CP+ 2025 is currently taking place in Tokyo, Japan. Phototrend is on-site and had the opportunity to speak with Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma Corp.
On the occasion of the announcement of the Sigma BF, Mr. Yamaki explains the genesis and development of this unique full-frame mirrorless camera. He also details the reasons behind the design of a zoom lens like the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG Sports. Additionally, he discusses the company’s new visual identity. Let’s dive into the interview.
Sigma unveiled the Sigma BF at CP+, a camera that stands out in terms of ergonomics and construction. Could you share with us the story behind this camera?
In recent years, smartphone image quality has improved significantly. People take many photos with their phones. When I was young, everyone would buy a camera when they had a baby.
But nowadays, young couples don’t buy cameras. They take pictures of their babies or young children with their smartphones, which is quite difficult for me to understand. I felt that the importance of cameras was diminishing. Of course, some cameras are still essential for certain fields, such as wildlife photography, sports photography, or aviation photography [fields that require long telephoto zoom lenses, Editor’s note].
However, for everyday photography, camera usage frequency is decreasing. This made me question the very relevance of traditional cameras. So, we really wanted to create a camera that people would love and want to use daily. That was our starting point.
So, this camera was designed in response to smartphone photography for everyday moments because you believe it can encourage photographers to use it instead of a smartphone?
If you have a camera, you want to take a photo. You look for a beautiful scene, a special moment. But if you have a smartphone, you don’t necessarily see life that way.
There is so much beauty in everyday life that deserves a great photo. So having a camera is important. We wanted to create a camera that people would want to carry with them.
And how did you arrive at this unique design?
For the design, I left it to the designers. But I asked them to create a camera that would be timeless—one you could love for 5, 10, or even 20 years. I really wanted to make such a camera.
By the way, when we started the project, there was an exhibition in Tokyo about Gabrielle Chanel, Coco Chanel [in 2022, Editor’s note]. I visited it one weekend and saw the dresses. But what intrigued me the most was the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. They say it dates back to 1921—more than 100 years ago—and it hasn’t changed.
It’s magnificent. Very simple, elegant, yet always beautiful. And I immediately knew I wanted to create a camera that was just as recognizable and just as durable. That was the message I gave to the designers.
By the way, what does the BF in this camera’s name stand for?
BF stands for Beautiful Foolishness. This phrase comes from the book The Book of Tea. It’s quite an old book, maybe 100 years old, written in English by a Japanese author, Tenshin Okakura. His intention was to introduce Japanese culture to the Western world through the philosophy of the tea ceremony.
In this book, there is a phrase: “the beautiful foolishness of things.” I really love this phrase. I would like our customers to enjoy their daily lives as described in the book, but with our camera.
And also, it’s kind of crazy to manufacture a camera body that requires 7 hours of machining from aluminum. So I think the camera itself is also a kind of beautiful foolishness. It has a double or even triple meaning.
This new camera features a unibody aluminum design. Can you tell us about the process of achieving the final piece?
At the beginning of the project, the engineers wanted to use a single block of aluminum. But they didn’t think we could make it work. However, listening to them, I thought we might be able to do it by connecting several CNC machines with a robot. That way, we could run the machine 24 hours a day.
Of course, this is expensive. But I thought we could manage, and we had to try. Once we insert the block into the machine, it goes through a first step. Then, the robot moves it to the next machine. That’s not the case at the moment—we currently need two machines, each performing 50% of the machining. The entire process takes about 7 hours.
We’ve heard that Sigma can only produce nine Sigma BF camera bodies per day. Is that correct? Is this the price to pay for keeping production “Made in Aizu”?
I thought it was a bit more, but I need to check. Nevertheless, we started production some time ago and already have a stock of machined aluminum bodies. If the demand is there, we can certainly consider increasing production capacity.
It has only been a few days, but do you have any early feedback from users or retailers? Do they think it will be a success?
The response has been surprisingly positive. Before the announcement, I was quite nervous and expected mixed reactions. I thought we might get about 60% positive feedback and 40% negative. In reality, there have been very few negative comments, and the majority of feedback has been very positive. It was a wonderful surprise.
It’s an original product, and our designers spent a lot of time creating this new user interface. They built it from scratch, and I think they did a great job.
With the BF, you introduced silver-gray versions of the I-Series lenses. But many people would love more compact lenses, such as a pancake lens or even dual- or triple-focal-length lenses like Leica has offered in the past. Any thoughts?
Since the announcement of this camera, we’ve received a lot of requests for a pancake lens.
Regarding dual- or triple-focal-length lenses, we have already explored this possibility. Not specifically for this camera, but we have studied the idea of making a lens with two or even three fixed focal lengths.
However, today, thanks to new technologies, we can design a good zoom without sacrificing compactness. In the past, multi-focal-length lenses existed because technology didn’t yet allow for the creation of compact, efficient zooms.
You are also introducing a very versatile APS-C 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS zoom with a variable aperture. This lens is different from Sigma’s current lineup in terms of aperture. Is it a response to market demand, or is it a way to position yourself against Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm’s APS-C lens offerings?
A bit of both. While demand is stronger for high-end lenses, this APS-C zoom has been on our wish list for a long time. However, I have always prioritized fast prime lenses or f/2.8 zooms because I personally prefer them.
To be honest, I’m not a big user of all-in-one zooms. But demand is huge. If you go to Kyoto, you’ll see that many people use this type of lens. So we decided to produce it because our customers have been asking for it.
On the other hand, Sigma is unveiling its first professional super-telephoto zoom, the 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports, claimed to be as good as a prime lens. How long have you been working on this lens, and what are Sigma’s ambitions with this optic?
I don’t remember exactly. I first shared the initial idea a long time ago, probably 6 or 7 years ago. Originally, we wanted to design it for DSLRs. But the market shifted to mirrorless cameras.
At that point, we had to prioritize products like the 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, and 24-70mm f/2.8. The idea behind this lens was to offer something unique, something that didn’t exist before.
After discussing with professionals, especially motorsports photographers, we realized that subject distance varies drastically depending on the racetrack and even the country. In the U.S., photographers are quite far from the track, whereas in Europe or Asia, they are much closer.
Some circuits require a 200mm, others a 400mm, and sometimes a 600mm is essential. So photographers end up carrying multiple large lenses.
The same goes for wildlife photography. On safari, animals can be very close or very far away. That’s why a zoom is so useful.
The lens is large, but we worked on the balance to make it very manageable. If we place too many glass elements at the front, the lens becomes front-heavy and difficult to use. So we try to position the lens elements towards the rear to ensure good balance when handling.
In 2024, Canon opened its RF mount to third-party manufacturers. What has been the initial feedback regarding Sigma lenses? Was there significant demand for Sigma’s arrival on the RF mount?
The feedback has been quite good. The 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN is very popular among Canon RF users, and I’m really happy that this lens has been so well received.
As for the 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN, it’s true that wide-angle lenses are not as popular as standard zooms. But it has been well received. Also, we just released this lens, so it needs some time. Overall, I’m quite satisfied so far.
By the way, will we ever see full-frame Sigma lenses on a Canon EOS R camera?
Sorry, I can’t comment on that.
You launched a 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN ART in 2024. It is the brightest full-frame zoom on the market, but its focal range is not very versatile. Don’t you think a longer zoom with an f/2 aperture would have been more relevant?
That’s a good idea. I’d love to take on that challenge. But for now, we’re not working on such a project because the lens would become bulky and very heavy.
The medium format market is slowly becoming more accessible. Is it possible that you will one day offer lenses for Fujifilm’s GFX mount?
We don’t have any projects in that direction at the moment. But to be honest, one of my dreams is to make a lens for medium format because there are so many passionate photographers in this field.
So, it’s on my wish list. But for now, we don’t have any plans for it—maybe in the distant future.
Tell us about Sigma’s new visual identity. Why did you make this change?
In recent years, many things have changed—smartphones, AI-generated images… The industry has evolved. I wondered if we would be able to survive in the future.
And as I explained during the press conference, I realized that we needed to return to the spirit of our founders. But at the same time, we must continue adapting to the present situation.
We need to evolve while preserving our founding spirit. So, to express our ambition to become a better brand for our customers, I think this was the right time to change our visual identity.
Last question: which version of the BF do you prefer—the silver or the black one?
That’s a great question. I’ve thought a lot about it. I definitely love the silver version. But in the end, I’ll probably buy both because I already have black I-Series lenses.
Thank you to Mr. Yamaki for answering our questions. We would also like to thank the Sigma France team for making this interview possible.
