The Sirui 75mm F/1.8 is another addition to the affordable anamorphic primes from Chinese manufacturer Sirui.
The company already has released three other primes: The 24mm F/2.8, 35mm F/1.8 and most popular the 50mm F/1.8. The aspect ratio of all four lenses is 2.40:1 which means when filming in 16:9 the image needs to be squeezed in post to achieve the right look.
The 75mm 1.33x is certainly a needed focal length to get a portrait shot or a tele-photo look.
While none of the Sirui lenses have a very close focusing distance, this lens can get focus 1.2m away from the subject. You won’t be able to get any type of macro shots with this lens.
But because of the long focal length and the aperture of F/1.8 it’s possible to easily blur out the background. To get a sharper image I recommend shooting F/2.8 but even then the background will still have a good amount of blur.
The anamorphic look is very noticeable with this lens since it has the narrowest focal length compared to the other lenses. Especially the elliptical bokeh stands out. Focus pulling makes the anamorphic blur even more noticeable.
The blue lens flare is something to be aware of but I am sure most people who want to use a lens like this also want this typical SciFi flare across the frame.
I am using a Micro Four Thirds mount version of the 75mm but Sirui will also release this lens for most other APS-C camera mounts, including Fujifilm X, Sony E or Canon EF-M. The size and weight of the lenses also vary depending on the mount.
The overall design is good and the lens feels well built. Even though it weighs around 800g it’s still rather lightweight but also small for an anamorphic lens. When shooting wide open you will need some NDs and the lens has a 67mm filter thread so you can easily screw on a 77mm or 82mm filter with a step-up ring.
The rotation angle of the focus ring is 186° so it’s great to precisely hit a mark especially when using a follow focus.
If you have never used one of the Sirui anamorphic lenses you should know that when hitting the end of the focus ring there’s an audible stop, like a “clicking” sound. Also, if you turn the focus ring very fast you can feel a bit of friction. This won’t be an issue though if you turn the ring at normal speeds.
Overall the 75mm F/1.8 is a solid piece of glass that fits well into the set of Sirui primes. While the 50mm prime has been my favorite of all the primes so far I think this one could very well replace it. Because it just gives the most noticeable anamorphic look. Not just the flare but especially the bokeh.
Written by filmmaker Moritz Janisch on May 25, 2021
