News Sigma BF

[dirk]

If it had an EVF, I’d be very tempted.

I have to see it in real life. But if it would be available at Lumix S9 prices of Japan, I would probably buy it in combination with a 28mm i-series FFL

 

[AlanC]

phototrend.fr have an interview with Kazuto Yamaki that includes a section about the BF:

https://phototrend.fr/2025/02/interview-kazuto-yamaki-cp-2025/

Google translation: https://phototrend-fr.translate.goo...uto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

[dirk]

 

[Nevyn72]

Definitely not for me:

 

[dirk]

If there would be a very good 28mm F2 pancake AF lens available I could be interested.

My concern is - as always - the screen in sunshine. If it is better than with my Ricoh GR3, the BF could be a potential upgrade.

 

[dirk]

Definitely not for me:

Unfortunately he still is not able to look outside of his own, personal use case comforr zone. Same with Lumix S9.

I understand, that someone who wants to have always an EVF, will not like the S9 or BF.

But guess what? No smartphone user is missing an EVF and they are bought in billions worldwide every year. Also to replace a normal, traditional camera. And exactly for this target group the BF was designed.

The BF is not meant as an alternative to what is already on the market from other brands. The BF is for a target group which does not like what is offered from all the others.

The Sigma BF target group is in this sense a kind of "anti-what-Chris-would-prefer-group".

We will not see many reports on the internet or in forums about BF owners, because the majority of this target group does not spend time in forums or watch camera reviews on YouTube.

They do not care. They just want to have a bigger smartphone with interchangeble lenses and a really cool design for daily use and show-off. To differentiate themselves from others. Only few will have a "real" camera too.

The BF main target group will find real cameras like a "back to the future" video. Something from the 80ies. Like phones with cables hanging from the wall or shaving with a straight razor*.

*= although shaving with a straight razor is really cool again, so wrong example.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Does anybody know if the S9 is selling well?

 

[AlanC]

Definitely not for me:

I’m not going to bother watching that because it’ll just irritate the heck out of me. I’m sure, come December, he’ll be calling the BF “Worst camera of the year” just like he did with the fp L.

And yet the vast majority of the photos I’ve taken over the last two years have been with the fp L, and they include a fair number of the photos I’m most pleased with from my 25 years with digital cameras, starting back in 2000 with a Nikon D1. The supposed problems and disadvantages of the fp L haven’t really been much of an issue in practice and, together with Sigma’s i-series primes, it produces beautiful images with the best colour I’ve seen from any camera.

I have no interest in using a smartphone for photography but I am interested in the BF. It’s clearly not the ultimate, do-it-all camera, it’s something different, something original, and I’d have a lot of fun finding out what I could do with it.

 

[RBecker]

If you look the CP+ report video from Martin Krolop (german), he showed the longest waiting crowd at the Sigma booth! And additionally from the production rate of nine raw bodies per day this camera is not designed to be a mass product! They could have preproduced bodies for some time, but the output in the future will be very limited. So I think we do not have to care about all the reports, there will be enough buyers to cover the production rate…
And all the others can keep fingers crossed for the next l-mount model…

 

[dirk]

If more BF will be sold than expected, I have no doubt, that Sigma will buy more machines. The production capacity is in my view the smallest problem, as long as it is profitable for Sigma.