First impressions on the Sigma BF

Why the Sigma BF Camera Might Be My Favourite Outdoor Camera of the Year

There’s something quietly brilliant about using a camera that just works—out in the wild, in fading light, and miles from the nearest plug socket. That’s exactly what I found with the Sigma BF camera. Compact, beautifully built, and impressively capable, it’s the kind of kit that makes you want to pack up, hit the road, and head straight for the hills.

And if there’s one place that really showed me what this camera could do, it was Snowdonia—specifically, a still, starlit night at Llyn Gadair, just outside the village of Rhyd Ddu.

Designed for the Outdoors

Let’s start with the design. The Sigma BF is properly sleek—clean lines, lightweight, and a compact body that still feels premium in the hand. It’s the kind of camera you don’t think twice about taking up the Rhyd Ddu path toward Yr Wyddfa, or slipping into your daypack for a stroll around Llyn Gadair just before sunset. It’s light enough not to be a burden on the climb, but sturdy enough to inspire confidence when the wind picks up or the weather turns (as it so often does in Eryri).

The menu system is just as well thought out. It’s simple, responsive, and easy to navigate—even in low light, even in gloves. When you’re setting up in the dark beside the lake, with only your head torch and the sound of sheep in the distance, it’s a blessing to have a camera that lets you get your settings dialled in quickly and without fuss.

Low Light in the Hills: Shooting the Milky Way over Llyn Gadair

Where the Sigma BF truly comes alive is after the sun goes down. I took it out on a clear summer night to Llyn Gadair, with the bulk of Yr Wyddfa rising in the background and Rhyd Ddu quietly sleeping below. The skies here are some of the darkest in Wales, and with the Milky Way core rising south over the landscape, the scene was magical.

With the BF, I was able to capture the Milky Way core in sharp detail—the dust lanes, the star clusters, and the faint glow reflecting gently on the surface of the lake. Long exposures came out clean and full of dynamic range, even at higher ISO levels. The sensor handles low light like a dream, preserving shadow detail and keeping noise under control without sacrificing that deep, inky night sky feel.

This is the kind of setup that lets you forget about the technical side and just focus on being present in the moment.

The Sigma 20mm f/2: Made for Mountain Nights

To truly get the most out of those conditions, I paired the camera with the Sigma 20mm f/2 DG DN | Contemporary lens—and it’s a match made for Eryri.

The 20mm focal length is perfect for framing both the lake and the sky, allowing you to anchor your astro shots with the silhouette of the hills, stone walls, or distant trees. With an f/2 aperture, you’ve got plenty of light-gathering ability, which meant I could keep shutter speeds short enough to avoid star trails while still capturing all the texture in the Milky Way. It’s also incredibly sharp across the frame—essential for getting those crisp, round stars right to the corners too

There’s a special kind of peace you find sitting beside Llyn Gadair at midnight, camera clicking away, no cars, no crowds, just the quiet of the mountains and the stars overhead. The Sigma BF and 20mm f/2 made that experience not only possible—but joyful. Easy to use, easy to carry, and absolutely stunning in what it can capture.

Final thoughts? If you love exploring Snowdonia—especially the less-travelled parts like Rhyd Ddu and the surrounding hills—the Sigma BF is one of the best outdoor cameras you can take with you. Pair it with the Sigma 20mm f/2, and you’ve got a lightweight, night-ready setup that’s more than capable of doing justice to the skies over Llyn Gadair and the wild beauty of Eryri.

Gareth Mon