Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 Review: A $599 Autofocus Portrait Lens With Dreamy Bokeh

The Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 is the Chinese lens maker’s first full-frame autofocus lens, and a very good value portrait prime. Sirui launched it in October 2024 at $599 for Sony E, Nikon Z and Fujifilm X mounts, with L-mount added in 2025 when Sirui joined the L-Mount Alliance. It weighs 540 grams.

85mm at f/1.4 is the classic portrait combination. The subject stays sharp and the background turns into soft shapes of color, flowers and leaves becoming a wash behind the face.

Woman in a pink top and visor looking through binoculars, red flowers and palm fronds blurred around her

Photo: Pixel Effects

It comes with UV and Black Mist filters and a case, a generous bundle at this price.

Video review: Dustin Abbott

What it does well

The background blur is the highlight. DCW called it dreamy, and Dustin Abbott agreed it renders beautifully, helped by 15 rounded aperture blades. It’s sharp at portrait distances and focuses quietly with a stepping motor, at a reasonable speed for portraits.

Build and handling punch above the price. There’s a declickable aperture ring with an A position, a function button, an AF/MF switch and a USB-C port for firmware updates. It’s weather sealed with a rear gasket and a fluorine-coated front element, though Abbott felt the “waterproof” marketing overstated it. Fstoppers named it the best budget portrait lens.

Where it falls short

Color fringing is noticeable around high-contrast edges, reported by DCW and Abbott. There’s some pincushion distortion. Abbott found it softer and lower in contrast at landscape distances than pricier rivals. DCW wanted more than one function button and an iris lock. Autofocus is fine for portraits but not for fast action.

Who should buy it

Portrait photographers on a budget, on any of four mounts. For a fraction of a first-party 85mm f/1.4, it gives most of the look.

If you shoot Sony and can stretch, the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II is sharper and focuses faster. On APS-C, Viltrox’s AF 75mm F1.2 Pro gives a similar framing. Our used gear guide covers the other route to a cheap fast portrait lens.