REVIEW: Viltrox AF 25mm f/1.7 Air (APS-C)

February 28, 2025 Martin 15 Comments

Introduction

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 STM ASPH ED IF

About two months ago, Viltrox released a 35mm f/1.7 for APS-C cameras. It seems they’ve been busy, as they’ve now introduced the 25mm f/1.7 in their Air series. Officially named the Viltrox AF 25mm f/1.7 Air STM ASPH IF, it certainly comes with a lot of acronyms to keep track of!

This is an unusual focal length, equivalent to 37.5mm on a full-frame camera—sitting between the classic 35mm and 40mm, both popular choices for everyday and street photography. Let’s take a closer look!

camera-icon2 I tested the lens on a Nikon Zfc
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 Air (STM ASPH ED IF) | f/5

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 Air (STM ASPH ED IF) | f/7.1

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 Air (STM ASPH ED IF) | f/4

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 Air (STM ASPH ED IF) | f/1.7

Nikon Zfc | Viltrox AF 25mm F/1.7 Air (STM ASPH ED IF) | f/8

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox AF 25mm f/1.7 Air (APS-C) →

Leica M, Review, solinon

Review: Solinon 18mm 5.6 Asph

February 22, 2025 BastianK 25 Comments

Introduction

18mm 5.6 solinon calvin hong kong asph review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting cookie pancake compact m10 leica m11 m10r rangefinder — Solinon 18mm 5.6 Asph on Leica M10

It doesn’t happen often that one of our readers reaches out and tells us he had his own lens made, but that is exactly what happened here. Not finding what he was looking for among the lenses already available, our reader Calvin from Hong Kong decided to had a lens made to his desires and have it manufactured in China. Of course I was interested to review it, so let’s have a look at this intriguing lens together!
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Solinon 18mm 5.6 Asph →

Canon EF-Mount, Guides, Leica M, lenses, Olympus OM, Sony A-mount, Sony E-mount

Guide to the best Portrait Lenses – Sony A7/A9/A1 series

February 22, 2025 The Team 143 Comments

We summarize our experience with all the native E-mount and a few legacy lenses in the 85-200mm bracket for the Sony A7/A9/A1 series to give you a compact and independent resource for choosing the best portrait lens for your needs.

We also have a general guide to FE-lenses, 9-18mm ultra wide angle lenses, guide to 20-28mm wide angle lenses, 35mm lenses, 50mm lenses and macro lenses.

Unlike most other review sites we have no association with any lens manufacturer apart from occasionally loaning a lens for a review. No fancy trips and meals.

Before any short introduction we tell you how long we have used a lens and if we have borrowed it from a manufacturer. But in most cases we have bought the lenses new from retail stores or on the used market.

If we have left any question unanswered please leave a comment or contact us on social media and we will do our best to answer it.

If you purchase the lens through one of the affiliate-links in this article we get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

Last update: March 2025, several lenses added, cleaned up

Continue reading Guide to the best Portrait Lenses – Sony A7/A9/A1 series →

lenses, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8 ED II (APS-C)

February 19, 2025 Martin 10 Comments

Introduction

It has been about a year since TTArtisan introduced the AF 35mm f/1.8, and now it’s time to release version 2 of that lens. I liked the first version when I reviewed it and enjoyed taking pictures with it. They have tried to improve the lens since last year and therefore we can see a couple of changes, but have they succeeded?

camera-icon2 I tested this lens on a 21.5 Mp Nikon Zfc.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F/1.8 ED II | f/1.8

Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F/1.8 ED II | f/2.8

Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F/1.8 ED II | f/8

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8 ED II (APS-C) →

Review, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM MK II – A worthy Update?

February 16, 2025 BastianK 28 Comments

Introduction

sony fe 85mm 1.4 gm mk ii 2 mark bokeh master sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9 — Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM II on Sony A7rIi

The Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM is my favorite portrait lens out of the almost 300 lenses I have used so far. Being one of the first GM lenses, it features a comparably slow autofocus and some of the recent competitors offer higher contrast and resolution at f/1.4, so Sony decided to update this lens. Does it still have the bokeh qualities of the first generation 85mm 1.4 while making it smaller and sharper? Let’s find out in this review.