Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Sirui added another lens to their full-frame 1.6x anamorphic kit! The 100mm is great for portraits. Get the lens: indiegogo.com/projects/sirui-the-most-affordable-2x-anamorphic-solution/x/22500073

My thoughts below:

IMAGE QUALITY
I've only had this lens for a couple days, but so far I'm really impressed. The flares seem better controlled than earlier Sirui anamorphics, with a softer, more natural-looking horizontal blue streak (though I still prefer white or amber flares). I was also pleasantly surprised by the oval bokeh. There seems to be more oval stretch than I noticed on the Sirui 50mm 1.6x lens, probably because of the longer focal length. So you'll get a beautiful wall of stretchy bokeh behind your portrait subjects.

I didn't notice any unpleasant focus breathing, but I'm sure it does breathe. All anamorphics do (it's part of their character). I did notice a bit of fringing on the high contrast edges, if you zoom way in and pixel peep it. I only shot wide open, so I think the fringing will be reduced if you stop down a bit.

Low light is not the strongest suit of this lens because it's T2.9, or approx f2.8. Still, I was able to get pretty clean shots at base ISO even at night, as long as my main subject was standing under a streetlight or strongly backlit as a silhouette. There is more noticeable flare at night in backlight, and it can be distracting. The solution is a matte box and flags.

PHYSICAL
It's big and heavy. I don't know the exact weight, but it feels like about 3.5 lbs or 1.5 kg. Almost all metal. Focus and aperture gears are dampened but not over-tight. Still, you might not be able to push the gears with smaller mechanical follow focus devices, like the FF kits that come with DJI and Zhiyun gimbals.

It's 82mm filter thread. You'll need big (expensive) circular filters, or square (expensive) filters and a matte box.

OVERALL
I recommend this lens as part of a low-budget anamorphic kit for shoots where you don't want to do rental. Long-term docu shoot, weekly weddings, or personal art films. It works best with "open gate" 3:2 or 4:3 sensors, not 16x9 sensors like A7s III.

I feel like a real filmmaker with this chunky beast of a lens on my camera. It's a lot of fun to use.

Get the lens: indiegogo.com/projects/sirui-the-most-affordable-2x-anamorphic-solution/x/22500073

Want to learn how I make my films? Check out filmschool.us/brandon-li-2024