Sigma BF camera review: Minimalistic, fun, and somewhat limiting

India Today

26-04-2025

Sigma is a brand well-known to photography enthusiasts. But I am going to assume that most people outside this circle of photographers might wonder Sigma what? So, a quick introduction first: Sigma is a company primarily known for making extremely high-quality lenses for cameras sold by Nikon, Sony, Canon and others. Just like those brands, Sigma too is a Japanese brand. Lenses are fine but this is an innovative company. And it is with this spirit of innovation that Sigma has of late started playing with cameras. If you go to their website, you will see three Sigma-made cameras on it. Of them, the Sigma BF is the latest. Just launched globally, this is a camera that is going to formally come to India in June.advertisementSigma BF? Sigma Boy Friend? No, the BF here stands for 'beautiful foolishness', something that PetaPixel highlights in its piece. This is also the phrase, 'beautiful foolishness', that captures the Sigma BF so well. It is beautiful, it is somewhat foolish and I absolutely love it for that.You see, the Sigma BF is a relatively expensive camera. As a body-only option, in India it will sell at a price of Rs 1,99,000. Add a lens to it, and the price goes up. For example, as we reviewed it here — with the 35mm F2 Sigma lens — the camera would cost Rs 1,99,000 plus Rs 63,100 for the lens. That is Rs 2,62,100.
Despite its price, I love it! One reason for that is its design.
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Designed like an artBy the looks of it, the Sigma BF has that chic vibe that some of us love. It's minimalistic, it is modern and clean. It is also something famed designer Jony Ive might have designed for Apple, had the brand ever decided to launch its own camera. Minimal buttons, a full-aluminium frame — Sigma, in fact, in the BF has gone with an all-aluminium unibody build.It is stunning to look at. In other words, it is a head-turner, and in the ten days I spent clicking photos on Delhi streets and around, I received countless curious glances and questions about what exactly I was holding. Often people saw it, realised that it was a camera and uttered wow!For my review I was using the BF in silver colour — or the natural aluminium colour. But it is also available in black.While the camera looks absolutely gorgeous, design is also about functions and not just looks. At the first glance you will see that it has a lot of things missing. Unlike regular full-frame cameras, it is smaller — but not pocketable — and it lacks those tens of buttons that on other cameras offer direct functionality. Instead, on the BF you can access this functionality only by getting into various options in software.advertisementDespite an unusual design, one good part is the grip. The camera has a dual-finish design — one half is plain matte, while the other has a textured surface, which helps with grip while holding the camera.
On top, there's a large circular shutter button on the right corner and two microphone holes in the centre. And that is all. On one side of the camera, there is a USB-C port. On the other side, there are holes for attaching a lanyard — which, by the way, you'll need to buy separately.Coming to the controls on the back, more than half the space is taken up by the LCD screen. This is a 3.2-inch screen. In terms of brightness, it could have been better. Given the design, the screen is fixed. So some more functionality is lost, something that other cameras provide through vari-angle screens. Then you've got just four buttons and a circular control dial. There's also a thumb rest on the right.advertisementPhotographers, I believe, will scoff at the design of the Sigma BF. They are probably too used to tens of buttons, and a particular grip-style. But I believe someone like me, who loves photography but finds the regular cameras too big, hideous and clunky, will love the Sigma BF vibes. Yes, you lose a bit on the convenience and features. But again, you do want to use the Sigma BF more than you would want a regular camera because it has this cool vibe to it.
Tricky controlsOf course, there are limits to minimalism. Oversimplification can sometimes make things more complex — and that's exactly what I felt while using the Sigma BF. With fewer buttons and no labels for many of them, I ended up reading the manual first and then testing each button to figure out its function.Now, this could also be because of muscle memory — from using other cameras that have a more familiar layout. With those, you just know what to do. But the Sigma BF was different, and it took me a while to get used to it. Once I memorised the functions, though, it became quite easy to switch between filters or change settings.advertisementThe camera is a real delight to use if you are someone who wants to click photos more than you want to fiddle with settings. Although, this doesn't mean basic and key controls are not available. You can manually control everything — like shutter speed, aperture, metering, ISO and more. Or you can keep them on auto. But some of the more elaborate functionality such as granular control over speed of shooting, frame rates etc is cumbersome on this camera. This design essentially encourages you to keep the camera on auto most of the time and use it to point-and-shoot.
Great photosNow, irrespective of its limitations, one part where the Sigma BF excels is in image quality. As noted earlier, this is not a camera fit for a lot of things — for example its limitation of frame rates (8 FPS) and lack of direct controls means it is not a camera you will want to use to record action such as runners or tigers running towards their prey. Instead, the Sigma BF is meant to be used as an everyday general-purpose camera and as a tool with which you can shoot streets.
Photo clicked by Sigma BF camera
advertisementMy review unit came with Sigma's 35mm F2 DG lens attached to it. There are other L Mount lenses which can be used with the camera, but I used it with this 35mm. In this role, it primarily functioned as a camera to do street photography.As I roamed around in Delhi — in Dilli Haat and Khan Market primarily — I realised that the 24.6-megapixel full-frame sensor in the Sigma BF is nothing short of magic. It is a brilliant sensor that excels in all lighting conditions. I also realised that the 35mm F2 Sigma lens is also superb.Look at the image samples in this review, as well as image samples embedded here, and you will see that the Sigma BF captures brilliant colours. It even deals with scenes that have dynamic light extremely well.
Photo clicked by Sigma BF camera
Another bit that worked well as I went around clicking photos is the auto-focus system. It is extremely precise and fast. It also supports subject-recognition and there was not a single photo of a human or animal where the camera did not latch on to the eyes. You show it the eye, and it gets it. And not just gets it but sticks to it as well.There are a number of colour presets in the camera, which make shooting fun. Despite its limitations — such as no SD card slots because of internal memory of around 230GB — and no viewfinder because of the unibody design, I liked using the Sigma BF. Once I was familiar with its controls, it was a joy to use because of the kind of photos it would let me click and because of how good its auto-focus was for daily, street-style shooting.To see all 18 image samples in full size click on any photo below.Average battery, heat issueNow as much as I love the camera, I didn't like its battery life. On this aspect, the Sigma BF is average — and honestly, quite disappointing. On a full charge, after clicking just 50-60 photos, the battery indicator dropped by around 25 per cent. In around one and half of hours of shooting, I would often see the battery deplete to around 15 to 20 per cent. And in Delhi's heat, even during the golden hour in the evening, the aluminium body became noticeably warm. It heats up indoors as well, but in hot outdoor environments, the metal body of the Sigma BF works against it.Sigma BF camera review: Should you buy itDepends. This is a different kind of camera. It is lovely to use it, and it is adorable to look at. But it is also not a very practical tool for serious photographers. But for those who do street-style photography, or those who want another camera to complement their large main mirrorless camera, the Sigma BF makes some sense.What Sigma has done with the BF is that they have created a shooter that looks slick and performs great, but within limits. Its sensor, for example, is extremely good. The L Mount lenses are also quite good. But the BF is not as versatile, flexible and powerful as your regular full-frame camera, with similar price, from Nikon or Canon. Do keep that in mind when you look at the Sigma BF and when it tugs at your heartstrings.