Hopping Around Europe with the Sigma BF Camera: A Sleek Travel Sidekick

I’m not the type of traveler who sleeps in, lounges for hours, or builds my days around long meals and leisurely wine tastings. I’m more of the “we have to see EVERYTHING” type. So when we planned a whirlwind adventure through Dublin, Paris, and London, I knew I needed a camera that could keep up and not slow me down. Three cities, one compact camera, and (admittedly) an unreasonable number of croissants later, the Sigma BF ended up being the perfect travel companion. It slipped easily into the rhythm of the trip – and right into my cross-body bag – without weighing me down.

First Impressions of the BF

From the beginning, the Sigma BF impressed me with how compact, straightforward, and intuitive it was. The BF ended up being the perfect memory-capturing sidekick for a fast-paced itinerary – always ready whenever a moment caught my eye. On a fast-moving itinerary where we were hopping between tours, metro rides, and different neighborhoods every day, that kind of simplicity ended up being the thing I appreciated most.

This was the first trip where I didn’t feel like I was constantly juggling a heavy camera and even heavier lenses. Because it was so easy to carry and quick to grab, I ended up taking more spontaneous shots – moments at crosswalks, quiet cafés tucked on random corners, side streets glowing with morning light, reflections in shop windows… all the little in-between moments that normally stay tucked in my memory instead of ending up in my camera roll.

The Travel-Friendly Perks That Won Me Over

The built-in storage might honestly be my favorite feature. I cannot overstate how convenient it was to not worry about memory cards. Not having to pack them, swap them, or keep track of them was a small, but surprisingly life-changing perk, especially considering we squeezed 12 days of travel into a single carry-on and personal item. The BF’s internal 230GB SSD is no joke either. It stores over 14,000 JPEGs, 4,300 uncompressed RAW files, or 2.5 hours of 6K video. More than enough for a long trip, even with enthusiastic shooting. Everything stayed clean, organized, and safe inside the camera, and the automatic daily folder organization made reviewing each day’s photos feel seamless.

It also charged easily through a USB-C cable, which is a huge perk when you’re on the move. The battery lasted through each day of sightseeing, but it’s nice to know that I could have plugged it into a power bank, my laptop, or any USB outlet, without lugging around extra chargers or batteries while we were out and on-the-go. Just one cable for everything. When you’re traveling light, these little details matter more than you expect.

And the real-time phone plug-in? So useful, especially when traveling. Being able to connect the camera directly to my phone and immediately pull images was such a bonus. It eliminated the whole “import later” process and let me edit and post on the go. Combined with the 13 built-in color profiles in the camera itself – some of which gave my shots a cinematic, dreamy tone – it made the whole workflow feel fun and creative.

The BF camera really does keep things simple in a good way. Even though it is full-frame and has interchangeable lenses it still has a point-and-shoot feel. The automatic exposure modes worked great when switching quickly between varying brightness, for example when exploring a dim, stained-glass-lit cathedral to the bright exterior a few seconds later. The touchscreen focusing is a plus, and the BF’s subject detection worked really well, even in busy environments and fast-moving scenes.

Overall, it made it easy for me to stay in the moment. I wasn’t digging through settings while trying to keep up with our tour groups, navigate crowds, or figure out metro lines. And despite its simplicity, the images turned out sharp, vibrant, and consistent. With the all-metal 17mm F4 and 50mm F2 lenses, I had just enough versatility to capture wide cityscapes, dramatic architecture, and more intimate moments without feeling weighed down.

Some of My Favorite Photo Moments

Dublin

The soaring shelves inside Trinity College’s Old Library, the intricate details of Christ Church’s ceilings and walls, and little pockets of charm between stops.

Paris

The beauty of the Louvre, inside and out, the glowing stained glass at Sainte-Chapelle (truly some of the most stunning I’ve ever seen), and no shortage of lively cafés in Saint-Germain-des-Prés that made me daydream about shooting fashion editorials there one day. Also loved capturing different angles of the Eiffel through the BF’s uncluttered screen, in daylight and twilight.

London

A quick but colorful stop in Notting Hill (see top of article), a walk past Big Ben and the London Eye, and a variety of street scenes that showed off how well the BF captures bold color and contrast.

Final Thoughts: Would I Travel With It Again?

Absolutely. The Sigma BF is a fantastic sidekick for traveling. It’s a no-fuss camera that’s compact enough for my bag, which is exactly what I want when I’m out and about sightseeing. It really reminded me how enjoyable it is to photograph a trip without overcomplicating things.

Explore the Sigma BF for your next travel adventure

Sigma BF Camera

Sigma I series prime lenses