This page contains reviews of SIRUI AF 85mm F1.4 FF .
Lens Summary
| Price | It's very cheap for 85mm F1.4. |
| Size | relatively compact |
| Weight | Very light |
| Ease of use | Good, but there is a malfunction in the electronic control. |
| AF performance | Unstable when using high-speed or zoom AF |
| Resolution performance | Soft with the aperture open |
| Bokeh | The background is very good. |
| chromatic aberration | Lateral chromatic aberration is slightly noticeable. |
| distortion | The thread-winding type distortion is somewhat noticeable. |
| coma aberration | Good correction |
| Vignetting | Moderate for an 85mm f/1.4 |
| flare resistance | There is room for improvement. |
| Overall evaluation | Small, lightweight, low-cost, and with sufficient performance |
Evaluation：
The optical design retains a “softness” when compared to the large-aperture lenses of genuine camera manufacturer products such as the NIKKOR Z. If you are looking for a lens that emphasizes sharpness, you will need to stop down a little, but if you are looking for a portrait lens that emphasizes “soft” rendering, you may find that this product is better suited to your needs than genuine products. The selling price is under 100,000 yen, so if you are looking for a portrait lens with soft rendering, this is a product with high cost performance.
Foreword
- Release Date:2024.11.18
- Product page
- My Flickr album
- B&H photo
- Adorama
SIRUI, a Chinese manufacturer of tripods and camera heads, has produced an AF lens compatible with full-size cameras. SIRUI is the second Chinese lens manufacturer to release a full-size F1.4 AF lens, following Meike. This 85mm F1.4 lens is compact and lightweight, with a length similar to Sigma's, and is the second lightest after Samyang (509g). SIRUI is a latecomer to the AF lens market, but it seems to have produced an ambitious product.
The 9-group, 14-element lens configuration uses two ED lenses and one aspherical lens. Judging from the MTF, it seems to have been finished with optical performance that captures the entire image, even the edges and corners. We will check in future reviews what kind of results this achieves in actual photography.
specifications
| lens mount | E / Z mount |
| Supported sensor size | Full frame |
| focal length | 85mm |
| Lens construction | 14 lenses in 9 groups |
| Aperture | F1.4-F6 |
| Aperture blades | 15 |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.85m |
| Maximum magnification | ×0.1152 |
| Filter diameter | 67mm |
| image stabilisation | - |
| Teleconversion lens | - |
| Coating | Fluorine coating |
| Size | φ80.3×102mm |
| Weight | 540g |
| weather sealing | Support |
| AF | Stepping motor |
| Aperture ring | Click Unlock Support |
| Other controls | AFL button AF/MF switch USB-C port |
| Accessories | Lens Hood |
SIRUI AF 85mm F1.4 FF Review
Appearance and operability
Boxes and accessories
The high-quality design of the box is based on black and white, with a splash of SIRUI's signature blue. Recently, other Chinese manufacturers have also been focusing on their packaging, but SIRUI's boxes are among the best.
There is a handle attached to prevent the box from being torn open by force. This is a good point that you don't see with other companies. It's a simple feature, but it's useful for people who want to keep the box in good condition.
There is a seal on both sides of the handle to indicate that the box has not been opened. It's better than VILTROX in that it doesn't stick to your fingers even if you peel it off.
The lens itself is sealed with the air removed. It's a bit of a mystery why they go to this trouble, but it may be an effective way of protecting against condensation and moisture. Also, there's no need to worry about small particles sticking to it.
In addition to the lens itself, a lens hood, lens cap and Sigma-like lens case are included.
Appearance
The exterior of the lens is made of a sturdy metal construction. At first glance, it looks like plastic, but this is because it has a matte black coating. This is a rare coating for a metal exterior, and it has a classy color that doesn't stand out too much. Incidentally, it is also resistant to fingerprints.
The series logo “Aurora” and the fact that it is compatible with full-size cameras are printed in the center of the lens barrel. To be honest, I think the placement of “Full Frame” is a little strange, but it is easy to understand.
There is a SIRUI logo plate on the side. In addition, all displays, including the aperture value, are colored after being processed. Elaborate construction. (Only the serial number is printed.)
Hands-on
It's compact for an 85mm F1.4 lens. There's not much difference compared to an 85mm F1.8 lens. I feel this especially because I've just reviewed the Z 85mm F1.8 S, which has a longer over
Front and back
The front surface is coated with fluorine, making it easy to clean if water or oil gets on it. However, it is better to attach a protective filter if you think it might get damaged. This lens is compatible with filters with a diameter of 67mm, which is relatively small for an 85mm F1.4 lens.
The metal lens mount is secured to the main body with four screws. The lens mount has a USB-C port for updating the firmware. The rear lens is painted matte black to reduce unwanted reflections.
In addition, the area is sealed to ensure weather resistance.
Focus ring
The lens tip is equipped with a metal focus ring of moderate width. It has a low resistance and rotates smoothly. The stroke can be changed on the camera side, but it does not operate accurately at the specified angle. There is a possibility of malfunction (operating in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation) when rotated quickly in particular. When rotated “slowly” with non-linear response, accurate focusing is possible.
Aperture ring
Equipped with an aperture ring that operates from F1.4 to F16 and A position. There are clicks at 1/3 stop intervals throughout the range. The clicks are quite strong and the ring operates accurately.
On the right side is a switch that allows you to change the click of the aperture ring in infinite steps.
Switch/Button
On the left side are the lens Fn button and AF/MF switch. The square Fn button is unusual, but it is not difficult to press. It has a strong click feeling and is prone to making noise, so it is not suitable for video recording.
Lens hood
A plastic cylindrical hood. Like the Sigma, it has a rubber cover at the base of the hood for gripping. It is a well-made hood for a Chinese lens manufacturer. However, like the Sigma, it is prone to collecting dust.
It can be firmly fixed to the lens body, but the positioning when attaching it is very sensitive, and the action of rotating and fixing it is a little stiff.
Filter
As a limited-quantity purchase bonus, UV filters and black mist filters are included. Amazingly, protective film is attached to both sides of the filters to prevent scratches. Both the lenses and filters are carefully packaged, making for a very satisfying initial purchase experience.
Example of use
Z Mounted on the 8. The large body makes it look very compact for a 85mm F1.4 lens. It is easy to store in a camera bag, and it is not too heavy to hold when shooting. There are no problems with focusing or aperture control when shooting, and it is easy to operate.
AF・MF
Focus Speed
It uses a stepping motor drive and moves quietly and smoothly. Although it is not a fast AF speed for a modern AF lens, a Nikon genuine Z 85mm F1.8 S also produces similar results.
Breathing
Focus breathing refers to the change in the angle of view depending on the focus position.If the change in angle of view is significant, the field of view will expand or contract during focusing, potentially causing distractions and affecting autofocus stability. Ideally, it is better to have no focusing breathing. In order to check the effects of breathing, we took the following photos with the lens stopped down to the minimum aperture, at the minimum shooting distance and at infinity.
Although it is not excessive as an 85mm single-focus lens, it generally causes noticeable focus breathing. However, it is slightly better than the “NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S”.
AF accuracy
When using the zoom function, I sometimes failed to get the focus right. I plan to test this again in a different environment.
Also, as mentioned above, the AF speed is not very fast, so when shooting moving subjects, the camera may not be able to keep up with the subject.
MF
Apart from malfunctions caused by rapid rotation of the focus ring, it is possible to focus properly when making fine adjustments.
Resolution Chart
Test conditions
- Camera body:Z 8
- Interchangeable lens:SIRUI AF 85mm F1.4 FF
- Pearl Optical Industry Co.
‘[HR23348] ISO12233-compliant 8K resolution test chart (for still cameras)’ - Olympus HYRes 3.1 analysis software
- The lighting environment is constant indoors.
- Tripod, self-timer 10 seconds, electronic shutter
- RAW output
- ISO 100
- RAW development in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
・Sharpness: Off
・Noise reduction: Off
・Chromatic aberration correction: Off - Focus on each point to be analysed and take a picture
(image plane curvature is difficult to measure at close range, so check at infinity) - Note that this is a test at close range (infinity may be even better).
- If you adjust the sharpness when developing JPEG or RAW images, the values may improve. Please note that the values given here are the ‘minimum values’.
Test results
In the close-up test, the image is soft overall when the aperture is wide open. There is some residual spherical aberration, and the contrast is low. There is also a slight effect of longitudinal chromatic aberration. Closing the aperture to F2 improves the image slightly, but it is not perfect. Closing the aperture to F2.8 dramatically improves the image, and you can get very sharp results, especially in the center.
The periphery and corners are also very good when stopped down to F5.6-8, but the measured values seem to be struggling due to the effects of lateral chromatic aberration. In actual development, lateral chromatic aberration can be easily corrected, so you can expect even better results.
Centre of frame
At least in the short distance, the variation in spherical aberration is large, resulting in a fairly soft image. From the perspective of resolution performance, this is a negative, but it may have a positive effect on the bokeh quality and overall depiction.
This tendency is almost eliminated when the aperture is stopped down two stops. After that, the results become very sharp. If you need a sharp focus plane, it is recommended to stop down at least two stops.
Middle of frame
Basically the same as the center. It is slightly softer than the center, but there is no extreme drop in image quality. However, as mentioned above, the effects of lateral chromatic aberration begin to appear, so in scenes with high contrast there is a possibility that unnatural coloring may be noticeable.
Four corners of frame
It is about the same as the previous one, but the effect of lateral chromatic aberration is even stronger. For this reason, even if you stop down the aperture, there is less room for improvement in numerical terms (lateral chromatic aberration does not improve even if you stop down the aperture). Although it can be corrected easily and is within the range that can be ignored, it may be noticeable in high-brightness scenes.
Sample
Comparison with competing products
Comparison with competing products
SIRUI has a soft aperture when wide open, but when stopped down, the center improves significantly. The periphery and corners are also good, but it doesn't have the same sense of stability as the Z 85mm F1.8, which is in the same price range. The results are not bad, but lateral chromatic aberration is noticeable, and it is possible that this is affecting the measured values.
The general tendency is similar to that of Samyang, but it is good overall. However, the test equipment is different, so please use this as a reference only.
far-field resolution
Test environment
Date of shooting: January 8, 2025. Blizzards and clear skies, strong winds
Camera: Z 8
Tripod: Leofoto LS-325C with stone bag attached
Head: SUNWAYFOTO GH-PRO II
Exposure: ISO 100 Aperture priority AE
RAW: Adobe Lightroom Classic Development
- Sharpness off
- Noise correction off
- Lens correction off
Test results
The results are similar to those of the resolution chart test. The image is slightly soft around the maximum aperture due to the influence of residual aberration, but there is no extreme drop in image quality overall. The center of the image is at F2.8, and if you stop down to F5.6 in the periphery and corners, you can get very good results.
Centre of frame
Although the contrast is slightly lower at F1.4, the details appear to be well resolved. The result improves at F2, and peaks at F2.8. The details are well resolved to the extent that moiré occurs. There is no significant change thereafter, and diffraction gradually begins to affect the image from F8 onwards.
Middle of frame
Compared to the center, there is a slight drop in quality, but there is no extreme drop in image quality. As you narrow the aperture, the image gradually improves, and very good results can be obtained at F4-5.6.
Corners of frame
The same trend as the surrounding area. No significant differences were seen, and stable results were obtained even in the corners.
curvature of a surface
What is surface curvature?
This refers to the fact that the shooting distance at which the image is in focus differs from the centre to the four corners. For example, even if the image is in focus at a shooting distance of 1m, if the subject is moving back and forth around 1m at the edge of the frame, there is a possibility of field curvature.
Although there are few lenses that have noticeable field curvature, in recent lenses, aberration may increase and become noticeable at close distances. However, there are few opportunities to take photos of flat subjects at close range, so even if there is some image curvature, there is no need to worry.
However, if there is an effect even at infinity, you should be careful. If you are trying to achieve a pan-focus effect, for example in a landscape, there is a possibility that you will end up with an unintentional out-of-focus image. As there is no way to correct this aberration, the only way to avoid the problem is to increase the F-number to widen the depth of field.
Test results
The results are almost the same whether you focus on the center or the corner of the frame. The effect of field curvature is almost nonexistent.
Lateral chromatic aberration
What is lateral chromatic aberration?
A colour shift that appears mainly around the edges and corners of the frame. Unlike longitudinal chromatic aberration, the effect of correcting this aberration using the aperture is small, so it is necessary to correct it at the stage of optical design. However, it is possible to digitally correct chromatic aberration using the image processing engine built into the camera body. This makes it possible to correct chromatic aberration, which is difficult to correct optically alone, and recently, there have been lenses that prioritise the correction of other aberrations over chromatic aberration correction. In particular, mirrorless systems tend to rely on post-processing.
Test results
One point that is a little concerning with this lens. Lateral chromatic aberration is noticeable in the corners of the frame across the entire aperture range. This is one type of aberration that can be easily corrected with a camera, but in some cases it cannot be corrected if the bokeh is colored. However, there are only a limited number of scenes where this is noticeable in actual photographs, so there is no need to worry excessively.
Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration
What is longitudinal chromatic aberration?
Longitudinal chromatic aberration is a colour shift that occurs in front of and behind the plane of focus. If the area in front of the plane of focus is mainly purple fringing, and the area behind the plane of focus has unnatural green colouring in the out-of-focus area, then the main cause is likely to be longitudinal chromatic aberration. This is more likely to occur with large-aperture lenses such as F1.4 and F1.8, and in such cases it is necessary to close down the aperture to improve the situation. It is possible to correct this using development software, but it is more difficult to process than lateral chromatic aberration, so it is best to suppress the aberration optically if possible. However, when suppressing longitudinal chromatic aberration with a large-aperture lens, the product price tends to be higher. Lenses that perfectly correct for longitudinal chromatic aberration have high contrast on the focal plane from wide open aperture, so you can expect a punchy resolution.
Test results
Although it is not perfect, it is well controlled for a relatively inexpensive 85mm F1.4 lens. There is almost no possibility of problems in actual photography. The only problem is that the color of the image may be slightly tinted by reflections on the water or metallic surfaces.
Apart from the problem of longitudinal chromatic aberration, there is also a problem where the focus peak moves to the far side when the aperture is narrowed from F1.4 to F2.0. This is thought to be due to the influence of residual spherical aberration, so you need to be careful when taking pictures.
Distortion
What is Image Distortion?
Distortion refers to the phenomenon where straight lines do not appear straight on a flat surface. It is particularly noticeable when there are many straight lines, such as when there are man-made objects or a horizon in the image, and it can be divided into two types: barrel distortion, which is similar to that of a fisheye lens, and pincushion distortion, where the centre of the image appears compressed.
This is an aberration that can be corrected relatively easily, but it is difficult to manually correct distortions with complex shapes. In this case, a correction profile that matches the lens is required.
Test results
The uncorrected RAW image still shows a slight barrel distortion. This is excessive distortion for a lens that cannot automatically apply lens profiles, and in some situations you may feel that manual correction is necessary using development software, etc.
Coma aberration
What are coma and astigmatism?
Coma and astigmatism are mainly the failure of a point of light to appear as a point of light in the four corners of the frame. For example, this can be seen in artificial lights, stars and illuminations in night scenes. Even during the day, bright point light sources such as sunlight filtering through trees can also have an effect. As this problem cannot be corrected in post-processing, it is necessary to correct it optically.
Although it can be improved by narrowing the aperture, in situations where shutter speed is important, such as night scenes and astrophotography, it is not possible to narrow the aperture, and optical correction may be necessary.
Test results
Although there is a very slight effect at the corners of the frame, it is almost completely undetectable. The coma aberration appears to be corrected appropriately.
Spherical aberration
You can see that there is a difference in the depiction of the bokehball in front and behind. It is difficult to say that the spherical aberration is perfectly corrected, and this may be affecting the contrast of the in-focus plane and the quality of the bokehball in front and behind.
In addition, as you can see from the results of the longitudinal chromatic aberration test, when you narrow the aperture from F1.4 to F2.0, it causes “focus shift”, where the focus position moves to the far side.
When you narrow it down to f/2, the effect of spherical aberration is reduced. It's not perfect yet, so if you want to do your best, it's recommended to narrow it down to f/2.8. This is similar to the results of the distant resolution test.
Foreground and background blur
What is a beautiful blur and a noisy blur?
The evaluation of bokeh tends to be subjective, but I personally think that ‘soft, diffused bokeh’ is beautiful, while ‘sudden bokeh or hard-edged bokeh’ is not so good (or is a unique depiction). However, everyone has their own preferences, so there may be people who prefer the opposite. For reference, here are some examples of ‘blurred bokeh’ and ‘hard-edged bokeh’. The difference in the tendency of the depiction is mainly due to the state of correction of spherical aberration, and when the bokeh on either side is soft, there is a tendency for the bokeh on the other side to become hard.
Back Blur
Because of the influence of residual spherical aberration, the quality of the bokeh in front and behind is not neutral. The bokeh in the background has changed to a soft bokeh with a blur, and the outline of the bokeh is not easily visible. The advantage is that the soft bokeh in the background, which often appears in the frame, is more likely to be softer than the bokeh in the foreground.
Front Blur
In contrast to background blur, foreground blur is a type of blur where the outlines are likely to remain. Depending on the situation, it is possible for this to result in double exposure, but it is an issue that is easier to avoid than background blur. If it is a problem that really bothers you, you can improve it by stopping down to F2 or F2.8.
Bokehball
Effects of Vignetting and Spherical Aberration
If vignetting is strong, the bokeh at the four corners of the frame will be elliptically deformed or partially missing. The only way to solve this problem is to close down the aperture. However, closing down the aperture will make the bokeh smaller and in some cases the shape of the aperture blades may become visible, so it is necessary to compromise on the amount of vignetting depending on the situation.
If the amount of vignetting is small, it is possible to get a circular bokeh from wide open to the four corners. Ideally, a lens with little vignetting is preferable, but to eliminate it, it is necessary to fundamentally increase the size of the lens. There is a need to strike a balance between portability and cost, so some kind of compromise is necessary.
If the correction of spherical aberration is not perfect, there will be a difference in the depiction of the bokeh in front and behind (as shown in the review of bokeh in front and behind). In this case, one side will have a smooth depiction with blurring, while the other side will have a hard depiction like double-line bokeh.
Test results
The inside is smooth, but there is some coloration in the out-of-focus edges due to chromatic aberration. This is particularly noticeable in the corners of the frame, probably due to the strong effect of lateral chromatic aberration. Considering the small size, the effect of vignetting is minimal.
When the aperture is stopped down one stop (F2.0), the effect of longitudinal chromatic aberration is almost eliminated, and vignetting in the corners is also improved. Although lateral chromatic aberration cannot be avoided, the rest of the image is generally good. The aperture has 15 blades, so even when the aperture is stopped down, it maintains a beautiful circular shape.
Even at 2 stops (F2.8), the circular shape is beautifully depicted. There is almost no effect of vignetting.
Sample of a boke
Close range
When you get close to the subject with the “85mm F1.4”, the depth of field is very shallow. The bokeh is large, and it is not a shooting distance where you can discuss the texture. If I had to say something, the contrast is slightly low due to the remaining spherical aberration. (Not excessive, but just a touch of seasoning)
Short range
Even when the shooting distance is a little long, the background is rendered softly and smoothly overall. The outline of the bokeh is not noticeable, and there is no chromatic aberration.
Black mist filter
The following are the results of taking pictures with and without the black mist filter attached to the lens. You can get a reduction in contrast, as if you were using a soft filter with little effect. The main thing affected is the highlights, which look like they are diffused.
Portrait
The following are the results of taking pictures of a tripod that is 170cm tall while changing the distance and aperture.
Even when the entire body is in the frame, the background blur is smooth and beautiful. The effect of spherical aberration is minimal, and it does not have a significant impact on the quality of the blur. The texture of the corners of the frame is also good.
Vignetting
What is vignetting?
Unnatural drop in light intensity around the frame.
The light intensity is lower than in the central area, and there is insufficient exposure in the four corners of the frame. This mainly occurs with large-aperture lenses and wide-angle lenses.
Although this is a phenomenon that can be easily corrected using software, it is necessary to be careful about the fact that it can cause noise, as the insufficient exposure is covered by post-processing correction (sensitization). In particular, when using high sensitivity for nightscape or starry sky photography, there is a possibility that noise will appear strongly.
Minimum focusing distance
A slightly stronger reduction in light occurs, but not to an excessive degree. Considering the size of the lens, it seems to be well controlled. It is almost completely eliminated when the aperture is stopped down to F2-F2.8.
Infinity
Compared to the minimum shooting distance, a little stronger vignetting occurs. Even if you stop down to F2.0, it will still be noticeable, so if you want to suppress it optically, you will need to stop down to F2.8. Even so, it is not a surprising effect for the 85mm F1.4's vignetting.
Backlight resistance, sunstar
centre
Compared to the “NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S” lens that we reviewed just before this one, the flare resistance is lower. Flare occurs regardless of the aperture value, and the contrast near the light source is reduced. When you stop down the aperture, a large amount of ghosting occurs that is even more noticeable. It cannot be said to be strong against backlighting. This may not be a problem unique to SIRUI, but it may be an issue for Chinese lens manufacturers…
corner
When the light source is placed in the corner, there are almost no problems with the aperture open. However, when the aperture is closed, multiple ghosts are generated.
sunstar
There are 15 blades in the aperture, and when they form sunstars, there are 30. The sunstars themselves are sharp, but the shape is uneven and not very noticeable.
Summary
Good points
Reasonable price
Compact and lightweight
Well-made presentation box with a full range of accessories
Metal barrel for durability
Dustproof and drip-proof with fluorine coating
Aperture ring for easy operation
Sharpness throughout when stopped down
Good correction of longitudinal chromatic aberration
Good correction of coma aberration
Soft background bokeh
Bokehballs are not angular
Minimal vignetting
A portrait lens that delivers more than enough results at an affordable price and size. The F1.4 maximum aperture produces a slightly loose image, but in some cases this loose quality can be an advantage. Although small, lightweight, large-aperture lenses tend to produce a rough image towards the corners of the frame, this lens delivers a stable image even in the corners. It is free from the effects of distortion and aberration caused by vignetting, and if you can tolerate the “looseness”, then you can get practical image quality from F1.4.
It is also possible to obtain a sharp overall result by stopping down several stops. This is a lens that allows you to enjoy a different kind of rendering from the NIKKOR Z S-Line, with a soft, open aperture and a sharp, stopped-down aperture.
Bad points
There is a malfunction when the MF ring is turned quickly
The lens hood is hard to attach
The aperture is slightly loose
Lateral chromatic aberration is slightly noticeable
Distortion is slightly noticeable in the form of pincushion distortion
There is an effect of focus shift
Backlight resistance is not as good as NIKKOR Z
The looseness of the aperture is due to residual aberration, and depending on the situation, it can have a negative impact on photography. In particular, you need to be careful about focus shift. There are no problems with the Nikon Z camera with a maximum aperture of F5.6, but if you use F1.4 and fix the focus after autofocusing, you need to be careful. Lateral chromatic aberration and distortion can be corrected, but because automatic correction using lens profiles is not possible, you need to fix it in post-processing.
The build quality is generally good, but there is a problem with the focus ring that causes it to malfunction when operated quickly. This may be fixed with a firmware update, but for now, you need to be careful.
Conclusion
The optical design of this lens is more “relaxed” than that of the large-aperture lenses made by camera manufacturers such as NIKKOR Z. If you want a lens that is sharp, you will need to stop down a little, but if you want a portrait lens that emphasizes “soft” rendering, you may find that this lens is better suited to your needs than a genuine product. The selling price is under 100,000 yen, so if you are looking for a portrait lens with soft rendering, this is a product with high cost performance.
Although there are some areas that need improvement in the firmware, such as the accuracy of the AF when zooming in and malfunctions when operating the MF, overall, this is a portrait lens that we can easily recommend.
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