for the smaller L-mount lenses, and I can understand the pleas for Sigma to make a pancake lens for the Sigma BF.
Part of this design is the omission of an electronic viewfinder (EVF), which can be an issue for those who are accustomed to using an EVF. The 2.1 million-dot LCD tries to make up for this, and under general conditions, the touch-screen LCD is indeed plenty sharp and gorgeous; though factually, it is also good to note that under harsh sunlight, the screen's legibility is indeed affected, and composition may not be as straightforward.
The shutter mechanism is very well-built with a perfectly set half-press to it. The playback button, power button, and menu buttons all feel excellent, too, thanks to well-implemented haptic feedback.
All the buttons are on the top and left back of the camera, and there are no command dials, with the present buttons working in tandem with the touchscreen (plus the aperture ring on the lens) in settling the controls.
Beyond this, there is also only one attachment area for straps, obviously for a wrist strap. However, with a bit of creativity, one can also work this with a neck strap, say, for example, tying a Peak Design anchor to one already attached to the camera, so you can fix a neck strap.
It is also true that there is only 1 port on the Sigma BF, a sole USB Type-C port specified at USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) that does all the data transfer and charging. One can also attach an external microphone or headphone, so long as it supports USB-C.
With the sparse quantity of buttons, the Sigma BF is designed to be operated in one way with few customisation options. Overall, it is a system I can work with once I adjust to it and as an aperture priority user, mostly not a big issue.
Menu-wise, it is actually as minimalist as it gets, and one shouldn't be digging into the camera menu once set up, though one will have to work with the control dial and center button to make changes to the ISO, Shutter Speed or Exposure compensation
There is a standard tripod screw at the bottom of the camera, and that is all there is to it. Thoughtfully, Sigma decided to protect the camera base with a textured rubber layer.
Sigma is not the first brand to offer internal memory, but it is indeed the first to my knowledge to have internal memory as the sole available storage method. While photographing, a pleasant surprise was how fast and smooth the transfer from the camera to my phone/device was, and it was really a plug-and-play level of reliability.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
On the iPhone, the Sigma BF appears as a mounted drive under the Photos App and one simply copies the files onto the phone.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
An interesting thought I had was actually from past experiences that if a brand provides a companion app for a camera that's buggy and frustratingly bad to use, it will be a better choice to might as well not provide one, and in this sense I don't really miss not having a companion app for the Sigma BF.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Unlike the Sigma fp, there will be precious few additional accessories coming for the Sigma BF, and the only 4 official accessories for the Sigma BF are the CR-51 Cable Release, 2 official straps and the external battery charger BC-81.
And for those who are quick to dismiss the imaging prowess of the Sigma BF based on its 'not as exciting feature set', it is important to remind ultimately, the quality of the images matters more, and below is a shot done at ISO 25,600 just to even start.
At ISO 25,600. Frankly, quite a few modern, more expensive cameras would have struggled here.
Some cameras that ended up cult cameras were never much about their specifications, but about experience and design, and the Sigma BF is one such camera.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
4. Auto-focus and the 13 colour modes
The Sigma BF has an auto-focus performance that can put some modern releases to shame, especially with its seemingly 'simple' interface. Eye and face detection work very well, down to the tracking of objects. It's a simple interface that gets the job done without having the user waste time digging into menus to choose the one specific type of AF-C.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
For a street photographer, this camera will not disappoint. In fact, out of the close to 500 shots I did for this review, any misses could be attributed to operator error (for example, trying to photograph an object closer than the lens MFD). I also never experienced even once any false positives (green box focused but actually not), which I get very frustrated with on another system.
Another draw of the Sigma BF beyond the beautiful design is the 13 colour modes. These are really pleasing to the eye, and one can easily make in-camera edits to switch the applied colour mode with the DNG files. All the colour modes can be further customised too.
Standard Colour Mode
Click on the arrows to navigate across the 11 colour modes of Rich, Calm, Powder Blue, Warm Gold, teal & Orange, FOV Classic Blue, FOV Classic Yellow, Forest Green, Sunse Red, Cinema, 709 Look, Monochrome
Monochrome Colour Mode
4.5. Manual focusing and adapting lenses
TO be honest, this section deserves its own article, but this was so highly requested that I am including this as a 4.5.
With the Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 and the M-L adapter
I do not like to do things halfway, and thus the choice of the lens. While the fact is that you can adapt any lens you wish to on the Sigma BF, my personal experience is that doing so is not as simple as it seems.
Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 on Sigma BF
The Sigma BF provides manual focus assist tools such as a magnification mode of 2x/4x/8x and focus peaking, but in practical use, it is not easy to achieve focus, especially when working with very thin depth of field shots on the LCD screen.
This is especially true while working under harsh sunlight, where the screen, despite how gorgeous it is, can appear washed out. At maximum brightness, battery life can take a hit too. Without even you trying, I can already imagine some owners cursing while trying to capture shots with an adapted lens under strong sunlight.
Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 on Sigma BF
Personally, while I really love the output and possibilities of adapting other lenses on the Sigma BF, I would rather use the Sigma BF as it was intended to, with Sigma's extensive collection of L-mount lenses.
Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 on Sigma BF
5. What seems like a loss may be a gain instead
Depending on the side one chooses to see, some of the deemed weaknesses of the Sigma BF can be its strengths. For example, while the lack of a mechanical shutter is bemoaned by some, the fact is that this implies that one can shoot with even lower shutter speeds without concern for shutter shock.
The lack of an electronic viewfinder is probably what I find most painful, especially when one attempts to photograph in harsh sunlight, but at the same time, having one will probably spoil the aesthetics for a camera of such an extreme design.
The same goes for the omission of WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity options and a hotshoe for flash. I know there are some reviewers who deliberately omit this information, worried that they might offend Sigma, but I feel it is a bigger disrespect to Sigma to think that the brand would have made such a mistake.
On and on, I am sure that the designers of the Sigma BF would have considered the pros and cons of these decisions, and in the end made a conscious choice for a camera whose most important feature is its simplicity.
Conclusions
Halfway through a session testing the Sigma BF one day, I was reminded of the Leica M10-D (yes, the current model is the M11-D, but I prefer the M10-D). These are cameras that are the epitome of applying a philosophy, a belief, if you wish to call it that way, into reality.
This category of cameras, which the Hasselblad 907X also belongs to, is not defined by the specifications sheet, but more of the result when a brand decides to go beyond making the standard rectangular boxy cameras for the masses, and instead makes the decision to produce a camera that will be remembered years later either as a game changer or simply as a quirky camera (remember the Sigma DP series?) and as such, in my humble opinion, worthy of my respect.
After all, how many of us can say that we have exhausted and understood every single menu item, say, in a Sony camera?
Thank you for reading.
Sigma BF, Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG
Disclaimers:
- All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos.
2. All images were shot with the Sigma BF & the Sigma 35mm ƒ2 DG, a review unit on loan from Sigma Singapore (my gratitude to Mr Lawson) and a friend's personal set of the Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95.
3. This review is not sponsored.
4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.
5. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support me by contributing to my fees to WordPress for the domain using the Paypal button at the bottom of the page.
No comments:
Post a Comment