In a world where mirrorless cameras are beginning to blend into one another, two contenders have stepped forward to shake things up in 2025 — the Sigma BF and the Panasonic Lumix S9. On paper, these two full-frame mirrorless cameras are strikingly similar. Yet, their receptions couldn’t be more different: one praised as a triumph of minimalism and craftsmanship, the other dragged across internet forums for missing the mark.

So how did two cameras, built on near-identical foundations, end up walking such dramatically different paths?