Then there is the lack of removable storage. Yes, I would prefer a card; it’s just as easy to exchange cards in the field. But the BF has 256 gigabytes of built-in storage. I can’t think of the last time I took enough pictures to fill that space before going back to my laptop to download them. That is to say that 256-gigabytes of storage is plenty for a non-professional photographer.
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
The main deal breaker for me is the lack of a viewfinder. I still prefer shooting through the viewfinder. It’s just muscle memory—give me a camera, and I’ll show it to my eyes. If you like a viewfinder, either, this isn’t the camera for you.
Another problem with the lack of a viewfinder is that the rear screen is almost unusable in sunlight. It’s too dark to frame correctly. The rear screen also doesn’t focus or move at all, meaning that if you like to shoot from the hip, you won’t be able to use it at all. If you want to get an unusual angle, say from the bottom, be prepared to lie down to make it.
You can always increase the screen brightness, which helps a bit when you’re out in the sun, but it’s still hard to use in bright daylight. Having the screen brightness all the way up also eats into the already tight battery life. Sigma claims the BF can shoot around 260 shots on a single charge, but that drops significantly if you have to press the screen in daylight. I was finding that in bright sunlight, I rarely got more than two to three hours of shooting time on a single charge.
Should You Buy It?
It may seem like the Sigma BF has significant limitations, and it does, especially when you compare the specs to other cameras in the BF’s $2,200 price range. However, limitations can be a good thing. Without limitations, you have nothing to build from. This is not a “spray and pray” shooting style camera. This camera requires some thought to use properly. It needs to remember its limitations and work within them. If you do that, BF is capable of making great pictures.
While I don’t recommend the Sigma BF to most people, there are no doubt photographers out there who will love it not despite the quirky design choices, but because of them. I fully expect this to be one of the cult following cameras in 20 years.
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