Sirui Aurora 35mm f/1.4 Review: Sirui Succeeds Again

2 days ago 8

With all the budget lens manufacturers available to a prospective buyer, it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Sirui is a well-known manufacturer of tripod gear, and when I heard they were making lenses too, I was very skeptical.

However, the Aurora 85mm f/1.4 that I reviewed completely changed my opinion, and now the second Aurora lens in the Sirui lineup is in my hands. I was anticipating similar greatness from this latest Aurora 35mm f/1.4, and the $549 price keeps it budget-friendly.

A person wearing gloves and a green jacket holds a Sony camera with a large lens close to their face, preparing to take a photo outdoors on a cloudy day.

A person wearing a black jacket and gloves kneels on a snowy roadside, photographing frosted plants with a camera on a cloudy winter day.

A person wearing a dark winter coat and green mittens is holding a camera up to their face, taking a photo outdoors in a snowy area, with trees and a blue building in the background.

A close-up photo of a SIRUI camera lens placed on its side, showing the front glass element and lens markings, with a blurred wooden background.

Sirui Aurora 35mm f/1.4: How It Feels

The build quality of the Aurora 35mm is easily one of its best features. The machining work on the aluminum is solid, and the manual focus ring has a smooth-turning action. There is a true AF/MF selector switch on the side and even a customizable button.

A black Aurora 35mm F1.4 camera lens stands upright on a dark surface with a light wooden background. The lens markings and text are clearly visible.

Close-up of a black camera lens showing a switch labeled "AF/MF" for autofocus and manual focus, along with a button labeled "FN" against a blurred beige background.

The Aurora lenses feature an aperture ring that can be set for both smooth or click-stop functionality, and the lenses are even weather sealed. You’ll also find a USB-C port located under the lens mount, which allows for any future firmware updates. It’s honestly very rare to see lenses this well outfitted, even at higher price levels.

The aperture ring can be set to click or not.

The front of the lens has a 62mm filter thread, and there is a supplied petal-shaped hood to block extraneous light. The whole lens weighs around 17.3 ounces (490 grams), which is very comparable to other manufacturers making similar 35mm lenses. Overall, the Sirui feels well-made and feature-rich at a price range that normally has a lot of compromises and omissions.

A wide-angle camera lens with a lens hood is placed on a black surface, with a light wooden background featuring diagonal panels.

Close-up of the rear side of a camera lens with metal mounting ring, visible electronic contacts, and green glass element; "E-mount" text is labeled on the metal side.

Sirui Aurora 35mm f/1.4: How It Shoots

Good build quality is nice to have, but in the end, a lens has to perform well in the field. The Sirui Aurora 35mm f/1.4 does have some issues, but the speed of the focusing motor is not one of them. You see, the Sirui Aurora lenses feature what are typically slower STM autofocus motors to keep the cost down. When I reviewed the 85mm, I found the AF speed to be a little ponderous, with noticeable lag focusing from near to far. The 35mm has a similar motor within, and you do notice some delay when focusing.

Black and white photo of several disassembled vehicle axles and wheel hubs lying on snow-covered ground, arranged in rows with visible gears and brake components.

A close-up of a frosty barbed wire fence in front of an old, weathered trailer with an orange reflector and light dusted with snow. The image has a cold, wintry atmosphere.

A close-up of a snow-covered chain-link fence with a blue industrial machine in the background. Red and white text is partially visible on the machine, along with some numbers and letters.

However, the speed seems slightly better than the 85mm lens, and because the 35mm depth of field is more expansive, being super fast is slightly less critical. The slower AF speed is noticeable, but I never found it to be an issue when shooting on the streets, although in very demanding action situations, it might be intolerable. If you are into documentary or sports photography, you might want to look elsewhere, but for street and travel shooters, the focusing speed is adequate.

Frost-covered dried plants with feathery seed heads surround a metal post under an overcast sky, creating a wintery scene with icy textures.

Snow-covered railroad tracks run through an industrial area lined with warehouses and utility poles on a cloudy, overcast day. Tire and foot tracks are visible in the snow beside the tracks.

A close-up of a frosty bicycle mirror covered in ice crystals, with a blurred snowy background and metal fence slightly out of focus.

There are some optical compromises as well, and I think we should get those out of the way first. This lens is prone to flare a little bit. Shooting at wider apertures, some ghosting is visible, and this becomes more prominent as you close the aperture down. It’s not a terrible result, but it is enough that I would take more care when considering my angles and compositions with bright light sources around. Contrast is still well-retained, and the hood does a good job of helping out.

A bright white spotlight shines in a dark space, creating lens flare and casting faint green and purple light patterns across the mostly black background.

Frost-covered dry grass grows along a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire; behind the fence stands an unfinished or weathered wooden billboard, with snow on the ground under a gray sky.

A black and white photo of a large dumpster filled with construction debris, including a broken board displaying the number “4003.” Power lines and a blurred building are visible in the background.

Longitudinal chromatic aberrations, or LoCA, will also show up when shooting at the widest apertures. This is hard to get rid of in editing, so the less, the better. However, the LoCA that is visible isn’t terribly strong in most situations. There is a propensity for purple color fringing as well, but this is easily dealt with when editing the picture.

Frost-covered pine tree branches with a light dusting of white snow, set against a pale, overcast sky.

A chain-link fence topped with barbed wire stands in front of a rusted metal wall with large, partially visible white letters painted on it.

Frost-covered plants with wispy seed heads and brown leaves grow through a metal fence. The cold blue and silver tones suggest a chilly winter morning.

The main issue I have with the Aurora series of lenses is the middling bokeh performance. When shooting at f/1.4, you tend to get a more unpleasant-looking cat’s eye effect with clipped corners and an overall harsh or busy look to backgrounds. Onion rings and a strong halo are visible around highlights as well, which contributes to the busy-looking backgrounds. To be fair, this less appealing bokeh performance is common at this price, and is by no means unusable. Also, the bokeh at the 35mm focal range isn’t going to be as critical as it might be on the 85mm lens, for example.

A black vintage camera with a large lens sits on a wooden surface, with a blurred background featuring warm, circular bokeh lights and indistinct shapes.

A close-up black-and-white photo of a rusty vehicle brake drum with bolts and the word "FAX" handwritten in large letters on the metal surface, surrounded by other mechanical parts.

What consistently impresses me about the Aurora lenses is their sharpness. The 35mm is full of detail and contrast in the center of the image at f/1.4. Stopping the lens down makes almost no difference because the resolution is already that good. Corners at f/1.4 show some vignetting, but the detail is acceptable, and it only gets better as the aperture gets tighter. The lens is essentially excellent at f/1.4 and has strong contrast throughout the image.

Side-by-side comparison of two test charts featuring a Canadian 1 dollar bill, color bars, grayscale, and sharpness patterns, labeled f/1.4 on the left and f/2.8 on the right.

both show a Canadian one dollar bill, a focus chart, and black geometric shapes. The left side is labeled "f/1.4" and the right "f/2.8," demonstrating differences in camera aperture settings.

Don’t Sleep on the Sirui Aurora 35mm f/1.4

Sirui plans to build a series of Aurora lenses to a total of five primes in the future. The 85mm was the first, and this 35mm is the second. I’m seeing a pattern forming with these lenses: they share excellent build quality and razor-sharp glass. There are definitely some compromises that result from the affordable nature of these lenses — which are available for E-mount, L-mount, and Z-mount, and even Fujifilm X-mount — but if you want a fast 35mm lens, the Aurora might be the best option out there.

Black and white photo of utility poles and power lines intersecting diagonally against a bright, overcast sky. The image features various cables, a transformer, and a streetlight attached to the pole.

A worn white door with faded drawings stands in a rough, partially exposed wall. Three concrete steps lead up through snow to the door, surrounded by unfinished wooden framework.

Close-up of barbed wire covered in frost above a chain-link fence, with an industrial building blurred in the snowy background. The scene appears cold and overcast.

Are There Alternatives?

In E-mount and L-mount, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG Art would be a more expensive alternative with better optical performance.

On Z-mount, the Nikon 35mm f/1.4 gives very stiff competition considering its affordable price and excellent optical characteristics. Samyang/Rokinon makes a 35mm f/1.4 Prima lens with a very similar price and optical quality, but the lens itself is very basic and does not offer the sophistication present in the Sirui.

Should You Buy It?

Yes. In E-mount or L-mount, the Sirui represents awesome value for the dollar. It also makes me very excited to see what is in store for future Aurora lens releases.

Read Entire Article