The Sigma BF Pushes Camera Minimalism to the Extreme

Sigma may be best-known for its affordable lenses compared to first-party alternatives, but the company is making waves for its take on modern camera design. Recently, it unveiled the new Sigma BF, a camera that’s essentially built for minimalism.

So what does that mean? Basically, it removes as many of the exterior dials and controls as possible, while retaining an ultra-premium build quality and ensuring high-end features. But there’s a little more to it than that.

The body of the Sigma BF is milled from a single block of aluminum, available in either silver or black. That aluminum block is interrupted by only a few design elements dotted around the camera, and that includes stripping away controls you would normally expect to see from a high-end camera. In fact, you’ll only get four buttons and a dial to control your photography. Those controls, however, are built to be a little more upscale than other cameras – they’re pressure sensitive and have haptics for feedback during controls. The BF is the first mirrorless camera to incorporate haptics into its controls.

All of the shooting-related settings will be visible on the display when you capture a photo, and you’ll be able to easily operate things like aperture, ISO, and color mode.

Sigma has arguably taken minimalism to the extreme here, though that’s kind of the point. So much has been stripped away that there’s actually no SD card slot built into it. Instead, users will leverage the 230GB of internal storage, which can store up to 4,300 RAW images, 14,000 JPEGS, or 2.5 hours of video at the highest settings. You’ll be able to transfer images and video through the built-in USB-C port.

The camera is, of course, built to capture high-quality photos. It’s a mirrorless camera with a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor, and has a dual autofocus system. When it comes to video capture, the camera supports a 6K resolution (at 29.97fps, or 1080p at 119.88fps) and L-Log recording. The camera has an L-Mount lens mount.

The Sigma BF might not appeal to professionals who want constant access to as many controls as possible, but it certainly helps push camera design forward in interesting ways. It’ll be available for $1,999, however that pricing doesn’t include a lens. It will ship in April 2025.

For more information on the Sigma BF camera, visit sigmaphoto.com.

Photography courtesy of Sigma.