I have recently shared my opinion about the Sirui 33mm f1.2 and this is the second lens from the Sirui Sniper series.
Intro
To keep things short, this series was first introduced via a crowdfunding platform and, they were successfully funded as expected.
Design and Build Quality
The aluminum alloy or silver color (in my opinion) option seems to be less fancy than the white and black/carbon fiber one. The color is also duller and less reflective than the silver XF lenses.
It is plastic-made build quality. Not the worst one but it’s also not the best plastic build either. However, the 380-gram lens is well-balanced on hand but I can feel the weight. This lens also shared the same 58mm filter size as the Sirui 33mm f1.2.
And yes, it comes with a petal-shaped lens hood and metal rear mount.
Since it comes from the Sniper family, missing the aperture ring is one of them. (There are more similarities later.) It comes with an electronic manual ring, which means it comes with a 360° smooth rotation angle.
Image Quality
At f1.2, softness and weak contrast are pretty obvious. In my opinion, sometimes I am unsure if I have nailed the shots with such an image quality. While there are photographers who might like this level of softness, I can’t accept it. I would probably close one eye if this lens were to be released a few years back. For my personal acceptance, f2 is the base with f2.8 for better results.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f1.2 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Vignetting at the corners is acceptable but the chromatic aberration is obvious for wide-open shots.
The foreground/background blur rendering is not my favorite. It seems to be “hard” or I should say the transition is not as smooth as I am expecting it to be.
Focusing
Focusing performance is fast and silent due to the Stepper Motor equipped with this lens. The performance seems to be better than the 33mm version. If compared with the XF23mm f1.4 WR, it is not that snappy fast and locks the subject fast. I do not experience a lot of push-pull focusing issues.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f1.2 . 1/2700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)
For a 35mm (full-frame equivalent) lens, the MFD is 30cm. For a quick comparison, XF23mm f1.4 WR is 20cm, Sigma 23mm f1.4 is 25cm and the classic XF23mm f1.4 R is 28cm.
If you don’t really need to care about shooting as close to the subject as possible, then this lens is fine. The good thing is that the image quality won’t get worse, even at wide-open.
Price Point
279 USD (from B&H) is considerably a good price point for a f1.2. For reference, XF23mm f1.4 WR is about 810 USD, Viltrox 23mm f1.4 mk II is at 299 USD, and, Sigma 23mm f1.4 is priced at 550 USD.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
If you are buying as a bundle with the other 2 Sniper lenses in the Sirui official store, the deal might be even better if there are promotions.
Others
I am glad to see the USB-C port made available for future firmware updates.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
This 35mm (in full frame equivalent) shares some similarities with the other Sniper lenses. For example, the lens hood gives a very clicky feel that deems the hood can be broken easily when mounting it front-facing. Another example is it comes with a very thin lens cap with very narrow pinch-to-release space. This gives a good challenge for big fingers to pinch the lens cap.
Lastly, it is not weather-resistance.
Who is this for?
This is my favorite focal length. I would say it’s a very versatile focal length for environment portraits, street, documentaries, journalism, and many others.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 200Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f1.2. 1/1600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic NegativeRight: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative . Nostalgic Negative
If you are a new photographer or you are unsure if this focal length suits your shooting habit or on a tight budget, you can consider this lens as a stepping stone.
Conclusion
This lens together with the other Sniper lenses is a good attempt from Sirui. Compared with the other manufacturers’ lenses I have reviewed, I am a little disappointed with the optical quality Sirui provides with this series.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sirui 23mm f1.2 @ 23mm . f10 . 1/125″ . ISO 125. Nostalgic Negative
There is a lot of potential in this series. Unfortunately, it is not what I expected for a fast lens. Having said that, I hope to see more improved versions of this series in the future.
Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Capture One.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
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