Kase AF 85mm F1.4 Review

Dustin Abbott

July 1st, 2025

The company Kase has long been known as a filter maker, with a wide variety of filters and filter systems. But they have just released their first lens, and it is a surprisingly ambitious one. The Kase AF 85mm F1.4 is a full frame 85mm F1.4 lens complete with a wide variety of unique features, a surprisingly compact size, and a nicely strong performance. Is Kase going to be the most recent Chinese company to really disrupt the lens market? Find out more in either the video review below or by reading on in the text review.

https://youtu.be/mnSUFLT0e08

Thanks to Kase for sending me a review copy of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Sony a7RV and the Sony Alpha 1. You can find the listing for the AF 85mm F1.4 FE here.

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AI SUMMARY: The Kase AF 85mm F1.4 lens is an impressive first effort from a company primarily known for filter design, offering unique filter compatibility and compactness while delivering strong performance. It features innovative magnetic filter integration, a well-built metal body, and versatile functions like customizable focus points and firmware updates via USB-C, adding to its appeal. Although its autofocus may be slightly slower than some competitors, it remains accurate, quiet, and suitable for portrait and general photography, with excellent optical qualities such as balanced sharpness, contrast, and creamy bokeh. Priced competitively at around $738 USD, the lens stands out for its rendering, build quality, and filter-friendly design, making it a compelling option among high-end 85mm F1.4 lenses.

Strengths:

Innovative magnetic filter system integrated into the lens design
Compact, well-built, and weather-sealed construction
Excellent optical rendering with smooth bokeh and balanced contrast
Versatile features like customizable focus points and firmware updates via USB-C

Weaknesses:

Autofocus speed is slower compared to some competitors
Slightly decentered aperture blades affecting shape and contrast at F1.4
Minimal flare control with some light leak issues
Lack of an aperture lock feature which could improve handling in certain shooting conditions

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Kase’s background in filter design is shown in some of the unique features of this lens, which should prove to be the most filter friendly lens that I’ve ever tested. It’s been nearly six years ago that I reviewed my first magnetic filter system, and at that point you needed to screw in a magnetic filter adapter onto the front threads of the lens, after which you could quickly hot swap filters magnetically. Kase has incorporated a magnetic rotating ring right into the lens design, allowing you to skip the adapter and just drop magnetic filters right onto the lens. And, while they included a standard UV/Protection magnetic filter in my package, it just so happened that the Freewell CPL (circular polarizing) filter that I reviewed years ago was in a 72mm filter size, so I dropped it on there and found that it worked perfectly as well. Sweet!

What’s more, they are also including their “Magic Clip In Filter” for Sony buyers as a free gift. This appears to be an ND4 filter, and is designed to drop in right in front of the sensor. They even include a little “guitar pick” designed to allow you to easily lift the filter out.

All of this is a great, as it allows potential buyers more control over the light, potentially allowing for more effective flash sync, proper shutter speeds for video, etc…

There have been a number of new 85mm F1.4 lenses released for Sony, most recently including the Viltrox PRO 85mm F1.4 and the Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4. In many ways this new Kase 85mm most reminds me of the Aurora, though Kase has managed to bring a more compelling package with both better features and better performance. Let’s explore why that is…

Kase 85mm F1.4 Build and Handling

I really like Viltrox’s recent PRO 85mm F1.4, but there’s no question that its a bigger lens. Kase has done a really great job with managing the size of the 85mm F1.4, as it is both feature rich while also being nice and compact.

What’s more, the Kase 85mm F1.4 manages to stay compact even when the lens hood is used, something that diminishes the compact nature of the Sigma 85mm F1.4:

The diameter is 82mm (3.24″) and the length is 99mm (3.89″). That makes it very similar in size to the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II. It weighs in at 580g (20.45oz), making it a little lighter than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 but heavier than than the Samyang (509g) or the Sirui Aurora (540g).

Overall my impression is that the lens is compact but very well made. It has a reassuring density and a premium feel. I think the design language is nice and clean, though it doesn’t break any new ground.

There is a weather sealing gasket at the lens mount, though I haven’t yet seen a cutout diagram showing the position of other seals. I suspect there are other seals as that has become the standard for this class of lens, and Kase does claim that it is sealed against dust and moisture.

The body of the lens is molded and made of metal alloys. There is a lightly flocked finish on the barrel that is offset by glossier sections on areas like the aperture ring and near the lens mount. The ribbed textures of the aperture ring is reminiscent of a Sigma ART lens, and I would say that Sigma ART lenses represent a fair standard for the level of build quality.

The hood is more compact than competing lenses. The quality feels good, with thicker plastics, a flocked finish that matches the lens barrel, and good precision in the bayonet mount. It clicks into place nicely, though there is no lock.

As mentioned previously, the front filter thread is 72mm, which matches the Samyang and is a bit smaller than the 77mm on lenses like the Viltrox, Sigma, or Sony GM lenses.

The headline here is the very clever implementation of the magnetic filter mount. A closer look reveals that the “magnetic inlaid ring” not only allows for a nice attachment of filters but also has the ability to rotate, allowing you to rotate Vari-ND or CP-L filters without worrying about disrupting the magnetic connection.

The only downside of this will be for those of you with a bit of OCD – this means that the text on the facade of the lens will not always look nicely straight up and down as shown here. It could be rotated to any position.

As noted, I was able to use both the included filter from Kase along with an older Freewell filter that I already owned. The magnetic connection on the Kase filter was definitely stronger, though I was still able to use the Freewell filter without issue.

If you want other Kase magnetic filter options (I’m not a fan of using UV/Protection filters, myself), you can check out their full lineup of Revolution Plus magnetic filters.

Kase includes two choice for a front cap. One is a traditional pinch cap while the second is a magnetic cap that smartly snaps into place.

If you are a hood user, the pinch cap is easier to use because it is center pinch. The magnetic cap requires you to free it from the sides, which is harder to do with the lens hood in place.

There is a full set of features outside of the filter options. Here’s a look at everything on this lens:

The Kase 85mm F1.4 has a few features that alternative lenses do not, and only lacks one feature that some others have. The missing feature is an iris lock (Sigma and Sony GM), which allows you to lock into or out of the aperture ring. It would have been useful, too, as there isn’t a particularly firm detent between F16 (minimum aperture) and the A (Automatic) option. In fact, when declicked, there is no resistance here…which could potentially disrupt aperture racks.

What you might notice that we do have from the photo above is a second Fn (Function) button. The Fn1 button works in typical fashion with whatever function you have assigned from the camera. The Fn2 button is interesting, though, as it serves two purposes. The default function is that it will automatically shift to the minimum focus distance (short press). A long press, however, will lock it to your current focus point, allowing you to set a custom focus point that you can instantly return to with a click. That custom point seemed to last if I power cycled the camera on and off, but reset to the minimum focus distance function if I took the lens off the camera.

This is a cool function that is genuinely useful in both settings. I like being able to instantly go to MFD in order to shoot closeups with maximum magnification. It isn’t always obvious where that closest focus distance is.

Speaking of that minimum focus distance. It is a bit closer than the typical 85cm that you typically see on 85mm lenses. You can focus as closely as 70cm, which allows for a higher than usual magnification of nearly 0.14x.

Most of the competing lenses are in the 0.11x range. You can clearly see the Kase advantage in magnification, though this is offset somewhat by the fact that contrast suffers at close distances compared to some competing lenses.

So, while you get higher magnification, it comes at a penalty…at least at F1.4. Stop down a bit and you’ll get higher contrast.

Stopping down isn’t a bad idea anyway; depth of field at 70cm and F1.4 is ridiculously small.

There is an AF | MF switch on the left side, giving you quick control over that function.

There is also a Click | Declick switch on the right side of the lens. In click mode there are definite detents in one-third stop increments, and when the clicks are turned off, you can smoothly move through the aperture range.

I could do reasonably good aperture racks, though I could faintly see some stepping as the aperture changes were made.

The aperture iris has a high 13 blade count, though the aperture iris on my copy wasn’t perfectly centered (as you can see above).

The geometry is a bit odd. In some ways the roundest shapes are achieved wide open, with more deformation coming as the aperture is stopped down. This is opposite of what is typical, and I wonder if the slightly decentered aperture blades are contributing to that. Here’s F1.4, F2, F2.8, and then F4.

The manual focus ring is very nicely executed. It has deep ribs and feels very Sigma. The focus action has nice damping and it focus smoothly. The focus throw is speed dependent and not linear, so doing repeatable focus pulls can be challenging.

Kase has a USB-C port in the lens mount that allows you to do firmware updates right to the lens. I’m a fan of this approach, as it eliminates the need for a separate dock or lens station for firmware updates, and I find the process a little more intuitive than even doing firmware updates through the camera.

Kase is new to the lensmaking business, so there is no track record to point to yet in terms of how consistent they will be in supporting their lenses with firmware.

There is no lens based stabilization, so you will need to rely upon the in-camera stabilization if your camera is so equipped, but that’s true of every other lens in the class.

The Kase 85mm F1.4 in no way feels like a first effort. This feels like a mature, well executed package that manages to bring some innovation to a crowded space. And, at a price of around $738 USD, this lens competes well with lenses like the Sigma for considerably less, and bests the similarly priced Samyang. The fly in the ointment will be the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4, which is a very strong performer at considerably less money (under $600 USD), though it is a lot bigger and heavier. Kase is standing behind their product, too, offering a 3 year warranty, which is longer than what a lot of other inexpensive brands offer.

Autofocus for Stills

One area where there is a lot of parity amongst the 85mm lenses is when it comes to autofocus. At the top of the heap we have the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II, which is powered by multiple high thrust XD Linear Motors. The next tier is occupied by the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4, as it has a more powerful HyperVCM focus motor, which uses newer technology but only has a single focus motor. Pretty much everyone else (including Kase) is relying on an STM focus motor. STM, or Stepping Motor, is a fairly ubiquitous technology among low to mid-tier lenses.

Autofocus speed is on the lower side of these competitors, though fortunately that’s still fast enough for most things. Average is very good in 2025! In my formal tests you can actually see autofocus taking place rather than an instant transition from one subject to another, though focus happens smoothly and linearly without any pulses or hesitations.

Accuracy is very good, however, with all tested subjects. I got consistent and accurate lock on subjects, and focus is fast enough that I didn’t really notice it in normal situations.

Focus speed is fast enough for moderate movement but don’t expect this to be a sports lens. I really liked this moving shot of Ferrari because of his pose and also the extremely shallow depth of field.

Focus will work fine for portrait work, which is arguably the most important application for this lens.

Although is is a first lens for Kase, it certainly matches the more similarly priced competition from Sirui and Samyang. The Viltrox Pro AF is a little faster, but it is also bigger and heavier.

Video AF

Video autofocus follows a similar pattern to what I saw with stills focus, though I would argue that the slower focus speed is less of a negative here. Autofocus pulls are generally confident and without visible steps. Speed is fine, and nothing feels too abrupt.

The biggest challenge is that focus breathing is fairly strong, so you get that “zooming” effect from perspective changes.

My “hand test” where I alternatively block and unblock the camera’s view of my face with my hand went well, with smooth and confident transitions from my hand to my face and back, though that focus breathing makes the transitions less cinematic. Sony’s focus breathing compensation does not support any third party lenses, so don’t expect any software assistance.

Typical clips with either static or moving subjects were all fine. I had no issues with video focus.

Kase AF 85mm F1.4 Image Quality

The Kase 85mm F1.4 sports an optical design of 13 elements in 10 groups. This includes 5 ED (extra low dispersion) elements and 2 HR (high refractive index) elements. The result MTF shows a strong center and midframe and a mild dip in the corners at F1.4.

So, on paper, how does this compare with the recent Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4? I like putting the MTF charts onto a grid and putting a line through 80% to show what lands above and below that threshold. My experience is that anything at 30 lp/mm that falls above 80% looks pretty fantastic. On paper, the Viltrox is a bit sharper in the center, about equal, and slightly softer in the corners. We’ll see if that holds up in real world results.

The Viltrox is slightly higher contrast in the center of the frame, both lenses are similar in the mid-frame, but my copy of the Kase underperforms the MTF in the corner, producing noticeably softer results than the Viltrox.

This can’t quite match the Viltrox (or Sigma) in raw sharpness, but is capable of easily besting what I recently saw from from the Sirui Aurora in December 2024.

The Kase is sharper and has much higher contrast. I would definitely choose its performance in general over the Sirui. I would say that it also compares favorably to the slightly more expensive ($699) Samyang lens.

And, as we’ll see in a moment, I think the overall rendering and bokeh from the lens is pretty fantastic.

The Kase 85mm F1.4 has a minor amount of pincushion distortion, which in one area where it definitely bests the Sigma ART lens. The Sigma suffers from a really significant amount of pincushion distortion.

The Sigma needs a -9 to correct all that distortion, while the Kase needs only a -4 (and you could easily leave that uncorrected, as a little pincushion distortion can be flattering). The Kase also has lower vignette (+31 to correct) than either the Viltrox (+48 to correct) or the Sigma (+56 to correct). This is the lowest vignette of the current crop of 85mm lenses on Sony despite having a smaller diameter than some competitors. Here’s a look at the before and after with manual correction.

There is very little of longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA) visible on my test chart before and after the plane of focus.

I didn’t really see fringing on shiny textures, either.

There are only minimal issues with lateral style chromatic aberrations found in the contrast transitions near the edge of the frame.

I saw little issues with LaCA in real world images. Overall we have gotten through this section with minimal damage.

So let’s return to focus on resolution. These results are shot on a 61MP Sony a7RV and the crops are shown at roughly 200% magnification level. Here’s a look at the test chart that the crops are taken from.

If we zoom in and look at the 200% crops from the center, mid-frame, and lower right, we discover that sharpness and contrast are excellent in the center and mid-frame, but with a stronger than expected fade into the corners.

A real world shot with a reasonably flat plane of focus shows less of a drop off near the edge of the frame.

It seems like the drop off is more reserved for the far corners, which means that in most images this probably won’t be a factor.

I did feel like contrast was a little lower at closer focus distances and improved at medium distances. Here at close distances contrast at F1.4 looks decent but not exceptional.

Step back a bit and contrast looks a little stronger (also at F1.4)

We are not going to see Sony GM levels of contrast at F1.4, but there’s enough for most people for doing portrait work.

…and tightly crop it into a very different looking image like this:

So what happens when you stop the lens down? Even by F1.8 I see an uptick in contrast, and by F2 the center and midframe look great.

Corners are sharp by F5.6, though not to the levels we see elsewhere in the frame.

That’s on my chart, though. Real world landscapes at F5.6 look great to me even near the edges of the frame.

Diffraction is an unfortunate reality on higher resolution cameras, so you will see a faint softening by F11 and a more obvious softening by the minimum aperture of F16, though frankly results at 100% will still look fine.

Sharpness is very good. I would call it middle of the pack in terms of the current options on Sony in absolute sharpness, but where the Kase 85mm F1.4 really excels is in the balance of sharpness, contrast, and bokeh rendering. The Sony GM II lens is amazing in the sharpness and contrast departments, but produces rather flat rendering to my eye. The Sigma and Viltrox are a little better balanced, but none of them have nicer bokeh than the Kase.

We’ve already seen the worse of the Kase 85mm, namely that the specular highlights aren’t consistently very round, but the overall rendering and handling of the transition zone is excellent. This early morning dew shows a bit of what I’m talking about.

Backgrounds are typically very soft and creamy.

The lens transitions to defocus quickly, so at close focus distances the background melts away almost immediately.

I stopped down to F5.6 and focused about halfway towards the scene, and the bokeh still looks nice and soft.

This shot has a lot of transition zone in it, and I still didn’t find anything to criticize.

Shooting normal shots inside a house shows a nice handling of defocus, even with hard edged items that aren’t really out of focus.

I also liked the color rendering fine overall. Skin tones look nice in the shot above. All of the bright spring colors during my review period looked nice, too.

And, while contrast isn’t necessarily top notch, I did think that there is very nice 3D subject pop at medium distances.

The biggest flare issue that I saw was a bit of light leak problem in the corner. There is only minimal flare related issues otherwise.

There’s a lot to celebrate here, really. Kase has come onto the scene with a lens that is fairly competitive in all areas. Welcome to the club!

You can see more images by checking out the image gallery page here.

Conclusion

The last six months has been a great one for new 85mm F1.4 options on Sony FE. This lens from Kase is perhaps the most unexpected, however, as I’m not sure anyone knew that they were developing this lens. It’s a surprisingly mature effort for a first lens release, and manages to tick all the right boxes. I’m particularly impressed with the clever ways they’ve implemented their filter expertise into this design, making it perhaps the most desirable of the options for those who like to use filters as a part of shaping light and color.

Autofocus is probably the weakest link, but not because it is bad. Focus is quiet and accurate but not as swift as a few competitors. It is perfectly adequate for most people in most focus situations, however, so I’m not concerned.

The optical standout quality to me is the lovely rendering, with soft creamy bokeh. I think the Kase AF 85mm F1.4 FE is a great alternative for those that want a reasonably sharp lens but a less sterile rendering than the 85mm F1.4 GM II. The price of $738 USD is competitive, though less expensive options do exist. I’m not sure if there is a niche for Kase with so many alternatives on the market, but the lens really should carve out some spaced based on its merit…particularly if you want to use filters.

Pros:

Beautiful built lens
Feature rich
Very good weather sealing
Compact and reasonably light
Love the clever filter integrations
USB port for firmware updates
Clean and elegant design
STM focus motor is quiet and accurate
Good sharpness at F1.4 in center and midframe
Great contrast by F2
Higher magnification than competitors
Little distortion
Low vignette
Solid control of fringing
Colors look great
Gorgeous bokeh
Good price to performance ratio
3 year warranty gives some peace of mind

Cons:

Bokeh geometry isn’t amazing
Focus speed isn’t as good as some competitors
Corner sharpness lags a bit
Obvious focus breathing

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

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Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Keywords: Kase AF 85mm F1.4 FE, Kase AF, Kase, #KASE, Kase 85mm, Normal, Full Frame, F1.4, f/1.4, STM, Kase AF 85mm F1.4 FE Review, Magnetic, Magnetic Ring, Sony a7IV, Sony Alpha 1, Sony a7RV, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, let the light in, weathersealing, #letthelightin, DA, #KaseAF85mmF14, #Best85mmF14, #FilterFriendlyLens, #CompactPortraitLens, #AffordablePrimeLens, #MagneticFilterSystem, #KaseLensReview, #SonyFEComparison, #OpticalPerformance, #BokehReview, #FirstKaseLens, #SonyAutoFocus, #CameraGear2025, #PhotographyGear, #Budget85mmLens

DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 FE Gallery

Dustin Abbott

June 16th, 2025

The launch of the APS-C specific Viltrox AF 75mm F1.2 Pro for Fuji’s X-mount platform was the moment I realized that Viltrox was moving to a whole new level of optical design. I gave that lens a glowing review because it was completely next level. It was big and heavy, yes, but it was just optically brilliant and had more features than any of the native Fuji lenses. It was amazingly sharp even at F1.2 (even on Fuji’s ultra-demanding 40MP X-Trans sensor), and it had beautifully soft rendering and bokeh. They followed that up with an equally amazing AF 27mm F1.2 Pro, which I awarded Budget APS-C Lens of the Year in my 2023 DA Awards. Last year we saw the launch of Viltrox’s highest end lineup for full frame, the LAB series, with the AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE (which I also gave a glowing review), because it accomplished the same kind of thing on full frame. But that lens stands somewhat unique in Viltrox’s lens release roadmap, as they have just the one 135mm lens scheduled. But that’s not true for the major prime focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. Viltrox’s roadmap has F1.2 LAB lenses at each of those focal lengths…but also Pro series lenses with F1.4 apertures coming at each of those focal lengths. The first of the full frame Pro lenses is here, and they’ve started with the longest focal length of 85mm. Today we will cover in detail if the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE is the 85mm portrait lens to get. At just $598 USD, it represents a huge value (and if you use code DA85145OFF at checkout at Viltrox, you can get an additional 5% off!). I’ve personally used the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN ART lens as my 85mm of choice for years. Is there a new sheriff in town? Find out more in either the video review below, by reading on in the text review, or just enjoying the photos in the galleries below.

https://youtu.be/pD52SVOQmiA

Thanks to Viltrox for sending me a review copy of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Sony a7RV and the Sony Alpha 1. You can find the listing for the AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE here.

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85mm lenses tend to be the top choice of many portrait photographers for a reason. I personally find images from a 135mm lens slightly more exotic, but the focal length is often too long for a lot of environments. An 85mm lens allows you great subject separation but isn’t so long that you can’t use it in an ordinary room. It still works great for outdoor, environmental portraiture, too.

We see the Pro formula brought forward to this full frame series, though with a few of the most recent Viltrox tweaks. The 27mm and 75mm Pro lenses for APS-C relied on STM focus motor technology, but the Pro 85mm will use their new VCM (voice coil motor) technology for more thrust and smoother focus action. We’ve got a full set of features, including an aperture ring that be clicked or declicked, a custom/function button, an AF | MF switch, weather sealing, and a USB-C port for easy firmware updates. This is a lens with a GM level of build and features.

On paper everything looks great…but does the Pro 85mm deliver the goods in the real world?

Let’s explore the details…

Images of the Viltrox Pro 85mm F1.4

Images Taken with the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

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Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Purchase the Sony a7IV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Keywords: Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE, Viltrox AF, Pro, Viltrox Pro, #PRO, #PRO85, #explorebeyond, Viltrox 85mm, Normal, Full Frame, F1.4, f/1.4, VCM, Viltrox Pro 85mm F1.4 FE, Viltrox PRO 85mm Review, Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 FE Review, Sony a7IV, Sony Alpha 1, Sony a7RV, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, let the light in, weathersealing, #letthelightin, DA

DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 PRO FE Review

Dustin Abbott

June 16th, 2025

The launch of the APS-C specific Viltrox AF 75mm F1.2 Pro for Fuji’s X-mount platform was the moment I realized that Viltrox was moving to a whole new level of optical design. I gave that lens a glowing review because it was completely next level. It was big and heavy, yes, but it was just optically brilliant and had more features than any of the native Fuji lenses. It was amazingly sharp even at F1.2 (even on Fuji’s ultra-demanding 40MP X-Trans sensor), and it had beautifully soft rendering and bokeh. They followed that up with an equally amazing AF 27mm F1.2 Pro, which I awarded Budget APS-C Lens of the Year in my 2023 DA Awards. Last year we saw the launch of Viltrox’s highest end lineup for full frame, the LAB series, with the AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE (which I also gave a glowing review), because it accomplished the same kind of thing on full frame. But that lens stands somewhat unique in Viltrox’s lens release roadmap, as they have just the one 135mm lens scheduled. But that’s not true for the major prime focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. Viltrox’s roadmap has F1.2 LAB lenses at each of those focal lengths…but also Pro series lenses with F1.4 apertures coming at each of those focal lengths. The first of the full frame Pro lenses is here, and they’ve started with the longest focal length of 85mm. Today we will cover in detail if the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE is the 85mm portrait lens to get. At just $598 USD, it represents a huge value (and if you use code DA85145OFF at checkout at Viltrox, you can get an additional 5% off!). I’ve personally used the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN ART lens as my 85mm of choice for years. Is there a new sheriff in town? Find out more in either the video review below or by reading on in the text review.

Thanks to Viltrox for sending me a review copy of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Sony a7RV and the Sony Alpha 1. You can find the listing for the AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE here.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

85mm lenses tend to be the top choice of many portrait photographers for a reason. I personally find images from a 135mm lens slightly more exotic, but the focal length is often too long for a lot of environments. An 85mm lens allows you great subject separation but isn’t so long that you can’t use it in an ordinary room. It still works great for outdoor, environmental portraiture, too.

We see the Pro formula brought forward to this full frame series, though with a few of the most recent Viltrox tweaks. The 27mm and 75mm Pro lenses for APS-C relied on STM focus motor technology, but the Pro 85mm will use their new VCM (voice coil motor) technology for more thrust and smoother focus action. We’ve got a full set of features, including an aperture ring that be clicked or declicked, a custom/function button, an AF | MF switch, weather sealing, and a USB-C port for easy firmware updates. This is a lens with a GM level of build and features.

On paper everything looks great…but does the Pro 85mm deliver the goods in the real world?

Let’s explore the details…

Viltrox Pro 85mm Build and Handling

The first thing to note is that this is definitely a pro-level build quality, which is interesting considering that this is not their most premium lineup. The more I use the Pro 85mm, the more I appreciate it. It has a clean, streamlined design that is really growing on me.

There are things that I love about Viltrox’s design philosophy on the LAB series, but their integration with the aperture ring is not one of them. The Pro series takes a more traditional approach to controlling aperture, and in this case you can call me a traditionalist!

The aperture ring works perfectly here, with markings at the one third stop positions and light detents at those places if you have the “clicks” on. You also have a declick option where you can smoothly rack from F1.4 to F16. There is a firmer detent between F16 and the A (automatic) option which will allow aperture to be controlled from within the camera. The one aperture feature that is missing is an iris lock which would allow you to either lock into or out of the aperture ring.

I was able to perform aperture racks in the declicked mode without visible steps.

The iris itself has 11 aperture blades, and these make for a nicely rounded aperture even when stopped down a fair bit. Here’s F2, F2.8, and F4.

Sigma dramatically shrunk their newer mirrorless 85mm design as compared to the original 85mm F1.4 ART from DSLR days, and that was one of the most compelling reasons for me to buy it. Viltrox hasn’t quite achieved the same result here, as while this is a moderately sized 85mm lens, it is still fairly large. The Sigma is 82.8mm in diameter and just 96.1mm in length, but the Viltrox is 84.5mm (3.3”) in diameter while being a much longer 108.5mm (4.27”). The effect of being 12mm longer gives the impression that the Viltrox lens is narrower, but, as we’ve seen, that’s not actually the case.

Both lenses sport a 77mm front filter thread.

As one might expect, the Viltrox is the heavier of the two lenses, weighing in at 800g (28oz) compared to the 625g of the Sigma. The new Sony 85mm F1.4 GM II is nearly identical in size but weighs less at 642g.

Viltrox has proven that they can make very competent small lenses in their AIR series, but thus far the Pro and LAB lenses have all been quite large. The body of the Pro 85mm is very robust, utilizing an aviation-grade magnesium-aluminum alloy blend. This is similar to the materials used in camera bodies and ensures that the lens will be tough and durable for years of use. It has a black anodized finish that looks classic and and elegant. The lens is understated but attractive, with no loud accent colors or attempts to demand your attention.

I do kind of miss the LCD screen from the LAB series as central visual element, but I’m glad that the aperture control is more traditional.

Like the LAB lenses, the Pro 85mm sports floating elements in its design. This has a very positive benefit that we’ll detail momentarily, but those unfamiliar with this design element may be thrown by the fact that something seems to move (and clunk) a bit inside the lens when you tip it up and down. Floating element groups do in fact move forward and backward when the lens is powered off, though as soon as the lens is powered on, those elements are energized and no longer move. You can then tip the lens up and down and nothing happens.

The primary reason for employing floating elements is that it allows the lens to function better at close focus distances. The Pro 85mm can focus as closely as 79cm and produces a reasonably high 0.13x magnification. This bests the Sigma (85cm and 0.12x) and the GM II (80cm and 0.11x). The fact that the Sony focuses closer than the Sigma but produces lower magnification is evidence of some focus breathing, and the floating elements on the Viltrox helps alleviate that focus breathing and produce a higher level of magnification, which looks like this:

Despite the mild disparity in stated magnification figures, I don’t actually see any difference between the Viltrox and the Sigma in actual magnification.

Other features on the lens include a custom/function button and an AF | MF switch. This feature set is similar to the Sigma and Sony save the iris lock button.

What’s interesting is that this will technically be the Viltrox mid-level option, as there will be an even more feature rich 85mm F1.2 LAB coming.

Part of the Pro design philosophy is the inclusion of thorough weather sealing. This includes a HD Nano coating on the front element that resists fingerprints and moisture.

This includes a bright red/orange gasket at the lens mount (which I think is very stylish), internal seals at the switches, rings, and near the front element, as you can see in this diagram.

I count ten seal points in addition to the coating on the front element. I always love when companies are confident enough in their weather sealing to share the cutout of the internal design. Very nice.

The manual focus ring is wide, very nicely damped, and provides a great manual focus experience, with good precision, no lag in the focus (as sometimes experienced on mirrorless lenses with their focus-by-wire systems), and a nice amount of focus throw.

Viltrox continues with a trend that other lens makers are now imitating by including a USB-C port in the lens mount that allows you to do firmware updates right to the lens. I’m a fan of this approach, as it eliminates the need for a separate dock or lens station for firmware updates, and I find the process a little more intuitive than even doing firmware updates through the camera. Even better, however, Viltrox now has an app for iOS or Android where firmware updates can be done either through the Bluetooth module in the lens or by connecting a USB-C cord to the lens and connect it to your phone for a quick, stable process.

There is no lens based stabilization, so you will need to rely upon the in-camera stabilization if your camera is so equipped.

Viltrox has redesigned their bigger front lens caps with a bevel along the front that makes it feel slimmer. The lens also comes with the hood and a leather pouch (similar to Canon L-series lenses). There is some cushion on the bottom, but I don’t find these pouches nearly as useful as a good padded nylon case like what Sigma provides. The lens hood itself is fine, with a gripped section for removing it similar to what Sigma provides, but without the rubberized edge seen sometimes on nicer lens hoods.

The lens hood doesn’t have a lock, but does have a firm bayonet into place that sits securely. I had no issues with it coming loose. It will reverse and fit closely for storage, which is something I have a bit of an issue with on the Sigma lens hood, which flares fairly widely and thus takes up more room for storage.

The Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 is a beautifully made lens that does weigh a bit more than its primary competitors but compensates nicely by undercutting them in price anywhere from $500 to $1000 while providing a build quality and handling experience that equals those competitors. I am once again very impressed by how Viltrox is able to make beautifully crafted lenses and sell them so much cheaper than competing brands.

Autofocus for Stills

One area where the newer Viltrox lens has an advantage over the older Sigma lens is when it comes to autofocus technology. Sigma was still in their STM era of focus motors (as Viltrox was until recently), whereas Viltrox has now moved to higher end HyperVCM (voice-coil motor) focus in their recent premium lenses. Thus far they seem to be reserving their multiple-motor “hyper-VCM” focus systems to the LAB lenses, but even the single HyperVCM motor powering focus is nice and snappy in the Pro 85mm. I was particularly impressed in the circumstance of this particular shot, as I was out in the pre dawn light in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and decided to shoot this narrow stalk of dried grasses in the dunes. Focus instantly snapped into the right zone and delivered a shot with perfect precision.

What’s more, focus is perfectly silent, without any accompanying noise or drama. I can put the lens right next to my ear and focus and not hear anything.

The Sony 85mm F1.4 GM II is going to win the focus battle, as it is powered by two of Sony’s high thrust XD linear motors, but the Viltrox is going to stand its ground against most other competing lenses. I suspect the LAB lens will be powered by quad VCM motors and will challenge the Sony for focus speed.

On the Pro 85mm, focus changes are not quite instantaneous, but there is only a split second lag, and focus not only moves quickly but arrives with great confidence. It’s a hair quicker to focus than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN and its STM focus motor. With the Viltrox, I can focus on a distant subject and then back to a human subject just a meter away and focus is nearly instantly locked on the eye. That eye is accurately in focus, even in profile.

It wasn’t all that long ago that premium lenses like the Canon EF 85mm F1.2L II would seemingly take minutes to make major focus changes, so it’s pretty impressive at how good focus speed is on a lens like this.

I had no problem nabbing seabirds on the wing at the beach, with quick acquisition and accurate focus.

If we zoom in, we will find that focus is perfect even at F1.4:

Thus slower subjects like humans for portrait work were pretty simple, and the Pro 85mm delivered consistently well focused results in my portraits.

This was true even shooting in a very strongly backlit setting.

There isn’t really much to complain about here. Viltrox has levelled up their autofocus systems in their premium lenses, and the end result is improved results across the board.

Video AF

One of the chief advantages of the move to VCM from STM is that VCM moves in a linear fashion as opposed the steps involved with an STM (stepping motor), which means that the likelihood of smooth focus transitions in video is higher. Such proves to be the case here, as focus transitions are nice and smooth.

There is some focus breathing, but it isn’t bad for an 85mm lens. The Sigma’s focus breathing is much, much higher.

My “hand test” where I alternatively block and unblock the camera’s view of my face with my hand went well, with smooth and confident transitions from my hand to my face and back.

Typical clips with either static or moving subjects were all fine. I had no issues with video focus. Outside of the most recent GM II, this is as good of autofocus as I’ve seen on a fast 85mm lens (definitely much better than the first 85mm F1.4 GM). Viltrox has gotten impressively competent in basically every aspect of lens design.

Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 Image Quality

The Pro 85mm sports an optical design of 15 elements in 11 groups. This includes 3 ED (extra low dispersion) elements, a whopping 9 HR (high refractive index) elements, and one aspherical lens. That leaves only two “normal” elements! The result MTF shows a strong center and midframe and a mild dip in the corners at F1.4, with a little lower center sharpness at F8 but a more consistent performance across the frame.

So, on paper, how does this compare to the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN? I like putting the MTF charts onto a grid and putting a line through 80% to show what lands above and below that threshold. My experience is that anything at 30 lp/mm that falls above 80% looks pretty fantastic. On paper, the Viltrox should be sharper in the center, very slightly softer in the mid-frame, and very slightly sharper in the corners. We’ll see if that holds up in real world results.

What I found in the real world was very slightly more nuanced. I have found that the Sigma consistently meters a little faster than the Viltrox, but it isn’t really as simple as better light transmission, as the Sigma’s results consistently look a little darker than the Viltrox’s. What I think is actually happening is that the Sigma has in camera corrections right now while the prerelease Viltrox does not. The Sigma’s metering is based on a slightly corrected (brighter) result which goes away if you turn off the corrections.

The Sigma shows a bit more contrast in my tests in the center, while the Viltrox shows slightly more detail (both are splitting hairs). It is the Viltrox that looks slightly sharper in the mid-frame, though the Sigma shows slightly more contrast. The corner results depend on which corner you look at. I typically sample the lower right corner, and I would argue that the Sigma is a little better there, but the Viltrox looks better in all three other corners.

As I said…definitely more nuanced. My bigger takeaway is that you couldn’t call either of these lenses the winner at F1.4. They have a slightly different performance, but the results are highly similar. There’s just a bit of give and take here and there.

If you stop them both down a bit, they are both utterly, even ridiculously sharp by F2.8:

Those are both going to show as much detail as you could ask for, considering that the results above are from a 61MP Sony A7RV and shown at 200% magnification. I don’t think you could tell a difference at 100% magnification.

We’ll come back to resolution in a moment. One area where the Pro 85mm definitely has an advantage over the Sigma is in the area of the Sigma’s biggest weakness – distortion. The Sigma suffers from a really significant amount of pincushion distortion, where as the Viltrox is pretty much distortion free.

The Sigma needs a -9 to correct all that distortion, while the Viltrox needs only a -2 (and you could easily leave that uncorrected, as a little pincushion distortion can be flattering). Neither are extreme on the vignette side of things, but the Viltrox is a bit better (+48 to correct) than the Sigma (+56 to correct). Here’s the before and after of a manual correction, though a correction profile will be available shortly after this review has released.

There is a bit of longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA) visible on my test chart, though that may not be a bad thing.

I find a bit of uncorrected LoCA can have a positive impact on the bokeh, though that is within reason.

I think this shot and the crop shows what I’m talking about.

The larger image shows the beautiful bokeh rendering, but you can see a bit of lost contrast and a tiny bit of fringing at pixel level around some of the transition areas. Not enough to cause a problem, but I suspect the LAB lens will have stronger microcontrast if the trends from the first two LAB lenses continue.

I see only the tiniest amount of fringing around specular highlights, so no big deal here.

There is zero issue with lateral style chromatic aberrations found in the contrast transitions near the edge of the frame.

Overall we have an excellent performance in these metrics.

So let’s return to focus on resolution. These results are shot on a 61MP Sony a7RV and the crops are shown at roughly 200% magnification level. Here’s a look at the test chart that the crops are taken from.

If we zoom in and look at the 200% crops from the center, mid-frame, and lower right, we discover that sharpness and contrast are excellent in the center and mid-frame, with a fade into the corners (though they are far from bad).

A real world shot with a reasonably flat plane of focus (depth of field is still impacting this image a bit) shows that even the corners look quite good at F1.4 in a real world image.

This real world shot of a seagull in the predawn light shows pinpoint accuracy of focus and great detail even at F1.4.

That may help to put the previous results comparing the Sigma and Viltrox Pro in context. Both lenses are incredibly sharp in real world use.

For portraits, for example, you’ll have all of the detail you could want, and I would say this is most important if you are shooting portraits at a bit further of a distance and want to retain detail for cropping. There is plenty of detail to take a full length shot like this:

…and tightly crop it into a very different looking image like this:

Bottom line is that no one is going to complain over sharpness from this lens. The only sharper 85mm I’ve tested on Sony is the GM II.

So what happens when you stop the lens down? At F2 the gains in the center of the frame are minimal because the lens is already so good there, though you can see a bit more contrast and detail in the mid-frame, and, more noticeably, the corners. Here’s the upper left corner, and you can strongly see the improved contrast in particular.

We’ve previously had a look at the F2.8 performance in comparison to the Sigma, but are there any further gains to be had? Not much over most of the frame, but I do note some continued improvement in the corners.

This means that landscape images in the F2.8-F8 zone will be impressively sharp all across the frame.

Diffraction is an unfortunate reality on higher resolution cameras, so you will see a faint softening by F11 and a more obvious softening by the minimum aperture of F16, though frankly results at 100% will still look fine.

There’s no question that the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 FE is one of the top performing 85mm lenses on Sony FE, joining the Sigma and GM II as the sharpest 85mm lenses while also coming in as the cheapest of the trio. A pretty enviable place to be!

One area that really sets these full frame 85mm F1.4 lenses apart from, say, 56mm F1.4 lenses on the smaller APS-C sensor (85mm equivalent) is in the quality of the rendering. The bokeh and subject isolation is just so much nicer. I happened to be reviewing the Yongnuo 56mm F1.4 Pro at the same time, and you can see from these shots of the same subject (taken about 90 minutes apart) how much softer and creamier the bokeh is from the Viltrox.

You can see in this shot that the magnification actually favors the 56mm lens (I was a little bit closer), but what is a somewhat busy background on the APS-C lens becomes a creamy sea of color with the 85mm lens. My chief complaint with the GM II lens is that while I absolutely loved its sharpness, contrast, and autofocus speed, I didn’t actually love the rendering from the lens. I preferred the look of images from the Sigma lens.

But I find it very difficult to call a winner when I compare the Viltrox and the Sigma. They are both have incredibly nice bokeh.

I chose the setting above because it was a mixture of easy (the greenery on the left side) and harder edges in the bare branches on the right. If I look at high magnification, I would say that the Viltrox handles the branches very slightly better, but I doubt anyone would notice that in any ordinary setting.

This second setting is almost all pleasing, with a bit of foreground defocus for depth and little in terms of hard edges in the transition zone to defocus. I pored over this image critically and couldn’t pick a winner.

This third setting I chose because it was almost all difficult. It is almost all hard edges. In this case I prefer the look of the Viltrox image, though it has more to do with the native metering and color balance. A bit of tweaking to the white balance and exposure results in a more neutral outcome.

I do still very slightly favor the overall look from the Viltrox, but I think in this case there is very slightly less contrast in the Viltrox image that just happens to work in this setting, while in others the Sigma look would probably be better. This is obviously a subjective taste evaluation.

We’ve already seen that the specular highlights from the Viltrox look fine, so overall I think this lens does a great job of blending sharpness and bokeh into a very nice package. Here’s a great case in point:

I did have a chance to test coma with the Pro 85mm and found that the results were okay, but I did see some coma smear (some wings growing on star points in the corner). It’s not a bad result, but not exceptional, either.

Flare resistance is also solid. Large aperture lenses used to struggle with bright lights in the frame, but coatings have really improved. The lens is very strong at large apertures, with little loss of contrast and only minor ghosting artifacts. I see a bit more ghosting at small apertures, with the pattern more concentrated if it composed in the middle and stretched out if composed in the corners.

But this is obviously an extreme example, as you aren’t very inclined to just take pictures of the midday sun. In more ordinary compositions with the sun rising, for example, I saw zero flare issues.

I likewise say no issues in shooting backlit portraits, which is probably the primary potential corner.

In other words, the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 FE is an excellent performer that can compete on merit with the best in the platform optically…and it doesn’t hurt that it has a much cheaper price tag! This is a lens that is going to make a lot of people very happy.

You can see more images by checking out the image gallery page here.

Conclusion

Reviewing a fast 85mm prime is a lot of fun. It’s so easy to produce beautiful images with it, and the 85mm focal length is short enough that it doesn’t take a inordinate amount of skill to use it well. For a long time there were surprisingly few autofocusing 85mm F1.4 lenses on Sony FE, though that is starting to change. In the past few years we’ve seen the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II, the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II, the Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4, and now this Viltrox. The Aurora remains the cheapest option (about $100 less), but I’d take the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 every day of the week. It goes head to head with the Sigma and comes out looking pretty solid, which is amazing considering that I’ve put the Sigma up against all of these other contenders and have upheld that it represents the best value for a premium 85mm on the platform. This will almost certainly be an equally strong contender on Nikon Z mount when it arrives there, too.

The biggest shortcoming for the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 is its weight, though I didn’t find it particularly onerous in real world use. If you want to travel light, however, there are some decent alternatives, with the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II being the most compelling. The Viltrox has a build quality that is more akin to the Sigma and GM, however, and has the second fastest autofocus that falls only behind the GM II.

This is a lovely portrait lens along with being an excellent general purpose 85mm lens. I find that it strikes a great balance between sharpness and rendering, with images that seem to have that “special sauce” that photographers like myself are looking for. I’ll be very intrigued to compare it to the LAB 85mm F1.2 once it arrives. But I think that many people will find this Pro 85mm a good compromise – smaller, lighter, less expensive, but still excellent. This is a LOT of lens for under $600 USD. Viltrox is on one of the most impressive streaks of great lenses that I’ve ever seen from any brand. I’m now ready for them to get a little more creative in the focal lengths and shake up even more spaces. In the meantime, however, lenses like the Pro AF 85mm F1.4 will only further cement Viltrox’s place as one of the premium third party brands.

Pros:

Beautiful built lens
Feature rich
Very good weather sealing
USB port for firmware updates along with Bluetooth for wireless access
Clean and elegant design
VCM motor delivers fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus
Focus pulls are nicely damped
Comparatively low focus breathing.
Exceptionally sharp lens that competes with the very best in the center and mid-frame
Extremely sharp across the frame by F2.8
Little distortion
Solid control of fringing
Colors look great
Amazing contrast
Gorgeous bokeh
Great flare resistance
Amazing price to performance ratio

Cons:

Bigger and heavier than most competing 85mm F1.4 lenses
Some might be put off from the “clunk” of the floating elements

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Keywords: Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro FE, Viltrox AF, Pro, Viltrox Pro, #PRO, #PRO85, #explorebeyond, Viltrox 85mm, Normal, Full Frame, F1.4, f/1.4, VCM, Viltrox Pro 85mm F1.4 FE, Viltrox PRO 85mm Review, Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 FE Review, Sony a7IV, Sony Alpha 1, Sony a7RV, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, let the light in, weathersealing, #letthelightin, DA

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Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 AF Gallery

Dustin Abbott

December 6th, 2024

Just a few years ago, I had never reviewed a Sirui lens. I had reviewed a few tripods from the company, but I didn’t think of them as a lensmaker. They then approached me about covering a few of their cine lenses, and while that isn’t my forte, I agreed to do so out of some interest in the unique materials they were using in their lens design (carbon fiber, in this case). Since that point I’ve reviewed about a dozen lenses from them, including cine lenses, their Nightwalker series, an anamorphic lens, and all five lenses in their Sniper autofocus series. But I’ve never been more excited to do a Sirui review than the one I’m doing today, for a number of reasons. First of all, this is their first full frame autofocus lens, and I would presume that the Aurora 85mm F1.4 is the first in a new series of Aurora lenses. Secondly, while Sirui has always utilized some really cool materials in their designs (they know how to make a unique lens!), the Aurora series if the first time they’ve really kicked up the feature set, with the Aurora 85mm sporting a set of features that would compete with Sigma or even a first party lens. Thirdly, they’ve managed to make a full frame 85mm F1.4 lens that is smaller and lighter than what anyone else has done. Finally, I was a bit slow getting my review copy, so a few reviews are already out, and I found that I really, really liked the look of the rendering from the lens. Add to that the fact that Sirui is discounting the already inexpensive price of $600 down to $500 for the holidays…and throwing in a few bonus filters, and they’ve definitely got my attention. Did they pull off the value 85mm on Sony, Nikon, and Fuji? You can find out my full thoughts by watching the video review, reading the text review, or just enjoying the photos below.

Thanks to Sirui for sending me a review sample of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with my Sony a7RV or Sony Alpha 1 cameras.

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One other area that I was interested in was being able to evaluate Sirui’s autofocus on a platform other than Fuji, which is where I’ve reviewed the Sniper series. Fuji’s autofocus is quite a bit behind that of other major brands like Sony, Canon, or Nikon, so I feel like my impression of Sirui’s autofocus has been held back a bit by the limitations of the camera. I’m doing this review on Sony, where no such limitations exist, and it will give me a more accurate view of the “state of play” with Sirui’s autofocus.

I’ll give Sirui high marks for presentation. There’s a clever little tab made of material that allows the box to be easily opened, and inside they packed the lens in a zippered and padded nylon case (like Sigma’s lenses), which actually adds real protection value, unlike, say, a Canon L series drawstring pouch. The lens is shrinkwrapped inside to help it to be perfectly sealed during shipment. I’m not a big “unboxing” kind of reviewer, but I was impressed as I unboxed the Aurora 85mm.

It’s great to see another 85mm F1.4 option on the market, particularly one that does have a number of nice strengths. It’s probably not going to dethrone my Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN for me personally, but I’ll also note that it costs half as much.

This is a very nice full frame portrait lens for $500. Check out the photos to see if it checks the boxes for you.

Images of the Aurora 85mm F1.4

Images Taken with the 85 Aurora

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Keywords: Sirui, Aurora, 85mm, F1.4, Sirui Aurora Review, Sirui 85mm Review, Aurora 85mm F1.4 Review, f/1.4, Review, Sony alpha 1, Sony a7RV, Wireless, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, let the light in, weathersealing, #letthelightin, DA

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Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 Review

Dustin Abbott

December 6th, 2024

Just a few years ago, I had never reviewed a Sirui lens. I had reviewed a few tripods from the company, but I didn’t think of them as a lensmaker. They then approached me about covering a few of their cine lenses, and while that isn’t my forte, I agreed to do so out of some interest in the unique materials they were using in their lens design (carbon fiber, in this case). Since that point I’ve reviewed about a dozen lenses from them, including cine lenses, their Nightwalker series, an anamorphic lens, and all five lenses in their Sniper autofocus series. But I’ve never been more excited to do a Sirui review than the one I’m doing today, for a number of reasons. First of all, this is their first full frame autofocus lens, and I would presume that the Aurora 85mm F1.4 is the first in a new series of Aurora lenses. Secondly, while Sirui has always utilized some really cool materials in their designs (they know how to make a unique lens!), the Aurora series if the first time they’ve really kicked up the feature set, with the Aurora 85mm sporting a set of features that would compete with Sigma or even a first party lens. Thirdly, they’ve managed to make a full frame 85mm F1.4 lens that is smaller and lighter than what anyone else has done. Finally, I was a bit slow getting my review copy, so a few reviews are already out, and I found that I really, really liked the look of the rendering from the lens. Add to that the fact that Sirui is discounting the already inexpensive price of $600 down to $500 for the holidays…and throwing in a few bonus filters, and they’ve definitely got my attention. Did they pull off the value 85mm on Sony, Nikon, and Fuji? You can find out my full thoughts by watching the video review below…or reading on.

Thanks to Sirui for sending me a review sample of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with my Sony a7RV or Sony Alpha 1 cameras.

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One other area that I was interested in was being able to evaluate Sirui’s autofocus on a platform other than Fuji, which is where I’ve reviewed the Sniper series. Fuji’s autofocus is quite a bit behind that of other major brands like Sony, Canon, or Nikon, so I feel like my impression of Sirui’s autofocus has been held back a bit by the limitations of the camera. I’m doing this review on Sony, where no such limitations exist, and it will give me a more accurate view of the “state of play” with Sirui’s autofocus.

I’ll give Sirui high marks for presentation. There’s a clever little tab made of material that allows the box to be easily opened, and inside they packed the lens in a zippered and padded nylon case (like Sigma’s lenses), which actually adds real protection value, unlike, say, a Canon L series drawstring pouch. The lens is shrinkwrapped inside to help it to be perfectly sealed during shipment. I’m not a big “unboxing” kind of reviewer, but I was impressed as I unboxed the Aurora 85mm.

It’s great to see another 85mm F1.4 option on the market, particularly one that does have a number of nice strengths. It’s probably not going to dethrone my Simga 85mm F1.4 DN for me personally, but I’ll also note that it costs half as much.

This is a very nice full frame portrait lens for $500…so let’s dive in and get the details.

Aurora 85mm Build and Handling

As noted in the intro, the Aurora series is a step up for Sirui in build quality and feature set. In some ways, however, the design language of the Aurora series is more stereotypical than their typical recent designs. Thus far the only color scheme seems to be black, so no white or silver. The overall appearance is nicely clean though with bolder fonts and bigger writing than most lenses. They want you to understand that this is a full frame lens, for example. How do I know that? Because they wrote it right on the barrel.

The fonts on the side, too, are quite bold. This is like the “large print” edition of lenses.

The Sirui badge on the right side of the barrel is probably the most subtle thing here.

The front face is more clean and simple. I always like when there is lens information on the front of a lens.

The lens itself is definitely on the small side for an 85mm F1.4. Not as small as the Sony FE 85mm F1.8, but definitely smaller and lighter than any of the F1.4 options save the Samyang Series II (which I reviewed here). The lens is 80.3 (3.2″) in diameter x 102 mm (4″) in length. It manages to get by with a 67mm front filter thread compared to the 77mm of the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN or the 72mm of the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II. It weighs 540g (1.4lb), which is slightly more than the 509g of the Samyang but less than the 625g of the Sigma. You can see that while the two lenses are similar in length, the Sigma lens is definitely wider in diameter.

The included lens hood (pictured above) is fairly plain. It is a cheaper feeling plastic (relative to the more robust aluminum alloy housing of the lens) that is distinguished mostly by a ribbed grip ring. It bayonets on a little tighter (the tolerances could be a little better here) but at least won’t be jarred free.

This is a fairly feature rich lens. It has a robust approach to aperture control, including a manual aperture ring that can be controlled with clicks (at one third stop detents) or clickless by changing the position of the switch on the right side of the lens.

You also have the option of switching into A (automatic) mode if you prefer to control aperture from within the camera. This isn’t an iris lock, but there is a nice long detent in between F16 and A mode that should keep you from accidentally straying in either direction.

The aperture iris itself is beautiful, with 15 rounded blades, which is well more than any of the competitors.

On the left side of the barrel there is a Function button that can be programmed to a wide range of functions from within the camera along with an AF | MF switch.

The manual focus ring has a nice feel to it overall. The damping is good, and focus smooths well without any apparent lag between input on the ring and the actual focus action. The active focus area will be automatically magnified if you have that setting enabled.

At the rear of the lens you’ll find a USB-C port that allows for quick and easy firmware updates.

You’ll also find a weathersealing gasket located there, and Sirui adds that there is a fluorine coating on the front element. There seems to be some other seals as well. Sirui actually used the word “waterproof” in their marketing, but I’m not aware of any lens actually being waterproof. Weathersealed is probably a better term, meaning that you can use it when it is raining, but don’t drop it in a pool or the ocean and expect all to be well!

Right now Sirui is including two filters as a bonus. One is UV protection filter, which I personally don’t use but some photographers swear by.

The second is more interesting to me, as it is a “Black Mist” filter. This gives you a little more of a glow to an image, a slightly more dreamy look that can be interesting in certain situations. Here’s a quick comparison of a scene with and without the filter. Note that it affects not only the subject but also the bokeh, too.

It’s a nice bonus on a portrait oriented lens, and we’ll come back to that in the image quality section.

The lens barrel is made of metal (aluminum alloy), and it has a nice, anodized black satin finish. Overall I would call it a nice looking lens even if I do find the badging/writing a little overwrought.

85mm lenses are rarely known for great levels of magnification, and that’s true here. Minimum focus distance is 85cm, which is pretty much dead on with what the Sigma and Samyang allow. That will give maximum magnification figure of right at 0.12x, which is obviously very average.

While the Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 isn’t precisely the smallest and lightest 85mm F1.4 lens out there, it is very close, and unlike the Samyang, it gives you a metal body and more features, which feels like a nice tradeoff for the additional 31g of weight. Overall I’m happy about what we have here. I love to see when companies “level up” in their lens design.

Stills Autofocus

Sirui has equipped the Aurora 85mm with an STM or stepping motor. While I consider STM motors to be the lower tier of modern mirrorless AF motors (with Linear and Voice Coil motors in an upper tier), the truth of the matter is that there’s a pretty broad range of performance with STM motors. The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN also has an STM motor, for example, and it costs twice as much. Obviously the Sirui won’t be able to compete with the Sony 85mm F1.4 GM II, which has incredibly fast autofocus thanks to having two XD Linear motors, and those are the largest of their kind that Sony has made to this point. If your plans for an 85mm prime include capturing sports action, you’ll probably want to stick with something like the Sony or, if you’re shooting Nikon, perhaps consider the Z 85mm F1.8 S instead. But for most people in most situations, the autofocus performance on the Aurora 85mm is going to work just fine.

You can see from the shots above that the lens delivered nicely accurate results on either my Sony a7RV or my Alpha 1, with good precision on any kind of trackable subject even if the subject (like Ferrari here) was in profile.

Focus is very accurate on the eye itself, not anything else.

There is almost no noise to be heard even if I put my ear next to the lens barrel. There is the slightest buzz from the motor, but so quiet as to be nearly undetectable. Focus speed is good in most situations, too, though I did notice a little lag when going from a very close to a very distant subject. I would say that in most ordinary situations focus speed will be sufficient. It’s nowhere near as fast as the Sony 85mm F1.4 GM II, but probably only a hair slower than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN.

I used the Aurora 85mm to record a birthday celebration for my assistant, Craig, and I got well focused results throughout.

I shot a series of portraits with the Aurora 85mm, and it proved very capable of accurate focus in that setting, whether I was shooting through branches:

Shooting at a closer distance:

…or shooting from further away.

Focus was also good for holiday type celebrations.

Focus for general purpose subjects was just good, delivering good accuracy with no drama.

As with most third party lenses, if your goal is tracking fast action, you might want to go with a first party lens, but for most people in most situations, autofocus for stills was pretty great.

Video AF

On the video front I found mostly good results. Focus pulls were smooth and quick with no visible steps. Focus breathing is fairly obvious, but not unusually so for an 85mm lens.

The Aurora 85mm did fine with my “hand test” as well, where I alternately block the view to my face with my hand and then remove it. Focus transitioned nicely from my hand to my face every time with no lag or misses.

Video footage generally looked good. The Aurora has a different look to the optical glass than competing lenses, including lower contrast and a different color signature. If you like it, you like it, but it isn’t quite like other full frame 85mm F1.4 lenses.

I also had fairly good results with video clips where I slowly moved the camera to force change from one subject to another at varying depths of field. Focus transitions were fairly well damped, and overall autofocus feels pretty capable.

Aurora 85mm F1.4 Image Quality Breakdown

The Aurora 85mm has an optical design of 14 elements in 9 groups, which includes some exotic elements like high refractive elements, extra low dispersion elements, and a aspherical element.

The MTF chart shows a fairly consistent performance across the frame with a dip right past midframe, a correction after than, and than a drop right in the very corners. The stopped down performance is almost flat on the sagittal plane, but the tangential plane shows a big dip, speaking to a bit less contrast.

My optical tests are on the 61MP a7RV, which is currently the most demanding resolution point for a full frame camera. I suspect that my testing results will be a little more punishing than a few of the reviews I’ve seen on lower resolution platforms, as you can see from the blue lines in the MTF chart above that the lens looks great on lower resolution points and a little weaker on higher resolution platforms.

There’s one other clue in the MTF chart that may help you to understand my results. Their MTF chargts were developed at 3.4 meters, which is a little over 11 feet. That’s a bit further than standard. The distance to my test chart, for example, would have been more like 2 meters. This is relevant because I really felt like this was a lens that is optimized for portrait distances. I felt like the lens was less impressive at close focus distances, like here at roughly minimum focus distance (F1.4):

…or at infinity/landscape distances (here at F2.8):

But put it in that sweet spot of 8-20 feet (2.5-5 meters) and it is very sharp even at F1.4:

You may have noticed the real strength of the lens in my first and third examples above. This lens has gorgeous rendering and bokeh. It isn’t the sharpest 85mm out there, but it compensates by having really gorgeous bokeh rendering. And, if you are shooting either in A) the optimized shooting distance or B) on a lower resolution camera, you will also get really great sharpness and contrast as well. This doesn’t surprise me, though, as I felt like this was also the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Sniper series as well.

The Aurora 85mm shows some light color fringing before and after the plane of focus (LoCA, or Longitudinal Chromatic Aberrations), though nothing excessive in my standard tests. You can see some fringing on my chart, but nothing too bad.

One of the key areas that I see fringing is in the imprinting on lenses and cameras, and this only Pentax combination of my Dad’s often will show major fringing if this is an area a lens struggles with. The Aurora 85mm does surprisingly good in this test even at F1.4.

I didn’t see any fringing around the bright specular highlights here (bokeh balls) either.

But this shot at distance was a different story. I see fringing around bare branches, around the geese on the water, and on a few other textures. It’s as if the colors are not quite properly focusing together, and the result is lost contrast and definition on the textures.

This style of fringing is called lateral chromatic aberrations (LaCA), and after what I saw in some real world shots, I was unsurprised to see it pretty strongly on my test chart as well.

Reducing the color fringing isn’t tough (the “Remove Chromatic Aberration” button on your favorite editing software should take care of that without problem), but what you won’t see restored is the lost detail in your images. That makes this a slightly underwhelming lens for landscapes. In many ways the Aurora 85mm F1.4 is the optical polar opposite of the recent Sony 85mm F1.4 GM II. That lens has some of the best microcontrast that I’ve ever seen, able to resolve amazing detail at both close and distance (some of my landscape images at F1.4 amazed me on that lens). But I was bit underwhelmed by the overall rendering and quality of the bokeh. The Aurora is the opposite. I’m completely underwhelmed by the fine detail rendering in many situations, but absolutely love the overall rendering of the bokeh from lens.

There’s a case to be made for both approaches, but if you’re making the case for the Aurora’s approach, it is that clients and viewers will rarely see the pixel peeping results, but they will always see the big picture rendering results.

The Aurora 85mm is a bit like the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN in that there is a lot more pincushion distortion than expected. It’s as if both companies left some uncorrected distortion as a engineering trick to reduce the size of the lens. The Sirui isn’t as bad as the Sigma, however, as I used a -7 to correct the nicely linear pincushion distortion and only a +38 to correct the vignette (I needed to max out the vignette slider with the Sigma).

A bit of pincushion distortion can be flattering to portrait subjects, but this is probably excessive. You’ll want to correct at least some of it, though you can probably get away with not correcting the vignette.

Unfortunately the Aurora 85mm does not seem to be getting in-camera correction support. I pulled the JPEG file of the chart test above off my second card and it looked just like the RAW file.

So how about resolution and contrast? My tests have been done on a 61MP Sony a7RV, and crops are typically shown at 200% magnification. Here’s the test chart:

Here are F1.4 crops at roughly 200% from across the frame (center, mid-frame, and lower right corner).

I see mostly good detail across most of the frame (a bit of a drop in the corners, as predicted), but contrast is unexceptional. This is mirrors my findings in real world shots, too, though again the contrast results are better in the “sweet spot” of 2.5-5 meters (8-20 feet).

Stopping down even to F1.8 produces more contrast, particularly in the black levels.

You can see that in this real world example comparing F1.4 and F2 as well.

This is one of those lenses that offers you some choice in how you want things rendered. It’s a nice option at F1.4, as it is still sharp enough for portrait work, but still has a flattering quality to the rendering.

For portrait work I felt that there was plenty of sharpness. Even a fairly deep crop at F1.4 shows nice detail.

You can see that there is a very noticeable bump in sharpness and contrast at F2.8:

From 2.8 to F4 is an even bigger jump, and you can see that now even the corners look impressively sharp.

Peak performance in terms of consistency will be from F4 to F8, where sharpness is most consistent for landscape style work (even if that isn’t the lens’ greatest forte.)

Diffraction will start to soften the image after that, with a mild amount at F11 but a more obvious amount by F16:

But the absolute strength of this lens is in the overall rendering. Images just look really fantastic, with enough sharpness and contrast to be compelling, but it is all complimented by very soft, very creamy bokeh.

Geometry is pretty decent, with some geometric deformation near the edges of the frame, but overall the impression is of big, soft bokeh circles.

There is a bit of swirly busyness in those specular highlights, however, which is probably the biggest negative about the bokeh.

I found the backgrounds nice and creamy in a wide variety of situations, however.

This image has a lot in the transition zone, but it still looks pretty good.

Even the foreground bokeh is nice, which is really important for when you want to use out of focus elements to create natural frames for your subjects.

Flare resistance is mostly good. I had good results where the sun was very brightly right out of frame. You can’t really tell it from this image, but this scene was flooded with window light from a bright, directional sun.

This wide open F1.4 shot was shot into very bright sun around this tree, and while you can see some localized veiling at the epicenter of the sun, contrast has held up well in the image.

Stopping down to F11 reduced the veiling but adding just a little ghosting spot.

With the sun right out of frame and at a certain angle, you will get a glowing veil effect, which fortunately is extremely artistic. Here’s a freeze frame from a video clip:

I’ve added that exact effect to a LOT of images in post because I love the warm glow effect.

The Aurora 85mm is a pretty easy lens to get nice looking images with.

I’m also partial to the rendering from the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II, leaving us with two pretty great options. Looking back at my review results, I would argue that the Samyang is a hair sharper, but I think the Sirui has nicer bokeh. If you’d like to see more image samples, check out the image gallery here.

Conclusion

The Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 is an interesting step forward for Sirui, as it covers a lot of new territory. It moves into covering the full frame sensor, adds weather sealing, more features, and even ups the included accessories to include filters and a case. Doing all of this at the current price of $499 USD is impressive. And it seems like this lens is getting a lot of glowing reviews from those in the target audience – portrait photographers. The optics are optimized for portrait zones, and the gorgeous rendering/bokeh helps make images really look great. There are sharper options if you are just looking for pure sharpness for landscapes or general purpose, but if your priority is the look of images and having great bokeh, then the Aurora 85mm checks a lot of boxes.

It doesn’t hurt that this becomes the least expensive full frame 85mm F1.4 option on Sony and Nikon, and also offers a more feature rich lens than competitors on Fuji.

Sirui is clearly upping their game and moving into a more mainstream market with the Aurora series. There is perhaps the least amount of competition on the Nikon Z space, but here on a Sony there are a lot of alternatives. Some of them are sharper, but none of them are cheaper, and I’m not sure that any have quite as nice of rendering, so if that matters to you, the Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 is a winner. It’s a lot of lens for $500!

Pros:

Nice looking lens with nice build
Smaller and lighter than many competitors
Includes nice case and filters
USB-C port for firmware updates
Good manual focus ring and experience
Very feature rich
Weather sealed
Declickable aperture
Custom button
Autofocus motor is quiet and moderately fast
Good sharpness and contrast at portrait distances
Beautiful bokeh
Flare resistance fairly good
Great price to performance ratio

Cons:

Some lateral fringing issues
Pincushion distortion
Not super sharp at landscape distances
Lower contrast than competing lenses

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Keywords: Sirui, Aurora, 85mm, F1.4, Sirui Aurora Review, Sirui 85mm Review, Aurora 85mm F1.4 Review, f/1.4, Review, Sony alpha 1, Sony a7RV, Wireless, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, let the light in, weathersealing, #letthelightin, DA

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Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 Gallery

Dustin Abbott

November 22nd, 2024

Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 Gallery

My time spent with the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 reminds of past eras where first party brands like Nikon and Canada often had three tiers of 50mm lenses: a “plastic fantastic” F1.8 option priced low and built cheap, a mid level F1.4 option, and then a premium F1.2 option. Nikon’s strategy on Z-mount has been a little different, as their initial 50mm release was the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S lens, and that lens was priced (and sized) more like the mid-tier option at roughly $625 USD. That makes the new Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 lens a little harder to categorize, as it is about the same size as the F1.8 lens and priced a bit lower at right under $500 USD. And yet this also feels right, like the proper price and performance for a mid-tier lens. We’ve got the premium Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S in the $2000 zone, so it’s really the 50mm F1.8 that is the oddity. I like the Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z a lot (and I haven’t yet tested the 50mm F1.8 S as I’m new to the Nikon party), so the question is the release of this lens going to confuse potential buyers? Find out my thoughts by watching the video review, reading the text review, or by checking out the photos in the gallery below.

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Thanks to Camera Canada for the loaner of the Nikkor 50mm F1.4. As always, this is a completely independent review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the 45MP Nikon Z8, which I reviewed here.

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My biggest takeaway from my time spent with the Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z is “enough”. I feel like Nikon has done a great job of giving us enough of everything – build, autofocus, and optical performance. Yes, there are higher performing 50mm lenses, but this lens feels like enough for most people in most situations, and thus it feels like a really good value to me for a first party F1.4 lens. I had no problem producing images that I liked with this lens.

I also appreciate how they’ve kept the size down. This lens weighs on 422g, which is lightweight enough that you could use it on a Zf body and not feel like it overmatched the camera. It feels positively svelte on my big Z8 body.

Put simply, this is a lens that I really like, and it didn’t hurt that it wasn’t really outclassed in many ways even though I reviewed it at the same time as the new Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM…a lens that costs $1000 more! So is the “enough” lens the one for you? Check out of the reviews if you want more info, or just enjoy the photos below.

Photos of the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4

Photos taken with the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4

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Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 Review

Dustin Abbott

November 22nd, 2024

Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 Review

My time spent with the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 reminds of past eras where first party brands like Nikon and Canada often had three tiers of 50mm lenses: a “plastic fantastic” F1.8 option priced low and built cheap, a mid level F1.4 option, and then a premium F1.2 option. Nikon’s strategy on Z-mount has been a little different, as their initial 50mm release was the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S lens, and that lens was priced (and sized) more like the mid-tier option at roughly $625 USD. That makes the new Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 lens a little harder to categorize, as it is about the same size as the F1.8 lens and priced a bit lower at right under $500 USD. And yet this also feels right, like the proper price and performance for a mid-tier lens. We’ve got the premium Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S in the $2000 zone, so it’s really the 50mm F1.8 that is the oddity. I like the Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z a lot (and I haven’t yet tested the 50mm F1.8 S as I’m new to the Nikon party), so the question is the release of this lens going to confuse potential buyers? Find out my thoughts by watching the video review below…or just keep reading.

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Thanks to Camera Canada for sending me a review copy of this lens. They have become my personal source for buying new equipment. As always, this is a completely independent review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the 45MP Nikon Z8, which I reviewed here.

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My biggest takeaway from my time spent with the Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z is “enough”. I feel like Nikon has done a great job of giving us enough of everything – build, autofocus, and optical performance. Yes, there are higher performing 50mm lenses, but this lens feels like enough for most people in most situations, and thus it feels like a really good value to me for a first party F1.4 lens. I had no problem producing images that I liked with this lens.

I also appreciate how they’ve kept the size down. This lens weighs on 422g, which is lightweight enough that you could use it on a Zf body and not feel like it overmatched the camera. It feels positively svelte on my big Z8 body.

Put simply, this is a lens that I really like, and it didn’t hurt that it wasn’t really outclassed in many ways even though I reviewed it at the same time as the new Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM…a lens that costs $1000 more! So is the “enough” lens the one for you? Keep reading to find out.

Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z Build and Handling

As noted, the 50mm F1.4Z is a pretty lightweight lens at 422g or 14.9oz. It accomplishes that by being made of engineered plastics, yes, but also by being relatively compact. The lens is 76.2mm in diameter (3″) x 88.9 mm (3.5″) in length.

For some perspective, that’s about 4mm narrow and 8mm shorter than the Sony 50mm F1.4 GM, though the GM is obviously a more feature rich lens. The Nikkor lens is nearly 100g lighter, however. It’s relatively compact for a modern 50mm F1.4, but if you want to go small and light, you might want to consider the very compact 40mm F2 instead.

The front filter size is a relatively uncommon 62mm.

At least the 50mm F1.4Z has a metal lens mount! It also has decent weather sealing, with about 7 seal points by my count.

I will note that the gasket at the rear mount is so small as to be nearly undetectable. Nikon’s language on the lens listing is a little contradictory. They say, “Designed carefully considering dust and drip-resistant performance” but then add this caveat: Thorough dust and moisture-resistance is not guaranteed in all situations.” In other words, there’s some weather sealing here, but no guarantees if you push your luck. On their listing for the 50mm F1.2 S they are more confident in their language (The NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S is extensively sealed to keep out dust and moisture, especially around the moving parts of the lens barrel. A little water won’t hurt a Z camera or lens, so go out and make the most of that rainy day) but does have a similar caveat in the fine print. I suspect this is just Nikon covering their rears if someone drops their camera into the ocean or pool!

There is a secondary ring on the lens barrel, which is Nikon’s control ring. There’s a different texture to this ring which makes it easy to differentiate from the wider ribbing on the manual focus ring. This control ring, like Canon’s control ring on their RF lenses, can be assigned from the camera to control aperture, shutter speed, ISO speed, or exposure compensation. Unlike Canon’s control ring, however, which has clicks or detents, the 50mm F1.4Z’s ring is declicked and moves smoothly. I typically use the control ring as a manual aperture ring, and I don’t actually love this particular ring for that. Without clicks it feels imprecise, and I find it very easy to blow right by the aperture value I’m looking for.

There are no switches or buttons on the lens barrel, but rather most of it is dominated by the wide manual focus ring. The feel of the ring is fairly good, with good damping and precision. I like Nikon’s options for controlling the behavior of the manual focus ring, allowing you to choose a linear response and your desired focus throw distance.

The aperture iris is made up of nine rounded blades, allowing for a circular aperture shape when the lens is stopped down.

As you stop the aperture down, the overall shape is “roundish” but you can slightly see the shape of the aperture blades.

There is a fairly deep lens hood included. There are ribs inside and a ridged grip section to make it easier to mount/unmount the lens.

We have got a closer that average minimum focus distance of right over 37cm which results in a very useful 0.17x magnification level.

You can see that the plane of focus isn’t particularly flat, however, so the area of sharpness occupies a thin area even with this two dimensional subject.

Stopping down a bit helps to improve up close performance, and here’s a shot at F2 and at the minimum focus distance.

I would consider that useful, particularly since the average for 50mm lenses tends to be in the 0.15x level. Both the 50mm F1.8 S and the 50mm F1.2 S are at that 0.15x level, so I appreciate the extra bit of magnification here.

There really aren’t a lot of 50mm F1.4 competitors on Z mount thus far, but even if they were, it’s hard to imagine them undercutting this price of $499 USD by much. I appreciate the restraint that Nikon has shown with the pricing here. The 50mm F1.4Z isn’t a fancy lens, but it feels like “enough” and the lens doesn’t feel cheap to me. All told I feel pretty solidly impressed by the lens.

Autofocus and Video

The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 utilizes a stepping focus motor (STM) that is, for the most part, surprisingly fast. Focus changes happen very quickly whether indoors or outdoors, and most of the time you won’t think about autofocus at all because the job just gets done quickly and efficiently. I was able to track action sequences with good accuracy in a gym even shooting at F1.4. I shot bursts at 30FPS on my Z8 and got nearly perfectly focused long bursts.

I had very good results when shoot portraits, with beautiful focus on the eyes.

I shot backlit shots with very strong directional sun, and I had no problem getting accurate focuses at F1.4.

I used the new Godox AD200 Pro II strobe for this shot, and I continued to have accurate focus results even when shooting at F5.6:

I got accurate results when shooting in low light at F1.4. Focus didn’t seem to really slow down much.

There is a faint whirring sound if you put your ear right next to the lens barrel, but if I held the camera at chest level and racked focus here and there, I couldn’t hear anything. Focus speed in my formal tests was not instant but was nice and fast racking back and forth.

I’ve got no concerns for autofocus for stills.

Video Autofocus

My first test was video focus pulls, and I saw quick, confident pulls from one subject to another in my standard test. The pulls were tuned more towards speed than a slow, cinematic damping, but you could modify that a bit with camera settings. More importantly, I didn’t see any visible steps from the STM motor. There was an occasion little micropulse, but it was rare. I did shoot some low light 8K footage, however, and found an occasional rack in the wrong direction during pulls there, but that was a much more demanding scenario.

Focus breathing felt fairly well controlled. It’s there, but not anything ugly.

My “hand test” where I alternately block the camera’s view of my face with my hand and then remove it was more of a mixed bag. I sometimes had a hard time convincing the camera/lens to focus on my hand (even what that was clearly the domination subject in frame), though other times it would transition fine. That’s fair consistent with what I’ve seen from Nikon relative to the typical performance I see on Sony or Canon. On a positive note, those transitions were smooth due to the relatively low focus breathing.

I had very good results when walking towards the camera, with consistent tracking of my face, and when I ducked out of frame and then back in, the lens was relatively quick in picking me back up. I’ve also used the lens for several review videos for my channel along with about four long format teaching sessions. In every case face tracking has been completely reliable.

I shot one clip where I was tracking dried grasses at F1.4 as they blew in the strong autumn wind. Focus did a great job of staying on the moving subject, as can be seen from the freeze frame above.

All told there is a lot to like here in the autofocus performance. It’s not a high end dual linear focus motor system like what is in my Sony 50mm F1.4 G Master lens, but again, for the money, this feels like more than enough performance to get the job done in just about every situations.

Image Quality Breakdown

The Nikkor Z 50mm F2 is an FX (full frame lens), though it can also be used on DX cameras where it will give a full frame equivalent of 75mm due to the 1.5x crop factor on DX. This is a relatively simple optical design of 10 elements in 7 groups, including one aspherical element. This is clearly not the same optical design as their older DSLR era AF-S 50mm F1.4, which had 8 elements in 7 groups. The MTF chart shows significant improvement all across the frame relative to that older lens.

I really liked the rendering from the Nikkor Z 40mm F2, but I was less impressed with the real world sharpness. Just based on the MTF charts, the 50mm F1.4Z shouldn’t really be sharper, but in real world practice I was perfect satisfied with the sharpness and contrast I got from the lens.

This is the opposite of a paper tiger; it looks better in reality than it does in an MTF chart, and I think the early user reviews reflect that.

This is not a perfectly corrected lens, as we’ll see below, but sometimes a bit of uncorrected aberrations actually allow a lens to have more character.

One of the areas that is not perfectly corrected is LoCA (longitudinal chromatic aberrations), which show up as fringing before or after the plane of focus. You’ll definitely see some of that fringing.

I did see it in real world shots, too, particularly in the places where I have learned to look for it. One example is with fringing around the letters of the lens designation on the Pentax.

You’ll see a bit of a greenish fringe around specular highlights, too.

Lateral chromatic aberrations near the edge of the frame are essentially non-existent, so that won’t be a problem.

Unlike more highly correct lenses, you will have some issues with color fringing, though that can have a positive effect that we’ll highlight in a bit.

If we move on to vignette and distortion we find a tiny amount of barrel distortion which required just a +1 to correct for. It is both minimal and linear, so it corrects fine but would also be fine uncorrected in almost every application.

Vignette is another story. I had to add a +88 to correct for the vignette. That’s not as bad as the 40mm F2, but it isn’t great! The correction profile is able to make a clean correction of the vignette, though I will note any lens with high levels of vignette will result in some less clean corners when shooting at higher ISO values. Even shooting at ISO 3200 you’ll find that the amount of noise in the center of the frame is significantly less than in the corners of the frame because the corners have had to receive nearly four stops of additional correction.

We’ll move on to inspecting our test chart. This test has been done on a 45MP Nikon Z8 sensor. I use a high end tripod and two second camera delay to ensure vibration doesn’t affect images. Here’s a look at the test chart that we will examine at high magnification:

If we take a look at crops (at roughly 200%) at F2 from the center, mid-frame, and lower right corner, we find that center performance is good, but the mid-frame and the corners are definitely much weaker.

The chart results look good but not necessarily great. You can see that the detail extends into the corners, but contrast looks weak there.

To me, however, real world results look better than what the chart shows. In this shot, for example, you can see that there is good 3D pop to the subject.

If we zoom in to the pixel level, we see that the subject looks nice and crisp.

The contrast from the lens will depend on the situation. In a F1.4 shot like the one below, there is a lot of subject on either side of the plane of focus, and the near monochrome subject allows more fringing (and lower contrast to show.

This shot is more two dimensional, with less out of the main plane of focus, and I think that contrast and detail looks better here, while the fringing is much less evident.

Here’s a distant shot at F1.4, and I actually find contrast and detail quite good.

Bottom line is that at close focus distances and shallower depth of field, you will get softer results with more fringing. Move even a bit further out and contrast and detail will improve.

As has been my theme in this review, I think that wide open sharpness is enough. I have tested and even own sharper 50mm lenses, but I’m finding that in most situations that I have the 50mm F1.4Z, I’ve been content with its output.

Stopping down to F2 will produce an obvious improvement in contrast in both the center:

…and more noticeably in the corners.

Contributing to that improved contrast is a reduction of the color fringing. It isn’t entirely gone by F2, but you can see in this side by side comparison that there is significantly less fringing both in the letters that occupy the plane of focus but also on the edges of the out of focus SLR in the background.

There’s a very mild improvement by F2.8, with a slightly larger improvement coming at F4.

Even at F2.8, however, I found real world results to be pretty fantastic. There’s plenty of detail and contrast in this F2.8 shot, and that’s true even in the crop from near the corner.

By typical landscape apertures of F5.6 and F8, you can expect nicely detail and contrast all across the frame.

Expect the typical diffraction pattern on high resolution cameras where the image is a little softer by F11 and softer still at the minimum aperture of F16, though frankly I’ve seen much worse when it comes to diffraction.

I noted a tradeoff for some uncorrected fringing, and that comes in the form of a softer background. Often lenses with a little less contrast and a little more fringing are able to produce softer, more pleasing backgrounds.

That’s certainly true at close focus distances, as the 50mm F1.4Z can produce very nicely blurred backgrounds.

I often use this lock for test shots because it’s an easily repeatable subject, and while the falloff isn’t exceptionally creamy here, overall the shot looks good.

The weakness for the rendering, in my opinion, is the transition zone between focus and complete defocus, as it can get a little “nervous” due to a bit too much outlining.

You can see a bit of this in the grasses in the lower left of this portrait shot, though in general I think that the bokeh quality is really pretty good from this lens.

When I consider that it is priced in a range often dominated by cheaper, third party lenses and also by F1.8 lenses, I feel like the quality of the rendering really stands up pretty well.

Colors also look nice, with good punch but some balance as well.

I find that some of Nikon’s color profiles are a little too biased towards magentas, but if I stick to Adobe’s color profiles I was generally happy with skintones.

Flare resistance seemed generally pretty good. I did shoot a number of strongly backlit portraits, and one of the lenses that I was testing during the portrait session flared very badly to the place where I didn’t consider the results overly usable. The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 held up pretty well by comparison in those conditions, however, giving just a bit of a ghosting pattern at F1.4 but generally pretty flawless when stopped down a bit.

The sunstar/sunburst effect also looked pretty decent in the shots above with a smaller aperture (F5.6 range).

One thing that you shouldn’t buy the lens for is to shoot stars. Coma smear in the corners is pretty bad, with the star points looking like pterodactyls surrounded by a blue glow.

The effect is reduced but not eliminated by F2.

So not a flawless optical performance, but the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 certainly bests the average 50mm F1.4 lens from the DSLR era by a good margin. I wouldn’t call any of its flaws fatal, and I generally liked the images I was able to produce with the lens. It feels like an easy lens to reach for those family moments you want to capture, for walking around when you feel like shooting 50mm, and for portrait work in this range. You can check out more photos by visiting the image gallery here.

Conclusion

In the mirrorless space the typical 50mm F1.4 has skewed up market, with Sony’s G Master costing $1300, Canon’s new RF 50mm F1.4L at $1400, and even Sigma’s 50mm F1.4 DN (not yet available for Z mount) pricing in at $850. All of these lenses have nicer builds, more features, more sophisticated autofocus systems, and superior optics, but they are also all bigger and heavier than the Nikkor lens. I suspect that the Nikkor 50mm F1.4Z will be “enough” for a lot of satisfied users.

I think that what has pleased me the most about this lens is how rare it is in the mirrorless space. We have mostly had to choose between plastic fantastic F1.8 lenses and then ultra expensive premium options, with very few lenses like this in between. Yes, a lens like this may lack some of the bells and whistles, but neither does it feel crippled. It is perfectly functional in the field, has quick enough autofocus to keep up with action, and is good enough optically that I never hesitated to shoot with it wide open.

There will almost certainly be some third party competitors for this lens that will arrive in the future. I suspect Sigma, Tamron, and Viltrox, among others, will invade the Z mount space more completely in the future, but I also think there will always be a place for the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4. It’s a reasonably priced first party lens that delivers a fast maximum aperture at a very popular focal length for a reasonable price. Kudos to Nikon for making what I think will be a populist kind of lens – a lens for the people.

Pros:

Great price to performance ratio for a first party lens
Smaller and light than competing 50mm F1.4 lenses
Weather sealed
Has control ring
Autofocus is fast enough to keep up with action
Video AF works pretty well
Good magnification
Good wide open sharpness
Excellent contrast when stopped down a bit
Bokeh is nice
Flare resistance is solid
Real world images look good
Consistent sharpness across the frame when stopped down
Low distortion

Cons:

Some color fringing
Very heavy vignette
Poor coma performance

_________________________________________________________________________

GEAR USED:

Purchase the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Purchase the Nikon Z8 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Keywords: Nikkor, 50mm, F1.4, Nikkor 50mm F1.4, Nikon 50mm F1.4, f/1.4, Nikon, Nikon Z8, Z, Z-mount, Z8, Review, mirrorless, Full Frame, Sports, Tracking, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Handling, Focus, Portraits, Resolution, High ISO, Image Quality, Sample Images, Photography, 45MP, #letthelightin, #DA, #NIKON, #Z8, #NIKONZ8

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Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN X-Mount Review

Dustin Abbott

September 1st, 2023

When I completed my review of the Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN on Sony E-mount several months ago, I noted that I really anticipated its release on Fuji X-mount for the simple reason that it felt like it was sharp enough to handle the huge resolution of Fuji’s 40MP APS-C sensors. I now have had an opportunity to put that theory to the test, and, even more tellingly, have just completed reviewing Fuji’s own premium 23mm F1.4 (the XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR – my review here), which gives me a very natural point of comparison. The Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary is (according to Sigma) the APS-C equivalent of their 35mm F1.4 DN ART lens, though, as we’ll see, Sigma’s design brief for the APS-C series follows a different formula than their full frame lenses. Here’s a look at the DC (APS-C) DN (mirrorless) lineup thus far.

Sigma’s DC DN series has become even more important now that Fuji has lifted their restrictions on third party development for the platform, as the Fuji X-mount is a place where these lenses can really thrive – particularly considering that fact that Sigma likes to make high resolving lenses and Fuji currently has the highest resolving APS-C cameras! I’m doing this review the Fujifilm X-H2 and its 40.2MP sensor! There are also cheaper 23mm F1.4 options on Fuji, including the Tokina ATX-M 23mm F1.4 ($299 USD)and the Viltrox 23mm F1.4 ($299 USD). This Sigma 23mm DN is the closest actual rival to the premium XF 23mm F1.4 LM in size and performance.

The 35mm focal length is one of my favorites, as it works very well as a general purpose walkaround focal length, good for landscapes, cityscapes, street, and people portraits. This Sigma 23mm F1.4 covers that focal length with aplomb, with plenty of sharpness, nice color, and fairly good bokeh.

On paper, the Sigma 23mm DN is the mid-level option, falling between the premium priced Fuji ($899 USD) and the bargain options from Tokina and Viltrox ($299) at a price point of $549 USD. This is familiar territory for Sigma, and the company does its best work when it can provide 90% of the performance of the premium option at 60 or 70% of the price. Sigma hits the first benchmark here, as the 23mm DN is 61% of the price of the Fuji. But how about that performance? I’ll explore the strengths and weaknesses throughout this review so that you can make an informed decision as to whether the Sigma is the best choice for you and your budget. So now you have a choice: watch the video review below or read on to get the full picture.

Thanks to Gentec (Sigma’s Canadian Distributor) for sending me a pre-release review loaner of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. I’m doing this review on a 40MP Fujifilm X-H2 camera.

Sigma 23mm DN Build and Handling

The Sigma 23mm F1.4 DN is very slightly longer and heavier X-mount. It is 65.8mm in diameter and 79.2mm in length. That’s 2.6″ x 3.1″. The filter size is 52mm, and the lens weighs in at 333g (on my scale) or 11.6oz. This places it larger and heavier than either the Viltrox or the Tokina (by about 7mm and 50g) but lighter than the Fuji by 40g. Here’s a comparison (Sony E-mount of the Sigma shown here, as the X-mount listing is not yet live):

The target here is the Fuji, however, and in many ways these lenses are very similar in shape and size.

Sigma’s build quality on these lenses is quite nice. Though they position this lineup under their “Contemporary” branding, the aesthetic and feel of the lens isn’t really different than their ART series. The design language and materials are quite similar…just smaller.

The key difference is that the DC DN primes are essentially featureless. The only “feature” is the manual focus ring. There is no aperture ring, no switches…nothing. That’s definitively a disadvantage compared to all the alternatives, which at the least feature aperture rings. I’ve seen this happen before; a lens maker locks themselves into a certain standard of features for a series of lenses and then the market shifts and that standard isn’t really high enough to be fully competitive. Aperture rings are pretty much standard in the Fuji space, and I would like to see Sigma embrace that.

The Sigma 23mm F1.4 has a weather sealing gasket at the lens mount, which isn’t quite as good as having further seals inside the lens itself, but it’s something.

The lens barrel is primarily dominated by a large, nicely made manual focus ring. Like other lenses designed for mirrorless cameras, this is a focus-by-wire system in which input from the focus ring is routed through the focus motor. It is actually the focus motor that moves the elements, making manual focus more of an emulation than a direct movement of the elements. Some lenses pull this off better than others, and the Sigma 23mm F1.4 is one of them. I will note that the lens will automatically alert the body to magnify the image when you are manually focusing, which is a big help in visually confirming focus.

The 23mm DN can focus down to 9.9″ (25cm), where it provides a 0.136x magnification figure. That’s not particularly high for a 35mm focal length, and the Fujifilm 23mm can focus closer (19cm) and has a significantly higher 0.20x magnification, though this is an area where both the Tokina and Viltrox come up short with just a 0.10x magnification level. Here’s what MFD for the Sigma looks like.

The magnification figure isn’t exceptionally good, but up close performance is looks pretty decent (though with some reduced contrast), and for some reason I felt like I could a little closer and get a little higher magnification than what the figure on paper suggests. It’s definitely enough to be useful.

The lens hood is included, and Sigma’s lens hoods are a cut above the basic hoods included with many lenses. They include some soft-touch materials, texture variations, and lens information.

The aperture iris is electromagnetic and controlled from within the camera (no aperture ring). It has nine rounded aperture blades that do a fairly good job of retaining a circular shape even with the lens stopped down. At F2 we have circular specular highlight all across the frame, and the geometry is pretty good even wide open. At F2.8 I can see a hint of the aperture blade shape, but everything is still roughly circular. Here’s a series at F1.4, F2, and F2.8.

All in all this is a beautifully made little lens. I did miss having both an aperture ring and an AF/MF switch, and wouldn’t mind seeing Sigma shake up the formula moving ahead to be more directly competitive on the Fuji space. Viltrox has an upcoming 27mm F1.2 in this class that will have more thorough weather sealing and an aperture ring for about the same money as the Sigma. The standard in the class is changing, and I would like to see Sigma adapt in the same fashion they have with their full frame offerings.

Sigma 23mm F1.4 DN Autofocus

Sigma continues to utilize a stepping focus motor (STM) in these smaller lenses as the elements are smaller and lighter than lenses with an F1.4 aperture designed for full frame. For the most part the STM focus motor gets the job done here, though there was an area that left me wanting a little bit. In most situations, however, focus was fast, quiet, and accurate.

Eye AF seemed to work fine whether I was photographing a human or animal subject:

I’m using the Fujifilm X-H2 for this review, which has one of Fuji’s best current implementations of autofocus. I find that the biggest advantage for these most recent bodies comes via the AI learning/tracking, so they work best when there is an identifiable subject that can be tracked. That means that human, animal, and birds works well, along with the various trackable vehicles. I found autofocus worked well in a series with Nala rolling around and “posing”.

Here’s another shot from this sequence along with the crop to show the accuracy of focus:

That’s great, but the surprising weakness here was an occasional 100% miss when shooting landscapes or subjects where I wanted a large depth of field (AKA the simplest focus scenario under usual circumstances). It wasn’t that focus grabbed the foreground or some other object in the frame; it almost seemed to focus beyond infinity where nothing was in focus. In this shot, for example, I’ve looked and looked to find what is actually in focus. The short answer is nothing. Not the foreground or the background.

You’ll note that in the first shot (not cropped), that the image looks almost in the focus…like focus should be on somewhere. The fact that nothing in the foreground or background is in focus (but the whole image is not obviously defocused) tells me that focus is actually beyond infinity. Hopefully this is a pre-release quirk that can be sorted via firmware.

It was a surprising/disappointing development that really set the lens apart from the Fuji 23mm F1.4. I found myself starting to verify focus accuracy after taking landscape shots to be sure I was getting my shot. Focus just works better when there is a clear subject.

Focus speed was fast enough that I was able to grab birds in flight from a distance:

…but not quite reactive enough to snap a shot of Nala when she refused to stay still and started moving towards me.

Sigma lenses still perform better on Sony than Fuji when it comes to autofocus. That’s not terribly surprising, however, as they have much more experience on the Sony front. Most Sony bodies also have superior focus systems to many Fuji cameras, so there are two parts to the puzzle at play here.

That’s particularly true when examining the autofocus during video capture. Autofocus pulls did not feel particularly confident, with some pulsing and tentative moves at times. There is some fairly obvious focus breathing that draws your attention to the focus changes. The new Viltrox Pro AF 27mm F1.2 was slightly more confident in the same situation, and has slightly less focus breathing, but the real winner in this test was the Fuji 23mm F1.4, which had smoother focus pulls and much less focus breathing. If doing video pulls is your priority, you probably want to spend the extra money on the Fuji.

My “hand test” was slightly better (the AF system has a more definite subject to focus on), but I did note on that one of the three cycles the focus pulled to the background rather than to my hand, which is unusual for this test.

My static video shots were fine. Focus did not jump around, but stayed steady on the subject. I shot a clip of wildflowers blowing in the wind, and the focus stayed locked on them as they moved around. The focus issues seem to be reserved for bigger focus changes.

Thus far I’ve yet to be blown away by any of the Tamron or Sigma lenses that have been ported over to Fuji when it comes to video autofocus. This is still a work in progress.

In most situations, however, I was able to achieve pinpoint focus even at F1.4 for stills.

If video isn’t a priority for you, then the Sigma will work just fine. Those that do a lot of video will probably want to spend the extra cash for the Fuji.

Sigma 23mm F1.4 Image Quality Breakdown

Sigma’s lineup of F1.4 DC DN lenses have all been very strong optically, and the 23mm F1.4 is no exception. It essentially becomes the second sharpest lens in the lineup, falling only behind the 56mm F1.4 in absolute performance. Here’s a look at the MTF charts for each of the lenses along with the 35mm F1.4 ART for comparison.

This suggests a very strong performance across about 2/3rds of the frame before a drop in the corners and also suggests another lens that can handle the rigors of Fuji’s high resolution 40MP APS-C sensor. Real world images are indeed crisp and detailed.

Let’s take a look at some of the technical aspects of performance. Sigma lenses enjoy good profile corrections on either Sony, Fuji, or Leica platforms, but we’ll look past the corrections to the optics of the lens itself. Here’s a look at my vignette and distortion chart, with the uncorrected result on the left and a manually corrected result on the right.

There’s a moderate amount of barrel distortion (I corrected with a +10), but it is nice and linear, so I was able to correct it without any mustache type pattern left behind. Vignette is roughly 3 stops in the corner, requiring a +88 for correction, which continues a trend that I’ve observed where lenses released on both Sony and Fuji mounts tend to have about one stop more vignette on Fuji than on Sony. This most likely has something to do with the smaller X-mount diameter. The correction profiles take care of that, but in most cases you will want it corrected.

It isn’t unusual for a wide aperture prime lens like this one to suffer from some longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA), and that’s true here. It’s not bad, but I did notice a bit of fringing in some extreme instances, like this narrow DOF shot of raindrops with the morning light shining through them.

I saw little evidence of lateral chromatic aberrations (LaCA) along the edge of the frame in either my chart tests or any real world images (all of these bare branches are prime breeding grounds for LaCA:

Nothing too concerning here. We’ll move on to testing sharpness. The sharpness tests are done on the Fujifilm X-H2, with it’s extremely high 40MP APS-C sensor – the equivalent of over 90MP on full frame. Here’s a look at the test chart we’re using for the tests.

If we look closely wide open at F1.4 (crops are at nearly200%), we find that the lens produces extremely strong resolution results across most of the frame. Yes, you can see that the extreme corners are softer, but they are still not bad.

Here’s an F1.6 shot that shows that the lens is capable of producing credible results even near maximum aperture at landscape distances…and that’s on a 40MP body!

Closer shots show great sharpness and contrast at F1.4:

The Sigma 23mm F1.4 also showed very good centering, with consistent sharpness everywhere I looked.

Stopping down to F1.8 produced slightly higher level of contrast with a bit more on tap at F2. Here’s a corner comparison:

By F2.8 we have reached very near peak sharpness, with little further improvement through F5.6. Here’s a midframe comparison with F2.8 on the left and F5.6 on the right.

After F5.6 there is a mild softening effect as diffraction starts to set in. By F16 (minimum aperture) diffraction has really softened the image. This effect is very pronounced on a high resolution body:

$31-Diffraction$

This compares quite well to the more expensive Fuji 23mm F1.4 WR lens, which shows very slightly better contrast in the center of the frame:

…and in the corners.

That’s so little a difference that you really wouldn’t see it in real world images.

I also didn’t notice much in terms of sharpness between the Sigma 23mm DN and the new Viltrox Pro AF 27mm F1.2. The Viltrox has a slightly more nuanced rendering, in my opinion, but, as you can see in the crop below, the sharpness and contrast are largely the same:

We’ve established that this is a very sharp lens, but what softness where it is wanted (aka bokeh)? I noted this as a weakness of the 56mm F1.4, as while it could compete with and even best most full frame 85mm lenses in terms of sharpness, the bokeh wasn’t as soft and creamy as many of them. I would say the same is true here, as while the bokeh is reasonably nice, I do see quite a bit of outlining in out of focus areas that should be nice and soft. This is an issue that plagued the Fuji as well, in that there’s a little more busyness than what I would prefer in the background.

Here’s a second shot that illustrates what I’m talking about on the left side.

It’s far from terrible, however, and in some shots the rendering looks quite nice:

In the balance between sharp and soft, the Sigma slightly tilts towards sharpness…in my opinion. Bokeh is subjective, however, so I’ll share a few more “bokeh shots” here to allow you to form your own opinion.

Color rendition is nice, with good color saturation but without a skewing towards garish:

Here’s another nice shot from the lens.

I was also impressed with flare resistance. I shot into the sun pretty much with impunity. There was little loss of contrast and no big ghosting blobs to ruin the image, and as a bonus, the sunstars look pretty good, too.

Image quality is definitely competitive with the more expensive Fuji lens and bests the cheaper 23mm F1.4 options from Viltrox or Tokina. I slightly favor the Viltrox Pro AF 27mm F1.2 optically, but that lens is considerably larger and has a longer focal length as well. The Sigma 23mm DN provides images that hold up to the high resolution sensor points that Fuji is operating at, and my experience has been that lesser lenses are a bit disappointing on it. You can check out even more photos by visiting the lens image gallery here.

Conclusion

It’s great to see Sigma releasing important lenses like the Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN on Fuji X-mount, as this lens provides an extremely importance service to Fuji shooters: a high performing mid-tier alternative to the expensive first party XF 23mm F1.4 WR. You can get the Sigma 23mm DN for about $350 less, and, while the build and autofocus are not quite as good as the Fuji lens, the optical performance is very close. There’s a lot of other things you could spend that money on, and still end up with beautiful photos like this:

The Sigma delivers on most fronts with great optics, a nice build, reasonable size and weight, and quick autofocus. I would like to see more thorough weather sealing and the inclusion of an aperture ring in future lenses, but I also recognize that the difference in price perhaps justifies the exclusion. The only problem to that argument is the Viltrox 27mm F1.2 (my review here) which includes both of those things at a identical price point of $550 USD.

But the Sigma also manages to slightly undercut even the Fuji in size, and is dramatically smaller than the Viltrox. Being smaller, lighter, and cheaper will certainly make the Sigma 23mm DN the “just right” option for many people. And, as always, I wholeheartedly appreciate more options for the Fuji platform. It is all of these new lenses that make X-mount a more enticing place to be these days!

Pros:

Beautifully built lens with some weather sealing
Compact and lightweight
Large, bright maximum aperture.
Exceptional sharpness across the frame
Very high contrast
Good color rendition
Excellent flare resistance
Fast, silent autofocus for stills
Excellent focus accuracy (including with Eye AF)

Cons:

No aperture ring or AF/MF switch
The bokeh is a little busy
Some focus misses on occasion
Strong focus breathing

Gear Used:

Purchase the Sigma 23mm F1.4 DN @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Viltrox Pro AF 27mm F1.2 @ B&H Photo | Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

Purchase the Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Fujifilm X-H2 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Fujifilm X-T5 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Find it Used at KEH

Purchase the Fujifilm X-S20 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

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Keywords: Sigma 23mm F1.4 DN, Sigma 23mm, Sigma 23mm, Sigma 23mm review, Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN, DC, DN, Contemporary, 23mm, F1.4, f/1.4, Review, Fuji X, Sony E, Review, Telephoto, Action, Tracking, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, Sony a6700, Sony a6600, Fujifilm X-T5, Fujifilm X-H2, let the light in, #letthelightin, DA, #SIGMA, #SIGMA23mmContemporary, #SIGMAContemporary, #SIGMAContemporaryPrime, #SIGMADCDN

DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kase AF 85mm F1.4 Review

Dustin Abbott

July 1st, 2025

Kase 85mm F1.4 Build and Handling

Autofocus for Stills

Video AF

Kase AF 85mm F1.4 Image Quality

Conclusion

Pros:

Cons:

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

_________________________________________________________________________

Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Sony a7IV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Related Articles at DustinAbbott.net

Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 FE Gallery

Dustin Abbott

June 16th, 2025

Images of the Viltrox Pro 85mm F1.4

Images Taken with the Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4

_________________________________________________________________________

GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

_________________________________________________________________________

Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Sony a7IV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Related Articles at DustinAbbott.net

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 PRO FE Review

Dustin Abbott

June 16th, 2025

Viltrox Pro 85mm Build and Handling

Autofocus for Stills

Video AF

Viltrox Pro AF 85mm F1.4 Image Quality

Conclusion

Pros:

Cons:

_________________________________________________________________________

GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Pergear

_________________________________________________________________________

Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Sony a7IV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Related Articles at DustinAbbott.net

Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 AF Gallery

Dustin Abbott

December 6th, 2024

Images of the Aurora 85mm F1.4

Images Taken with the 85 Aurora

_________________________________________________________________________

GEAR USED:

Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Sony a6600 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase the Sony a6400 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Related Articles at DustinAbbott.net

Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 Review

Dustin Abbott

December 6th, 2024

Aurora 85mm Build and Handling

Stills Autofocus

Video AF

Aurora 85mm F1.4 Image Quality Breakdown

Conclusion

Pros:

Cons:

_________________________________________________________________________

GEAR USED:

Purchase the Sony a7RV @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Sony Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

Purchase the Sony a6600 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase the Sony a6400 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Related Articles at DustinAbbott.net

Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 Gallery

Dustin Abbott