We didn’t see many pancake lenses for Sony’s fullframe E-mount cameras that actually deserve that title and when it comes to those featuring auto focus it starts to look really dire. Viltrox comes to rescue by offering this Viltrox AF 28mm 4.5 FE Pancake lens with the nickname “Chip”. As is always the case with such small lenses, there are some quirks to be aware of, so let me walk you through them.
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.
Viltrox, a pioneer in autofocus lenses from China, has been on a roll lately, releasing new lenses for both full-frame and APS-C cameras. Their recent APS-C PRO series boasts impressive quality but with a larger size footprint. In stark contrast, their latest creation is this super-compact AF 56mm f/1.7. Let’s see how this tiny portrait lens performs!
I tested this lens on a Fujifilm X-S10 with its 26 Mp APS-C sensor.
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.
When looking for an affordable AF lens in the ultra wide angle realm my recommendation so far has usually been the Samyang 18mm 2.8 AF – also due to lack of alternatives. But in October 2023 Viltrox released this compact 20mm 2.8 AF lens and now, in February 2024 they released this super low budget lens in Nikon Z and Fuji X mount too. Not as wide as the Samyang, but noticeably cheaper. Is this my new recommendation for a low cost AF lens in the ~20mm range? Let’s find out.
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