KitZone Mirrorless Sigma BF

£1,969/$1,999 (body only)

Stylish mirrorless takes on both Leica and your phone camera

1 The camera is machined out of a single ingot of aluminium.

2 Some users have said that the lack of a front grip makes the camera difficult to hold.

3 Key features of the BF include its 24.6MP BSI full-frame sensor and hybrid autofocus.

www.sigmauk.com

Specifications

Lens mount: L-Mount

Sensor: 24.6MP back side illuminated full-frame CMOS

Image processor: Not specified

Autofocus: Hybrid phase and contrast-detection

ISO range: 100-102,400 (exp 6, 12, 25, 50)

Image stabilisation: Video stabilisation only (electronic)

Max burst rate: 8fps

Max image size: 6016 x 4012px

Shutter speed: 1/25,600-30 secs. Up to 5 minutes (Bulb)

Max video resolution: 6K 30p, 4K 30p, Full HD 120p

Viewfinder: None

Rear screen: 3.15-inch TFT touchscreen, 2.1 million dots

Memory: 320GB internal only (no card storage)

Connectivity: USB-C

Battery: BP-81 Li-ion

Dimensions (W x H x D): 130.1 x 72.8 x 36.8mm

Weight: 388g (body only). 446g (with battery)

Perhaps it’s an L-Mount Alliance in-joke, but the Sigma BF just out-Leica’d Leica. Maybe the two companies placed a wager on whether Sigma would be first to outdo Leica’s cameras or Leica would be first to outdo Sigma’s lenses.

Either way, the Sigma BF is a clever little camera for some familiar reasons. It’s so beautiful that it makes your heart skip a beat. It’s made from a single block of aluminium. It boasts a bountiful internal memory. It strips physical controls and an EVF in favour of a friction-free touchscreen-driven experience. And it uses the L-Mount.

What has that got to do with Leica? Because back in 2014, it launched the Leica T – a camera that was also achingly beautiful, made from a single block of aluminium, had loads of internal memory, ditched the controls and EVF, and used the L-Mount (back then it was called the T mount).

But the Sigma BF is bigger, better, more in every way. And it’s hands-down the most gorgeous camera I’ve ever seen, let alone used – not since the Hasselblad X1D has a modern camera had the chutzpah to be so daringly different in how it looks. It’s truly a masterclass in industrial design.