Yay or nay?
Discover what the internet is saying about Viltrox.
Upgraded Reviews scanned the web to find out what real users are saying about Viltrox.
See the highlights below and decide for yourself!
Table of contents
- ✅ Pros
- ❌ Cons
- ⚖️ Summaries
- 💸 Top Discount
✅ Pros
“There is minimal flare and ghosting even when the sun is in the frame.”
“Although plastic, it has a solid build quality.”
“It is genuinely unique.”
“It has fast and accurate autofocus performance.”
“For around £550 or similar in US dollars, you really are getting an incredible piece of glass that is generally much cheaper than Fujifilm’s own lenses.”
“It is compact and light.”
“This lens is pretty well corrected for such a high-performance lens.”
“If you want to get technical, it’s still rated as one of the top cameras on DXOMark.”
“It returns sharp images.”
“Those of you who love manual focus will appreciate the smooth focusing that does not have any of the jerky electronic feeling of some lenses.”
“When you pixel peep at 100%, it’s ever so slightly muddy in the details, but it’s hardly perceptible and is more a reflection of the moving subject.”
“The aperture ring is large and has a satisfying click through each f-stop value, without being stiff.”
“It has better-than-expected autofocus performance.”
“It has all-metal design.”
“Extra-low dispersion lens almost eliminates chromatic aberration.”
“The sunstars/starbursts are decent with this lens.”
“The manual focus ring turns smoothly enough and there is a selector switch to quickly go between manual focus or autofocus.”
“Its compact and lightweight design makes it perfect for travel and everyday shooting.”
“It has very sharp lens with minimal coma.”
“First off, I’ll say this with certainty: no lens has made me want to take Sony cameras out this often.”
“The manual focus ring is large and easy to use.”
“It is surprisingly sharp even at f/2.”
“No other f1.8 lens exists for Nikon and Sony at the moment.”
“Silent and quick autofocus, which helps videographers greatly too.”
“The Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 feels quite professional in the hand.”
“There is USB port for firmware updates.”
“It is lightweight and compact.”
“It offers bang for your bucks.”
“There are also 77mm threads for fitting polarizers or neutral density filters on the front.”
“Worked straight out of the box, without any firmware upgrade needed, with the new Nikon Zf. It has a USB-C port for any such upgrades, which is rare in most lenses today.”
“Low levels of distortion that will rarely need correcting.”
“It’s reasonably light, too, at 670 grams.”
“The Viltrox is solidly built with a strong metal frame and weather seals to keep the elements out.”
“This lens is lightweight, small, and fun to use.”
“It has a close focusing distance of 0.37m.”
“Overall, the build quality of this Viltrox Pro lens is on par with some of the premium Fujifilm lenses, such as the 90mm, etc.”
“The 13mm has an STM motor, and I found the autofocus to be on par with Fuji’s Linear Motor lenses.”
“The battery life is better.”
“Wide f/2.8 aperture allows for excellent low-light performance.”
“It’s very capable when it comes to photographing people.”
“There’s an AF/MF toggle switch, an aperture ring along with a de-click switch for smooth transitions, and Fn1 and Fn2 buttons.”
“It has nice build quality for the price.”
“It’s not as big as I would have imagined a 16mm f/1.8 full-frame lens would be.”
“The LAB series are the best optics Viltrox offers.”
“It has advanced handling features like a de-clickable aperture ring, two function buttons, and an electronic display.”
“It has very good build quality (metal).”
“It offers very good quality/price ratio.”
“Vignetting with the Viltrox 16mm is something that never goes away on its own.”
“Aperture ring without click (ideal for video).”
“It has amazing price.”
“For a super wide-angle lens, the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 is quite compact.”
“The Viltrox does weigh slightly less than Nikon’s does at a manageable 32.45 ounces (920 grams).”
“It is the most compact AF lens I’ve ever tested.”
“Physical aperture ring gives an alternative way to change aperture.”
“There is internal focusing.”
“Unlike other Viltrox lenses, I did not see any issues with chromatic aberration except in extreme situations.”
“I think the Viltrox 75 mm has to be considered for those of you who shoot weddings and want a portrait lens for bridal shots.”
“160 by 80 pixel RGB IPS info screen displays the focus distance, focus mode, live updating depth of field measurements, the aperture, and Fn indicators.”
“It provides very good sharpness from full aperture (f/1.4) in the center.”
“The build quality is solid.”
“It has great build quality with weather sealing and no external moving parts.”
“There is good corner sharpness even wide open.”
💸 Top Current Discount
❌ Cons
“It is slightly larger and heavier than similar lenses.”
“It is flare prone.”
“Lack of weather sealing may be a concern for some.”
“The full metal body contributes to the over one-pound weight, but it does feel nice and strong in the hand.”
“It is only available for Nikon Z-mount and Sony FE-mount at the moment.”
“There is focus shift.”
“Some focus shift upon changing aperture.”
“One thing that’s missing for me is an aperture lock.”
“Viltrox opts to use a digital LCD on top of the lens which certainly adds an air of prestige but is hard to view in practice.”
“Corner sharpness. It’s not that bad considering the price point and improves when stopped down.”
“Minimalist handling, no A-M switch.”
“There is occasional line-type flare when the sun is just outside the frame.”
“Vignetting a bit high.”
“There is sharpness in the corners at large apertures.”
“Midframe and central sharpness are pretty weak.”
“Vignetting at f1.8 can seem heavy.”
“There is no weather proofing.”
“There is no weather sealing.”
“Fixed aperture reduces versatility.”
“Vignetting is pretty high wide open and remains visible after stopping down.”
“The lens seems to attract a lot of lint and dust.”
“There is no image stabilizer.”
“There is no weather sealing.”
“In the (rare) case that distortion needs correcting, not all major software has a profile for this lens.”
“There is rough video focus on Fuji.”
⚖️ Final Say
Read the summaries of what reviewers think about Viltrox below.
“In many ways the 28mm F4.5X feels more at home on Fuji than it did on a full frame Sony body. There’s just something about it that really matches the Fuji aesthetic and spirit. I can definitely see dropping this lens in my bag when traveling for when I want a stripped down, purist outing.”
“With the AF 35mm f/1.8, Viltrox is hoping that there’s still a market for budget, autofocus prime lenses that sacrifice some performance compared to name-brand glass. It’s not that the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 is a bad lens, but it’s definitely weaker than most first-party 35mm f/1.8 lenses, and even weaker than a good zoom. I’d say it’s about on par with a basic zoom lens optically.”
“For now, I’ll keep testing this lens while waiting for Fujifilm to make something close to what Viltrox has been able to produce. Bravo to Viltrox and hurry up to Fujifilm.”
“Some may still find it hard to believe that quality lenses exists outside the mainstream gang, but Viltrox is rapidly becoming a serious threat to the establishment. And the Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 FE is probably the best of the affordable 50mm lenses that we tested so far.”
“Overall, it’s a good choice for your camera if you’d rather not use your smartphone but want a similar perspective and field of view. You can get as close as 37cm (14.5 in) to your subject for some close-up shots with decent bokeh. Overall, the Viltrox 28mm f1.8 remains a solid choice for various photography scenarios, offering good performance with its versatile focal length and wide aperture. I’m giving this lens four out of five stars.”
“My expectations were far surpassed. This isn’t just a good lens “for Viltrox” but actually one of the best ultra-wide lenses that I’ve tested. I wouldn’t put it quite at the level of the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S or the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G, but it’s remarkably close. Especially for the price of $580, I came away very impressed.”
“Considering the price point of the lens, I don’t think you would go wrong with throwing one in your camera bag. The sharpness falls off towards the corners, as you would expect, but not drastically enough to put you off. For $158, I am quite happy to stack images when needed using the lens, knowing that the returned images will be sharp edge-to-edge.”
“The Viltrox 28mm f4.5 lens is a fun little lens for only $99. It’s not weather resistant, you can’t change the aperture, it can sometimes malfunction depending on where the built-in lens cap is, and you have to be careful with it in inclement weather. But if you get past these things, you’ll have a lens that opens your eyes up to a dream that very few photographers have the ability to experience. Embracing this dream means a new creative vision that leads down different paths in the fairy tales your images create.”
“So far, the Viltrox lenses I’ve reviewed have proven themselves to be excellent value while still delivering premium optical quality. The LAB lenses in particular clearly show an emphasis on providing professional-quality results without asking photographers to wield a huge budget.”
“So, in summary, yeah, the Viltrox 75mm F1.2 is an excellent lens, I think—and I can see it being used for Weddings, Portraits, and even street photographers to a certain extent if they want a nice “pop” to some long-distance shots. I enjoyed using it and will keep it on my shelf for when I need that focal length.”
“Finding a full-frame prime lens 15mm to 18mm with autofocus and a sub-f/2.8 aperture didn’t seem to exist until this Viltrox 16mm f/1.8. So not only is the Viltrox finding a sweet spot in a sea of lens options, they are selling it for a reasonably low price.”
“Personally, I find it a very good prime lens for outdoor portrait photography for an APS-C body, considering its price. The image quality in the center is very good from full aperture and closing it down a bit will improve things. The AF is more than correct and the aperture ring in video is apparently very good to use.”
“The Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 lens is a thoughtfully designed super wide-angle lens for Fujifilm X-Mount cameras. Featuring a physical aperture ring, compact design, and solid construction, it is an excellent option for Fujifilm users.”