Sirui Sniper AF 33mm F1.2 Review | Modern Build, Vintage Aesthetic

Sirui Sniper AF 33mm F1.2 Review

Hi, I’m Dustin Abbott, and I’m here today to give you my individual review of the Sirui Sniper 33mm F1.2. This autofocusing lens is part of a series that debuted with a 23mm, followed by this 33mm, and finally a 56mm F1.2. I have taken a look at the series as a whole, and you can check out the overview and how they work together. I’ve also previously released the review of the 23mm, with the 56mm review to follow.

This lens and the series of lenses debut at a quality price of under $350, and it is available for even less with some discounts. You can also get them as a series in a case, prepared to coordinate together. They have identical builds, and they’re set up to easily swap on a gimbal or similar accessories. The lenses also have a similar color tone throughout, ensuring that the footage or photos match nicely. These lenses are a great option for using as a series.

Modern Build, Vintage Aesthetic

In a nutshell, the Sirui Sniper AF 33mm F1.2 lens is very nicely built, using premium materials. It offers average autofocus for stills and below-average autofocus for videos. The lens delivers extremely nice bouquet and sharpens up when stopped down. However, it also has a lot of chromatic aberration and low contrast at large apertures. The modern lens build and design contrast with the retro aesthetic of the optics, offering both good and bad points depending on what you’re looking for in the lens.

In today’s review, I will provide an overview and focus on the optical performance for a deeper dive.

Design and Specifications

When applied to various APS-C crop factors, the Sirui Sniper 33mm F1.2 is available in Nikon Z Mount, Sony E Mount, and Fuji X Mount. With the 1.5 times crop factor, it offers the equivalent of a 50mm lens, a popular focal length for many photographers.

The lens is 72mm in diameter by 92mm in length, weighing in at just under 400g. It comes in three distinctive looks – black with carbon fiber accents, silver with aluminum alloy accents, and white with ceramic baked paint. The lens features a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from other lenses in the market.

Autofocus and Performance

The Sirui Sniper AF 33mm F1.2 features an STM (stepping focus motor) with slightly below-average focus speed. The autofocus noise is fairly low, but there is some clicking noise from the aperture blades opening and closing during focusing. The lens offers good focus accuracy but is low contrast wide open, making it important to examine images closely for proper focus.

The lens provides 11 aperture blades, maintaining a nicely circular shape when stopped down. However, the minimum focus distance is 40cm, and the resulting magnification is quite low at 0.10x. This lens is not intended for macro photography.