My 2 Biggest Problem with the Sigma BF After 6 Months and 3,000 Photos
I Bought the Sigma BF with My Own Money… No Loaner… No Sponsor!
As you probably know by now, not all camera reviews are created equal. Real reviewers buy their own gear, stay objective from the manufacturers, and give their unbiased and uninfluenced thoughts on gear. Shills accept free gear from companies and then attempt to dupe their audiences into believing they have no incentive to offer up favorable reviews. They put out cookie cutter reviews after using a camera for a week, and regurgitate the same info as every other internet shill.
I purchased the Sigma BF with my own money. I’ve used the camera daily for 6-months. I’m an actual user, not a phony. So, you can be assured that the thoughts I share in this article are unbiased by professional or financial connections.
I Really Enjoy the Sigma BF for What it Is!
In my initial Sigma BF review, I stated that I came to like the BF more than I initially believed I would.
After 6 months of use, I still enjoy using the BF regularly. In fact, today I took it on a picnic with my wife and son, and I chose it as my sole camera for a 2-week family trip to Florida.
I’m someone who appreciates the thought behind the design decisions of the BF. It isn’t for everyone, but I want to be clear, it is for me!
… but I have some concerns.
Sigma BF spec highlights:
25 MP Full Frame Sensor
Aluminum Body
Phase Detect Autofocus (SO much better than the Sigma FP)
Fixed 3.2-Inch, 2,100,000 Dot Touchscreen (no rotation or tilt)
Electronic Shutter Only (no Mechanical Shutter)
Electronic Image Stabilization Only (no Sensor Stabilization)
Capable of 6k video
8 Frames Per Second
446g with Battery
Max 25,600 ISO
230 GB of Internal Memory (no SD card slot)
One USB-C Port (no other ports)
My Sigma BF Set-Up
My most used setups for the Sigma BF include:
Tilta Grip for Sigma BF (a must have for one handed shooting)
Physical Condition of my Sigma BF After 6 Months
I take good care of my cameras, but I don’t baby them by any means. My cameras are working tools, and my Sigma BF has been no exception. My BF is most commonly carried around in my sling bag bouncing around as I walk down the street.
After 6 months, the body shows essentially zero signs of use. If I wiped it down and spit shined it a little bit it would look good as new. This is the benefit of an all aluminum body and a screen protector on day-one.
Cameras that utilize more fragile materials would almost certainly be showing more wear-and-tear at this point.
Sigma chose not to use the plastics and leatherettes that most cameras utilize. That choice initially got them critical reviews for poor ergonomics, but the long-term benefit of excluding those less durable materials is a camera body with longevity.
One Problem with the Build Quality
In my previous review, I stated that a “camera with better build quality doesn’t exist.” For the most part, I still stand by that statement. The BF still feels like a solid block of sturdy aluminum in my hand. I’ve had no issues with the buttons or the body. I only have one complaint after months of use, and that is the looseness of the USB-C port.
This one is disappointing because Sigma only put 1 port on the BF, a single USB-C port.
The problem I’m experiencing is that when a USB-C cable is inserted into the camera, the port wiggles inside the body. The connection is not compromised in any way (yet), but the port feels flimsy. I’ve used multiple styles of USB-C cables and they all behave the same.
On most quality devices, like an iPhone or high-end android phone, when you insert a USB cable, the connection feels very snug and solid. You can’t wiggle the USB cable around in a new iPhone. I expected a high-end camera to have similar build quality, but alas, my BF’s USB-C port feels less than premium.
I’m prepared to live with the sloppy port, but all the movement does concern me that it may develop a problem in the future, and with an all aluminum body, it may be very hard or very expensive to fix.
The Sigma BF was designed to be a quality camera that could last for years, but if the USB-C port fails, it will be an expensive useless brick, because it has no Wi-Fi or SD card slot.
Encountering this problem makes me wonder if Sigma made a mistake by making the entire camera dependent on a single port. I’ve worn out USB-C ports on android phones in the past through daily use. I really hope my Sigma BF doesn’t experience the same downfall.
My Second Problem - Lens Selection
I really wish Sigma would release some more compact lenses for the L-Mount. L-Mount has no prioritized small lenses from the start, in fact they kind of went in the opposite direction, opting for large lenses that performed well optically.
Even though, many months ago, the CEO of Sigma stated they were going to release compact lenses to match the BF, nothing has ever materialized.
The best Sigma offers currently are the i-series lenses. These lenses are semi-compact. The only truly compact options are a 45mm f2.8 and a slow 24mm f3.5. The 45mm f2.8 is a great lens, but I would really like the options to shoot with more traditional wide angles like a 28mm or 35mm. The i-series does have a 35mm f2, but it isn’t as small as you’d want it to be to match the BF.
Until the L-mount produces some premium small lenses, the Sigma BF remains in the awkward position of being a beautiful body that’s form and aesthetics are marred by the ugly and large lenses one is forced to use on the L-mount.
Conclusion
After 6 months of use, these are my two biggest concerns with the Sigma BF.
I can live without smaller lenses, the i-series aren’t intolerable, but I will confess that the loose USB-C port worries me. I want to keep this camera for a long time. I hope the USB-C port doesn’t fail on me and cause me to prematurely abandon it.
Additional Reading
Sony Rx100 mark i Review (the Original)
The Olympus E-m1 mark ii Review in 2024 and 2025
Fujifilm X-H2 - Best Hybrid Camera? - Long Term Review in 2025
Review: Sony A7s (the original) - A Great Deal in 2024?
Olympus Pen-F - One and Done Legend? - A Review in 2025
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