This viewfinder-free digital camera teaches classes no different mirrorless actually can. Now it has received a prestigious award for its “contemporary interpretation of what began with the camera obscura”

In an age of more and more difficult cameras, one minimalist full-frame mirrorless goes in the other way – and it has now received one other main award for doing so. It is not like virtually the rest presently in the marketplace and arguably teaches classes no different mirrorless can – no less than not in such a minimalist manner.

The Sigma BF has no viewfinder, minimal bodily controls and a design that strips pictures again to its necessities: mild, place and the act of taking an image. That philosophy has now earned it a ‘Best of the Best’ award on the 2026 Red Dot Design Awards.

It’s the second main accolade that the BF has picked up this 12 months. The digital camera beforehand acquired the Editor’s Choice R&D Award at the Camera Grand Prix 2026, where it was praised for its radical simplicity and design philosophy.

What Red Dot says the Sigma BF

“In an era where images are produced almost without thinking, it creates a deliberate counterpoint – focusing on photographing with intent and for pure enjoyment.

“The physique of the digital camera is made out of a stable block of aluminum and has an virtually monolithic look. The controls are saved to absolutely the minimal; transitions are meticulously crafted and the connection between the lens and the physique seems to be seamless and streamlined.

“The camera reveals itself in a clearly defined form – a self-contained object that owes its character to its materiality and proportions and whose sculptural quality fascinated the jury.

“The similar minimalist strategy has additionally been utilized to the person interface. A separate standing show reveals all related info, retaining the primary display screen away from superimposed information. The focus is the picture. The solely ingredient on the highest of the digital camera is the shutter button.

The jury paid tribute in particular to the rigor of the design and manufacture: “From a production perspective, the Sigma BF is an embodiment of perfectionism, made as it is from a single aluminum block, characterised by radical simplicity and the seamless transition from body to lens.

“The camera’s materiality has been deliberately rendered visible. It is an exceptionally minimalist product whose quality and merit are immediately noticeable.

“This camera reduces technological complexity to a simple principle: light, space and purposeful focus – it is a contemporary interpretation of what began with the camera obscura.”

Why the Sigma BF teaches photographers lessons no other mirrorless really can

The BF’s minimalism isn’t simply about having fewer buttons. Its entire design is built around keeping your attention on photography.

The controls, display and physical layout have all been deliberately stripped back to keep your attention on light, composition, subject and timing.

Of course, plenty of compact cameras and point-and-shoots have always been simple. What’s different about the BF is that Sigma has taken that idea and built a modern full-frame mirrorless camera around it, making simplicity and the act of taking a photo central to its design.

That’s what makes the BF so interesting. It’s not trying to give you more ways to take a picture; it’s trying to make you think more about the picture itself.

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Check out our full Sigma BF review and the best L-Mount lenses to use with it.