Sirui’s launched the Venus 150mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens. Beyond its sharp imagery, pleasing bokeh, and unique anamorphic flare, its standout feature is the remarkably close minimum focus distance. This capability sets the lens apart, elevating it to a distinct tier of optical brilliance.
Build and Design
When diving into the world of lenses, the build quality can be a game-changer. And with the Sirui 150mm, it’s evident you’re investing in a product designed to endure.
The lens boasts a robust composition of metal and glass, which not only exudes a sense of durability but also feels premium to the touch. The focus ring provides a smooth, tactile experience, ensuring you get precision without any hassle.
The aperture ring, with its added resistance, stands out, and for good reason. Those who’ve experienced the frustration of inadvertently adjusting settings mid-shoot will appreciate this design nuance. The increased resistance ensures that your aperture remains consistent, eliminating unwelcome surprises during shoots.
Sirui also wisely opted for an 82mm filter thread size, expanding compatibility with a variety of filters. A notable feature is the inclusion of 1/4-inch screw mounts on the lens. Given its substantial weight, these mounts offer an ingenious solution for mounting tripods directly to the lens, leading to a more balanced setup.
In summary, the Sirui 150mm beautifully merges thoughtful craftsmanship with user-centric design. For those seeking a lens that combines durability with intuitive features, this one certainly ticks the boxes.
Key Features and Specifications
Sirui continues to expand its Venus 1.6x full-frame lineup with the recent introduction of the 150mm lens. Having previously launched 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm variants, this latest addition completes their set.
- Focal Length: 150mm.
- Frame Compatibility: Full Frame.
- Anamorphic Squeeze Ratio: 1.6x.
- Max Aperture: T2.9.
- Minimum Focus Distance: 0.58m, enabling closer shots than many anamorphics.
- Front Diameter: 88mm.
- Filter Diameter: 82mm, consistent across the lineup.
- Physical Dimensions: About 178mm in length and weighs roughly 1385g.
In terms of image, this lens offers two distinct aspect ratios based on the sensor: 2.4:1 for 3:2 and 2.8:1 for 16:9. It’s equivalent to a 94mm horizontally, making it suitable for portraits and distance shots. The image quality is sharp with controlled chromatic aberration and focus breathing. Direct light exposure produces blue lens flares.
Compatible with E, RF, Z, and L-mounts, the 150mm integrates well with both professional and leading full frame mirrorless cameras. Sirui’s optional 1.25x adapter further offers squeezing flexibility for those wanting to experiment.
Performance
While specifications can provide a technical overview, the essence of a lens is captured in its real-world performance. Here’s how the Sirui 150mm fares in practical applications:
Sharpness
When you first use the lens wide open, you might note that it doesn’t offer the razor-sharp clarity that some other lenses boast. This, however, doesn’t necessarily qualify as a drawback. The slightly softer look can impart a more cinematic feel, and many professionals actually prefer this trait, especially when capturing close-ups of faces where extreme sharpness can be unforgiving. That being said, when dialed down to f/4.0, the lens delivers a sharper image that can rival some of the top-tier lenses out there. This versatility means you can achieve both softer and sharper looks with just one lens.
Distortion
The lens exhibits a mild pincushion distortion, which is a common characteristic among certain optics. However, its manifestation in this lens is so subtle that in real-world filming scenarios, it is barely discernible. This mild distortion does not significantly detract from the overall image quality and is often overlooked by the casual viewer. Moreover, for those well-versed in post-production techniques, addressing and correcting this slight distortion is a relatively straightforward task, making it even less of a concern for professional projects.
Chromatic Aberration
Sirui seems to have hit the bullseye when it comes to controlling chromatic aberration. Even when shooting wide open, the lens exhibits excellent control, rendering scenes with minimal color fringing. This feature is particularly commendable, as chromatic aberration can be far more distracting than a lack of sharpness. In many scenarios, having well-controlled chromatic aberration can be more beneficial than wielding the sharpest lens.
Focus Breathing
When adjusting focus points on the lens, a discernible amount of focus breathing emerges. However, in practical, real-world filming situations, its effect remains subtle and largely inconspicuous. Given the lens’s attractive price point, such a performance level is commendably impressive.
Bokeh
Regarding the bokeh, the lens delivers impressively. It produces a smooth and aesthetically pleasing blur in the background. What’s noteworthy is the absence of any unwanted artifacts or the typical ‘onion-ring’ patterns that can sometimes plague lenses. Additionally, a consistent bokeh is maintained even towards the frame’s edges, ensuring a uniform look across your shots.
In essence, the Sirui 150mm is a noteworthy contender for those seeking a blend of cinematic allure and technical proficiency in their visuals.
What Makes This Lens Special
When discussing lenses, there’s often a myriad of features that come into play. But sometimes, it’s just one standout characteristic that truly makes a lens shine. For the Sirui 150mm, that feature is its minimum focus distance.
Diving into a few lens basics: most lens manufacturers design their lenses to have a minimum focus distance that matches the focal length. To break that down, a 50mm lens would typically allow you to focus on subjects at a minimum of 50cm away, and an 85mm lens at around 85cm. But the Sirui 150mm lens bends these rules a bit. It lets you get incredibly close to your subject, with a minimum focus distance of just 58cm. For a lens with its focal length, that’s an eyebrow-raising feature.
Now, while it might not venture into the depths of macro photography, this close-focusing capability is nothing short of impressive. And here’s something noteworthy: while many anamorphic lenses often require the addition of close-up filters to achieve similar results, with this Sirui model, there’s no such hassle. Even Sirui’s other Venus series anamorphic lenses do not offer this close-focusing feature. The ability to capture a subject from a distance and then swiftly step in for a tight shot without switching gear is simply incredible.
But there’s more to this feature than just proximity. Getting up close with the Sirui 150mm also means you can achieve those ultra-smooth, blurred backgrounds, adding a rich, cinematic depth to your shots.
What this means is that despite the long focal length of this lens, the Sirui 150mm lens is one of the most versatile anamorphic lenses currently on the market, if you’re on a budget.
What I Liked:
- Achieves a 58cm minimum focus distance, unmatched for its focal length.
- Masterfully manages chromatic aberration even at wide settings.
- Robust construction primarily of solid metal and glass.
- Focus ring is smooth with the right balance of resistance.
- The added resistance on the aperture ring ensures consistency.
- Delivers premium features without breaking the bank.
What I Disliked:
- It’s quite hefty — though, to be fair, given its capabilities and construction, this criticism might be a tad unjust.
- There’s a noticeable amount of breathing when shifting focus, though manageable in most scenarios.
Final Thoughts
The Sirui Venus 150mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic lens serves as a testament to how manufacturers are pushing the envelope in modern optics. Throughout this review, the lens has showcased itself as more than just an anamorphic piece of gear, but a game-changer in the domain of cinematography. Its unique close focus distance combined with the signature anamorphic look places it in a class of its own.
While no lens is perfect, the Sirui 150mm consistently impresses in areas that matter the most to filmmakers and photographers alike. Its thoughtful design, both in terms of performance and user-friendly features, reflects Sirui’s commitment to quality and innovation. The lens’s exceptional build quality, sharpness, controlled aberrations, and, of course, its budget-friendly price point, make it a tantalizing option for anyone looking to enhance their visual narratives.
In wrapping up, whether you’re an established professional or an emerging enthusiast, the Sirui 150mm promises to breathe a fresh, cinematic life into your projects. It’s a gem that, without a doubt, deserves a spot in your gear collection.
Right now you can secure yours with a 20% discount using this link here.
