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Come on Sigma, give me a compact camera inspired by the BF will ya?

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I want Sigma to resurrect its DP series but for the Sigma BF era – who's with me!?

Product images of half a Sigma BF and half a Sigma DP2 put together to convey the concept of Sigma producing a compact camera version of the BF
I'd love to see a Sigma BF themed compact camera. After all, Sigma used to have its own range of compacts (Image credit: Sigma / Digital Camera World)

When I finally got my hands on the Sigma BF at the Photography & Video Show earlier this month, I was enamored with it. Honestly, it felt like using an iPod for the first time – and not just because of that iPod Classic-style scroll wheel – it just felt different than any other camera I’ve tried before. A glimpse into the future if you will –regardless of whether that particular vision of the future ever comes to fruition.

But a picture of the Sigma BF next to my colleague, Sebastian Oakley’s, Leica M-E sent me on a bit of a journey. I thought about how, just like a Leica rangefinder camera, the Sigma BF prioritizes form and build quality over function. That’s not to say it isn’t built to function well, but that the eye-catching design and premium build takes precedence. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Sebastian Oakley’s Leica M-E (right) next to the Sigma BF (left) (Image credit: Future)

From there, I started thinking about the Leica D-Lux 8 compact camera. I’ve always had a bit of a hankering for a Leica D-Lux. I think these are some of the most beautifully designed compacts ever and then it hit me, Sigma needs to make a play for the best compact cameras and release a BF-inspired compact! A Sigma BFC anyone? After all, it would hardly be Sigma’s first foray into the compact market, having produced its impressively specced DP series of cameras between 2008 and 2014.

The Sigma BF might be a full-frame interchangeable-lens camera, but it already has a compact feel to it, thanks to that thin, aluminum body, minimalist control layout, and lack of a viewfinder. All Sigma has to do is shrink the body, wack in an APS-C sensor, and develop a sumptuous fixed lens, and they’ll be onto a winner. I know, I know, leave it to the photography journo to make that sound easy, eh?

But come on Sigma, you can’t deny it’s a fabulous idea. I’ll be watching this minimalist space...

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike studied photography at college, honing his Adobe Photoshop skills and learning to work in the studio and darkroom. After a few years writing for various publications, he headed to the ‘Big Smoke’ to work on Wex Photo Video’s award-winning content team, before transitioning back to print as Technique Editor (later Deputy Editor) on N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine.

With bylines in Digital Camera, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, Practical Photography, Digital Photographer, iMore, and TechRadar, he’s a fountain of photography and consumer tech knowledge, making him a top tutor for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and more. His expertise extends to everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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