Portrait lenses come in all price ranges, but finding the right mix of quality and affordability can be tricky. The Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 offers an appealing middle ground, delivering strong performance at a budget-friendly price.
Coming to you from Arthur R, this detailed video takes a close look at the Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 lens. With its aluminum build, click-and-declick aperture ring, and autofocus/manual focus switches, it feels premium despite its $499 price tag. Inside, it features a 15-blade diaphragm and a fast f/1.4 maximum aperture, making it an attractive option for portrait photographers. The video highlights its sharp center performance wide open. However, issues like corner softness, vignetting, and pincushion distortion may require some post-processing adjustments. These quirks make it a better fit for creative scenarios rather than edge-to-edge sharpness in demanding settings.
The Sirui Aurora excels in producing smooth, circular bokeh with minimal outlining. However, chromatic aberration and flaring can be problematic in high-contrast scenes, especially wide open. While stopping down to f/2.8 improves these issues, the lens is best suited for situations where background separation and soft bokeh take precedence over clinical perfection. Autofocus is generally fast and accurate, though it doesn’t match native lenses or higher-end third-party options like the Sigma Art series.
Key Specs
- Focal Length: 85mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Lens Mount: Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z
- Lens Format Coverage: Full frame
- Focus Type: Autofocus
- Image Stabilization: No
- Minimum Focus Distance: 2.79 ft / 85.04 cm
- Optical Design: 14 elements in 9 groups
- Diaphragm Blades: 15
- Filter Size: 67 mm
- Weight: 1.2 lb / 540 g
For those working on a tight budget, this lens provides excellent value for full-frame portrait photography. Compared to its pricier competitors, such as the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art or the Sony G Master series, the Aurora trades optical perfection for affordability. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
Not much of a portrait photographer but do have a Sony lens on the shelve just in case! there are so many new lenses off the major manufacture line i do not know how software makers today keep up. Back some 10 years, sort time for me for I lived through it, when Sony was just getting started and lens maker Rokinon/Samyang came out with the 14mm F2.8 and all the Pro Astro Photographers were raving about it so i bought one. It took two years before even Lr made a LC for it and on top of it it was unchipped so no record in metadata if you used it. Yes Sony had a Playmemories app for lens correction that YOU did the correction while in use or even Capture One had a plastic white plate you used to do a LC, but C1 was the last and even today has no LC for it. Like I said I lived it. It took awhile for even a camera maker of it's lenses to get LC's done, even today the new lenses being hyped on YouTube and other places do not have LC before release as admitted by the reviewers.
Just saying beware of the after affects to your images for awhile, yes it is good for those starting out to get a low cost product to play with but plan on going to your camera makers lens in the future.
As some info from some one from the past, the old film lenses say Canon (I had) FD lens used with adapters ($20) there were no problems and no need for LC's just had to use LensTagger in Lrc to add lens info to Metadata or you have to have an old notebook with info with all info of every capture with any lens unchipped you used! Info for those going to low cost unchipped lenses today and the extra work needed so choose low cost or save for the real thing!
A recent reedit of the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 yes barrow and mustache correction but corner stars elongation still there, It was a goodtime out alone at night and memories looking back great BUT images are for you alone not sellable maybe, just saying think before jumping!!!! 2016