Sigma has unveiled a radial new 24-megapixel, full-frame mirrorless camera with an L-mount, aluminium unibody, pared-back user interface and 230GB of internal memory but no card slot.


Angled front and rear views of the new Sigma BF camera (black version). (Source: Sigma Photo.)

The Sigma BF’s design.is radically different from other interchangeable-lens cameras and features a first-of-its-kind ‘unibody’ build, with each camera carved from a single block of aluminium. It has a flat front panel with a thumb grip in the upper right corner of the rear panel for secure handling the camera.  The primary user interface is the live-view rear touchscreen, which has been streamlined to allow shooters maximum focus on their subject.  All controls are driven by three buttons: a dial, a shutter release, and a power button, while a small status monitor above the rear dial pad clearly displays the active settings. All of these physical controls are pressure-sensitive haptics-driven, giving the user intuitive response to their touch.

The new camera boasts a 24.6-megapixel full-frame, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that delivers a wide dynamic range, a native ISO sensitivity range of 100-102400, which is expandable on the low end to ISO 6. Continuous shooting is possible at up to 8 fps, and the camera produces 14-bit DNG lossless RAW files in addition to JPEGs. A hybrid phase detection and contrast detection autofocus ensures quick and accurate focusing. The Sigma BF comes pre-loaded with 13 different Colour modes, allowing users to apply color filters to their imagery for expanded creativity: Standard, Rich, Calm, Powder Blue, Warm Gold, Teal and Orange, FOV Classic Blue, FOV Classic Yellow, Forest Green, Sunset Red, Cinema, 709 Look, and Monochrome.

The Sigma BF can record video in up to 6K 30 fps and reaches up to 120 fps when shot in Full HD. The camera also supports L-Log colour grading and HVEC encoding. Electronic image stabilisation is supported when shooting video, and on a full battery the camera can record continuously for an hour. A built-in microphone atop the camera captures stereo sound, with support for an external microphone or headphone output. The USB-C terminal also allows users to output video and use the Sigma BF as a webcam.

One of the notable features of the Sigma BF is its 230GB of internal storage, translating to more than 14,000 JPEG files, 4,300 uncompressed RAW files, or 2.5 hours of video. Additionally, a USB-C port offers data-transfer speeds of 10 Gb/s for external storage. Additionally, remote shutter release is possible with the optional CR-51 cable release. Sigma is a member of the L-Mount Alliance, and the BF’s L-mount for lenses affords users access to the broad range of high-quality lenses from Sigma, Panasonic, and Leica.

The Sigma BF will be available in black and silver versions and will retail for US$1999. Silver versions of Sigma’s nine i-series primes will be available in L-mount, to match the camera. Click here for more information.