SongRAW Moonlit 85mm f/1.2 Lens Announced – Challenging the 85mm Classics

by Omri Keren LapidotSeptember 14^th, 2025

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A new 85mm f/1.2 lens is here. The rather large new lens comes from a new player – SongRAW, a lens manufacturer from Shenzhen, China. With a fast aperture, solid build, complex optical design, and autofocus capabilities, the lens is designed to challenge some of the legends in the field, claiming optical prowess and a competitive price (if not as affordable as some others). Will it manage to carve a niche in this classic focal length segment?

SongRAW is a young brand still building recognition outside of China. According to Hannah Han, the company rep, the brand was founded by several partners with backgrounds in the camera gear industry and already operates its own factory. Their focus is exclusively on lenses, and so far they have introduced two models: a 50mm f/1.2 and the new 85mm f/1.2.

Optical design and build

The Moonlit 85mm f/1.2 is not a lightweight lens: at 1.5kg (3.3 lbs), it is considerably heavier than many competing primes (for instance, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM weighs 1.195kg (2.6 lbs). SongRAW attributes this to the lens construction, which includes one aspherical element, five ED glass elements, and 11 HR glass elements. This complex optical design is intended to deliver high image quality with strong correction against distortion and chromatic aberration. The company is also proud of their use of Nano-Coating on the lens. We’ll have to wait and see how the lens fares in real-world scenarios, but it seems the company has made a commendable effort here.

Build and features

In a pretty rare move, SongRAW’s lenses are constructed from aerospace-grade aluminum. This should make them fairly sturdy. The lens boasts both focus and aperture rings, and an STM motor drives its autofocus. This should enable eye-tracking for humans and animals, but other than that, we don’t know yet about speed or accuracy. While designed as a stills-centered lens, it can surely be used as a cine lens with all its shallow DOF glory.

How does it compare?

The classic 85mm segment is quite competitive, with some strong options already available. In terms of pure specs, we can look at the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L and Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S. These are flagship portrait lenses priced just shy of $3,000. The new SongRAW Moonlit 85mm f/1.2 is affordable in comparison, but these come from two of the leading optics manufacturers with about a century of experience. While both of them are considered large, the new SongRAW Moonlit dwarfs them, with about a 40% weight increase.

If you are willing to compromise 2/3 stop of aperture, the SIGMA 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art offers one of the best price-to-performance ratios in this class, with a long-established reputation for optical excellence. SongRAW’s pricing places it directly in competition with SIGMA, but as a newcomer, it will need to prove whether its optical performance can match. The SIGMA is also less than half the SongRAW size, at 630g (1.38 lbs).

Conclusion

Although SongRAW is still a new player, their approach of combining fast apertures, autofocus, and professional coatings suggests they are aiming to carve out a unique spot in the competitive lens market – one that’s not cheap, but not exorbitantly expensive, with an impressive optical performance to boot (on paper at this point). Should it prove its quality in the field, the SongRAW Moonlit 85mm f/1.2 may become an appealing option.

Price and availability

The SongRAW Moonlit 85mm f/1.2 will initially be available in Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount versions, with an L-Mount version planned for later release. The price is set at $1,299, with availability expected by the end of 2025.

Will you opt for such a lens, with its moderate price, huge size, and theoretically pristine optics? Or will you take the beaten path and stick to well-known brands? Let us know in the comments.