Did Christmas come early? It’s the middle of the summer, and I am testing my favorite lens focal length. Not only that, the lens also happens to have a fast f/1.4 aperture and this comes just days after having tested the very impressive Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro. I must be really lucky because the Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 is lightweight, well-built, and a very affordable $600.
Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 Review: How It Feels
Up to this point, I thought that the Sony G Master 85mm f/1.4 II was light at only 23 ounces (650 grams). However, the Sirui 85mm Aurora does even better. Weighing only 19 ounces (540 grams), it is so easy to walk around with and dramatically lighter than the 28-ounce (800-gram) Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro.
The front of the lens takes 67mm filters and comes with a simple hood that features a rubber ring for a better grip. The lens is fully weather-sealed and has a customizable button to go along with the AF/MF selector switch and declickable aperture ring. I was surprised to see these handling features, which are usually reserved for more expensive lenses.
Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 Review: How It Shoots
As well-appointed as this lens is, the autofocusing system is a more pedestrian stepping motor (STM) design. The autofocus performance is quiet, but noticeably slower than what the Sony or Viltrox counterparts can deliver. Now, in most shooting situations where an 85mm lens is appropriate, the focusing speed is adequate; I had no issues with portraits or even street shots of moving subjects. But if you are looking for the fastest focusing performance, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA) create color casts in front of and behind the point of focus. Luckily, the LoCA on this lens is present, but in a fairly minimal way. I noticed a little bit of a color shift, but in most situations, this will not present an issue. The Sirui lens seems to be quite clear of any major chromatic aberrations in general and delivers good contrast and clean colors.
What really impressed me was the incredibly clean bokeh, with no sign of onion rings or even a soap bubble effect. Specular highlights have a slight cat’s eye look to them at wider apertures, but this goes away quickly when the aperture is closed down. More importantly, the rendering of the backgrounds is smooth, clean, and avoids the harsh look that most affordable lenses would suffer from. I was reminded of the very clean Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master bokeh, which is quite an achievement. If you like clean-looking bokeh and smooth transitions, the Sirui will surprise you.
The Aurora lens is also a really sharp optic, with excellent detail present at f/1.4. Contrast is excellent throughout the frame and gets slightly better at tighter aperture settings. The corners are quite good as well when shooting wide-open. This flat-shooting lens is very crisp and clear, no matter the situation.
Really, the only major optical weakness is revealed when shooting towards bright light sources. There is a bit of flare that occurs when shooting back-lit subjects, and the ghosting is very apparent at f/1.4. Stop the aperture down, and ghosting becomes even more obnoxious, with bright reflections forming all across the frame. In some situations, the flare might be fun to use creatively, but most of the time, I found it quite hard to deal with.
Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 Review: Almost Perfect
The Sirui Aurora is quite an impressive achievement. When you consider the quality of the bokeh and the high sharpness inherent in this lens, you get an ideal portrait optic that delivers a modern look. The $600 price is very similar to the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro and you can often find this lens on sale for much less. The Aurora can also be purchased for E-mount, X-mount, L-mount, and Z-mount. I didn’t find the slightly slower autofocus to be a detriment, and really enjoyed the performance at f/1.4 across the frame. The lens has serious issues with flare but if you can work around this, the Sirui Aurora represents excellent value. Some photographers might even prefer the extreme ghosting as a bit of visual flair.
Are There Alternatives?
The Viltrox Pro 85mm f/1.4 is heavier and also provides a more vintage aesthetic to its bokeh. The price is on par, and both are way better than their affordable price would indicate. However, you can currently only get the Viltrox in E-mount. The Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f/1.4 E-mount lens is the most affordable of the bunch but I haven’t had a chance to test it optically.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. You get Sony G-Master vibes at a far better price and the only trade-off is flare control and autofocus speed.
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