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As a familiar theme, Canon is on the outside looking in with yet another full-frame release.
Though, as I was talking to Craig about this week, I'm starting to get a feeling I know what Canon is thinking. But more on that later.
Sirui has announced the Aurora 35mm F1.4, a reasonably light, fast, weather-sealed prime with the level of optical sophistication you'd expect from Nikon, Canon, or Sony. The lens is available for every mirrorless full frame mount, except the Canon RF. However, we do have the excellent Canon RF 35mm F1.4 VCM.
Sirui Aurora 35mm F1.4 Lens Construction and MTF
The lens is 16 elements across 11 groups, with three (3!) aspherical elements, two ED (extra-low dispersion) elements, one SED (special extra-low dispersion) element, and one HRI (high refractive index) element. By comparison, the exceptional Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM contains 14 elements in 11 groups, with two UD elements and two aspherical elements.
The Sirui lens weighs 490g and is around 103mm long. It uses 62mm filters, and Sirui also claims that the lens has a fluorine coating to resist oil and fingerprints. The lens also contains a USB port for firmware updates. The aperture has 13 blades and a switch to switch between step and stepless aperture stops.
The MTF diagram Sirui has provided is quite impressive, and given the complexity of the optical design, it should deliver results close to those. If Sirui can deliver the lenses with a high level of quality assurance, they will be excellent.
Going by the above MTF, resolution is excellent, contrast is near-perfect across the entire field of view, bokeh should be pleasing, and astigmatism aberrations are basically nonexistent. In other words, it's about the best I've ever seen a 35mm MTF before.
Sirui doesn't mention what type of motor is used for autofocus, so I'll assume that its only potential weakness is the use of slower stepper motors, as was the case in the Aurora 85mm lens.
The price? Yeah, it's only $550.
Specifications of the Sirui Aurora 35mm F1.4
| Principal specifications | |
| Lens type | Prime lens |
| Max Format size | 35mm FF |
| Focal length | 35 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Nikon Z, Sony E, Sony FE |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F1.4 |
| Minimum aperture | F16 |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 13 |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 16 |
| Groups | 11 |
| Special elements / coatings | 3 aspherical, 2 ED, 1 SED, 1 HRI |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.35 m (13.78″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.14× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Stepper motor |
| Full time manual | No |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Filter thread | 62 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
Gallery
But from a consumer standpoint, yes, bang-for-the-buck counts!
Data like statistics have too often been manipulated or cosmetically improved...