This 27mm pancake lens for APS-C cameras could be a good choice for everyday photography. Its focal length, between a wide-angle lens and a traditional standard lens, offers a versatile perspective that’s quite usable for capturing everyday moments. Its first version, only for Fuji X cameras, was the company’s first autofocus lens. They’ve since expanded to include versions for Nikon Z and Sony E mounts. It is one of the cutest lenses I have ever seen, not only it is small, but also very light and good-looking. The attractive price tag of around $149 makes it an even more compelling option, but how well does it perform? Let’s find out!
I review the lens on a Nikon Z fc.
Sample Images
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8 | f/2.8Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8 | f/4Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8 | f/5.6Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8 | f/2.8
Viltrox offers some of the best value AF lenses on the market and now they have come up with this AF 40mm f/2.5 at $158. It should be one of the least expensive fullframe AF lenses with Nikon Z mount and therefore quite interesting. 40mm is one of my favorite focal lengths. Closer to the human’s natural angle of view than a 50mm, and slightly wider than 50mm, it allows for more context to be included in the image. I prefer this focal length to a 50mm for street and everyday photography. The Viltrox Z 40/2.5 with its compact format is therefore an interesting lens. It is not a Viltrox “Pro” or “LAB” lens, which are their premium series, but very compelling nonetheless. Let’s have a look at it!
I tested this lens on a Nikon Z 7II with its 46 Mp sensor.
Sample Images
Nikon Z 7II | Viltrox 40/2.5 | f/2.5Nikon Z 7II | Viltrox 40/2.5 | f/2.5Nikon Z 7II | Viltrox 40/2.5 | f/2.5Nikon Z 7II | Viltrox 40/2.5 | f/5.6
Laowa CF 8-16mm f/3.5-5.0 Zoom is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras with an impressive zoom range (equivalent to 12-24mm on fullframe sensors). It is a very compact lens and seems to fit nicely on smaller APS-C cameras. Its versatile focal length range makes it a good choice for landscape, architecture, and travel photography or whenever you want a dramatic perspective in your images. In times when it seems that all the major manufacturers (except Fujifilm) are neglecting the APS-C lens development and focusing on fullframe lenses, it is refreshing to see exciting lenses like this from third-party manufacturers. Let’s see how it behaves in real life!
I tested this lens on a Nikon Zfc You can see this review as YouTube video here
Sample Images
Nikon Z fc | Laowa CF 8-16mm f/3.5-5 C-Dreamer | 8mm | f/8Nikon Z fc | CF Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 C-Dreamer @8mm | f/5.6Nikon Z fc | Laowa CF 8-16mm f/3.5-5 C-Dreamer | @8mm |f/8
This time we take a look at another famed vintage lens, namely the legendary Helios 40. It’s an 85mm f/1.5 lens, known for, let´s see if we get it from its many titles: The King of Bokeh, The Bokeh King, the Russian Bokeh King, The Funky Bokeh King, The King of Russian Weird Bokeh, The Vintage Lenses’ King of Bokeh, etc. etc. etc. Dear child has many names. You get it, it has a reputation for its bokeh. It is also very popular among videographers seeking a dreamy vintage look with beautiful bokeh in their footage. While this lens was quite popular even back in the day, it has grown in popularity during the digital era to new heights and created kind of a cult around itself.
It was made by KMZ in the former Soviet Union for the Zenit range of SLR cameras. Like the previously reviewed “Helios 44”, there is a belief that when Russians got their hands on Zeiss Jena factory by the end of WWII, they took back the technology and drawings of many lenses to the Soviet Union, copied, and manufactured them. This one is believed to be a “copy” of Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5 from 1938. While the optical formula is very similar, it is a widespread Double Gauss Planar design. Besides, it is an 85mm lens. Therefore, some claim it was designed by Russian engineers themselves “based on” the Biotar 75/1.5 in 1950. Anyway, let’s have a closer look at it!
Sample Images
Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Viltrox AF 27mm 1.2 STM ASPH ED IF PRO is the company’s second lens in its APS-C PRO series lenses, 75mm f/1.2 being the first. 27mm focal length in APS-C format, roughly equivalent to 40mm full-frame. While it”s not a “real” wide-angle lens, it is wider than a normal 50mm lens, which, in my opinion, can be more useful for everyday and street photography, compared to a 50mm lens, as it allows to include more of the environment. On the other hand, it does not introduce the perspective distortion of a 35mm wide-angle lens. This lens was released with X mount earlier and now it is released with Z and E mount, with a few improvements to the original X version. I test the new Z mount version on a Nikon Z fc camera.
Sample Images
Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.2Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.8Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.2
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon F/Z New article every week
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I tested this lens on a Nikon Zfc
You can see this review as YouTube video 
