Sigma BF (Beautiful Foolishness).

[splitimageview]

That's an intriguing little camera.

I have been looking specifically at large sensor compacts and wasn't aware of the fp until they introduced the BF.

Also have been looking at the Panny S9, also a full frame, and considerably cheaper than the fp. Currently can get the S9 for $1400 with a free Panasonic 85/1.8 lens (normally $600) 😳

 

[shawn]

Buy used and you can get the fp L for the price of the S9. The extra resolution is handy if you take advantage of all different aspect ratios the camera offers.

In 21:9 mode you get 38 megapixels. In 1x1 mode it is 40 megapixels. That 17mm in 1x1 mode is the same FOV as the SWC. With the 10-18mm I am usually shooting 1x1.

fp/fp L image thread.

 

[JohnGellings]

I cradle the lens to hold the camera so the size is just about right to me. Smaller lenses feel a bit funny due to that.

Might be interesting if Sigma pit out a pancake at some point though. The Panny would be tiny on thr fp.

Shawn, let's be honest. You like every camera... you probably use 100 cameras. I'm more picky. The last thing I want to do with a small camera is hold it by the lens. That is why the Ricoh GRIIIx is still my go to small camera.

 

[shawn]

In the last year, I regularly used maybe 6 or 7. Yes, when a camera has features I want/like I am flexible to adapt to its way of shooting, within reason. Hence shooting a diverse group of cameras like scale focused 6x24, sweep lenses (or digital takes on it), 6x6 w/WLF, and digital like the Pannys and fp. Others have had things that annoyed me enough that they are gone or never were here.

Holding and supporting the fp the same way I held every SLR I ever owned is not a big change and wasn't a stretch, at all. I held the GRIII wGW4 that same way too. Thumb and index finger around the lens, rest around the body.

If you are lookng to make the fp the size of the GR that isn't going to happen. The GR body is smaller as it can't change lenses so you trade flexibility for size along with sensor size, DR and resolution.

I purchased the fp L specifically for its small form factor to shoot 1x1 wide angle. It has been brilliant. Even more so when I found that the 10-18 fully covers 1x1 and that the Sigma gives me the flexibility to shoot that lens full frame. The Panasonics don't. For something like flash photography the Sigma would be a poor choice. I've also switched to using it for film scanning most of the time instead of the S1R.

 

[JohnGellings]

Holding and supporting the fp the same way I held every SLR I ever owned is not a big change and wasn't a stretch, at all. I held the GRIII wGW4 that same way too. Thumb and index finger around the lens, rest around the body.

You held the GRIII by its lens?! Ah, by the lens adaptor. Ok.

If you are lookng to make the fp the size of the GR that isn't going to happen.

I'm really not. I actually like bigger cameras these days. I'm really in love with the Nikon Zf and I'll soon upgrade from the GFX-50R to the GFX100s. I do like my GR when I have a coat pocket and am going somewhere outside of my usual photo projects.

The GR body is smaller as it can't change lenses so you trade flexibility for size along with sensor size, DR and resolution.

I'm not concerned with flexibility. I use like 3 lenses. 40, 50 and 85mm. In a small camera, any one of those will do.

I purchased the fp L specifically for its small form factor to shoot 1x1 wide angle. It has been brilliant. Even more so when I found that the 10-18 fully covers 1x1 and that the Sigma gives me the flexibility to shoot that lens full frame. The Panasonics don't. For something like flash photography the Sigma would be a poor choice. I've also switched to using it for film scanning most of the time instead of the S1R.

Cool. I have´t used a Sigma since the Quattro, but I do like what they are doing. I just don't care enough to spend the $ on one these days. I do like the BF and would use it no issue if I had to.

 

[pseudobreccia]

B&H and other sellers have it. $2K is not awful. Yes, a lens is extra. Is the price too high for you?

No...B&H and other sellers DO NOT have it. The Sigma BF will not go on sale until sometime in late April. All that can be done now is preorder and wait.

 

[JohnGellings]

The more I look at this, the more I like it. Not, buy it, like it... but I think it is pretty damn cool. I'm glad they made it.

 

[shawn]

 

[Godfrey]

They could have made something that was a little nicer to hold and use while remaining as simple as this thing. Such hard, painful edges... why? Do people buy cameras on style alone?

If I wanted something utterly minimal, I'd hunt up another Leica M-D typ 262. It would cost more than this, for sure, but it is a genuinely usable camera.

G

 

[JohnGellings]

They could have made something that was a little nicer to hold and use while remaining as simple as this thing. Such hard, painful edges... why? Do people buy cameras on style alone?

If I wanted something utterly minimal, I'd hunt up another Leica M-D typ 262. It would cost more than this, for sure, but it is a genuinely usable camera.

G

Many people who have held it say it isn't really that bad. I don't see how this is unusable. I get it though... I prefer my Zf as well. That said, I think it is great to see someone taking chances.

 

[JoeV]

The Sigma BF seems to make the LUMIX S9 more attractive, with the S9’s IBIS, articulating screen and cold shoe.

 

[Dogman]

I'm firmly on the side of ergonomics when it comes to cameras. If it's not comfortable to hold, handle and manipulate, it's not for me. That's just me, I know. Others might like this camera but I don't get it. I didn't watch the whole video above but when guy bumps his head on the camera and ends up with a cut on the forehead--not a great promotional point. When you also consider the molded metal gripping surface, the lack of a viewfinder and only one lug for wrist strap with the reviewer admitting it's not really comfortable to carry around.... It might be a work of art (yes, it is beautiful) but it's not really a useful tool IMO.





...............................

 

[Godfrey]

Many people who have held it say it isn't really that bad. I don't see how this is unusable. I get it though... I prefer my Zf as well. That said, I think it is great to see someone taking chances.

When something is said to be "... not really that bad" that's what's called 'condemnation with faint praise'. I don't know those "many people who have held it" to know whether their statements are credible. I can only go on what I see ... which is a hard edged little box. Much harder edged than any other camera I've seen in a long while. Too "Beyond Function" for me.

G

 

[splitimageview]

The Sigma BF seems to make the LUMIX S9 more attractive, with the S9’s IBIS, articulating screen and cold shoe.

Yes the S9 is looking quite nice...

 

[wlewisiii]

When something is said to be "... not really that bad" that's what's called 'condemnation with faint praise'. I don't know those "many people who have held it" to know whether their statements are credible. I can only go on what I see ... which is a hard edged little box. Much harder edged than any other camera I've seen in a long while. Too "Beyond Function" for me.

G

Hard edges and no view finder. I have don't even automatically review shots on my digital cameras (turned it off on my K3 for example once I learned I could). Composing on a screen is abhorrent to me. There is a market for this camera, I'm sure, but it is definitely, not me 🙂

At least since the S9 has a shoe, if I put a prime on it, I could stick an optical finder in the shoe and make it into an almost useful camera. Not so the BF.

 

[p.giannakis]

I don't know about you guys but this is what comes to my mind...

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Sometimes a widely seen and discussed new product with a distinctive and radically new look creates a fundamental change in the design aesthetic of its time. Love it or hate it, Tesla's Cybertruck may well be one of those new products. Am I looney in seeing the Cybertruck influence in the BF's minimalist, hard edged design?

 

[Godfrey]

I've gotten semi-comfortable using an LCD viewfinder, depending on the circumstances, but the rest of the BF meme seems anathema to me.

Hadn't seen or heard of the Panasonic S9 before this (I haven't been looking for/at new cameras for quite a while). Looks an interesting piece. L mount, 24 Mpixel FF, about $1300 for the body... not bad.

@p.giannakis :: not entirely sure what the camera on the right is, but notice how even though it is a blocky little box, the edges are nicely rounded and the ends are softly curved. That would feel fine in the hand, without hard/sharp edges ...

G

 

[Godfrey]

Sometimes a widely seen and discussed new product with a distinctive and radically new look creates a fundamental change in the design aesthetic of its time. Love it or hate it, Tesla's Cybertruck may well be one of those new products. Am I looney in seeing the Cybertruck influence in the BF's minimalist, hard edged design?

Ugh. See them around here on the road frequently. Abominable.

G

 

[Cascadilla]

I don't know about you guys but this is what comes to my mind...

View attachment 4857969

That Werra on the right has rounded edges and a grip-able surface on most of the body. It also has a decent eye level viewfinder and in some other versions has a light meter so you can set f/stops and shutter speeds for at eye level as well as a rangefinder for accurate manual focus. It does share something of the same aesthetic as the new Sigma, but I can't imagine holding the Sigma outside in cold weather for very long.