Then the removable storage is missing. Yes, I would prefer a card. Changing cards in the field is easy. But the BF has 256 gigabytes of built-in storage.
I can’t even think of the last time I took enough photos to fill that much space before returning to my laptop.
That said, 256 gigabytes of storage is more than enough for a non-professional photographer.
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
The lack of a viewfinder is the main reason I wouldn’t buy it. I still prefer to shoot through the viewfinder.
It’s just muscle memory—give me a camera, and I’ll get it right in front of my eyes. If you also like a viewfinder, this model is not the camera for you.
Another issue with the lack of a viewfinder is that the rear screen is nearly unusable in bright sunlight. It’s too dark to compose properly.
The rear screen doesn’t tilt or move, so if you like to shoot from the hip, you won’t be able to use it. If you want to get an unusual angle, say from the ground, be prepared to lie down to frame it.
You can crank the screen brightness all the way up, which helps a bit in the sun but is still difficult to use in daylight. Keeping the screen brightness all the way up chews up even the already modest battery life.
Sigma claims the BF can shoot around 260 photos on a single charge.
But that drops significantly if you have to crank up the screen in bright 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 might seem like the Sigma BF has some serious 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 boundaries, you have nothing to build upon. This approach is not a “spray and pray” style of shooting a camera.
Using this camera well requires some thought. The process requires keeping your limits in mind and working within them. If you do, the BF is capable of producing excellent images.
While I wouldn’t recommend the Sigma BF for most people, there are undoubtedly photographers out there who won’t like it because of the quirky design choices, not despite them. I fully expect the BF to be one of those cameras that gets a cult following in 20 years.
