Introduction

Viltrox has just released two new full-frame lenses in its EVO series—a 35mm f/1.8 and a 55mm f/1.8—both featuring APO designs for improved correction of chromatic and spherical aberrations. Here, I’m testing the 55mm lens.

Based on Viltrox’s earlier Air and EVO lenses, which delivered exceptional sharpness, I was curious to see if this new 55mm can reach the same level as Nikon’s 50mm f/1.8 S—a lens I regard as the best “nifty fifty” Nikon has ever produced, with outstanding sharpness and overall optical quality. Let’s find out.

Available for Sony E, Nikon Z, and Leica L mounts.

Sample Images

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.

I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Specifications

Disclosure

Viltrox kindly provided this lens for test and review purposes.

Handling and Build Quality

The lens gives a solid impression both visually and in hand. The body is made of hard plastic, while the rings are metal.

The focus ring is moderately large, and in manual focus mode it can be set to linear response. This means you can use a fixed focus throw—going from infinity to the minimum focus distance (MFD) always requires the same amount of rotation. The camera also remembers the last focus distance and point after powering off and on, which is a nice touch.

There’s also an AF/MF switch and a function button on the left side of the barrel.

On the opposite side of the barrel, there’s another switch to toggle between a clicked and de-clicked aperture ring.

The aperture ring is marked from f/1.8 to f/16 in full stops. The ring features gentle one-third-stop clicks, and there’s also an “A” position for automatic aperture control beyond f/16 via the camera. The clicks are, as mentioned, very light, and there’s no lock for the A position, which makes it easy to unintentionally knock the ring out of A.

The lens mount is metallic and also features, in addition to the electronic pins, a USB-C port for firmware updates. There is a red rubber gasket around the mount, providing weather sealing.

The lens comes with the usual front and rear caps, as well as a lens hood, which is quite basic but attaches securely to the lens.

The autofocus is accurate and quiet, but the speed is only average.

Compared to the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, this lens is smaller and, despite its size, includes an aperture ring—something the Nikon lacks. On the other hand, the Nikon’s autofocus is faster, although it is slightly noisier than the Viltrox.

The Nikon’s lens hood is also more substantial, and overall it gives an even more solid impression.

Optical Features

Sharpness

Sharpness (Infinity)

For the infinity sharpness test, we look at three areas of the image, centre, mid-frame, and corner, see highlighted areas in the image below!

Center sharpness is already phenomenal at f/1.8, with excellent midframe performance and very good corners. By f/4, corner sharpness also reaches an excellent level. Sharpness remains impressive up to f/11, though a slight decrease from diffraction becomes visible, more noticeably at f/16, particularly off-centre—still delivering strong performance even there.

Compared to the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, this lens actually surpasses it in this category, especially in the corners.

Sharpness (Portrait)

Let’s look at the points of interest for portraits at the portrait distance: the very centre, the centre’s inner periphery  (1/3 rule intersection), and the centre’s outer periphery (1/4th intersection).

Excellent sharpness both in the center, inner and outer circles.

Even at this distance, it beats the Nikon Z 50/1.8 S in sharpness.

Sharpness (Close-up)

The close-up sharpness is very good wide open at f/1.8. Then it is excellent from f/2.8 throughout the aperture settings until f/11 where it falls back to very good due to diffraction, which becomes more obvious at f/16.

Lens Distortion

There is a small barrel distortion visible, but nothing serious. To correct it, you need to apply a manual distortion correction of +3 in Lightroom or Photoshop. A good performance here, but the Nikkor has the edge here.

Here, the Nikon Z 50/1.8 has the edge as it showed almost no distortion at all

Vignetting

The test shots were taken with in-camera correction set to OFF.

The vignetting at max aperture (1.8) is relatively high, which in certain scenes may require correction, unless the in-camera correction is on, but not worst than similar lenses. Stopping down by just 1/3 of a stop to f/2 makes it more manageable and between f/2 and f/2.8 it will be a matter of taste if you want to correct it or not, From f/4 and smaller apertures it is negligible.

Here, the performance is on par with the Nikkor, so it’s a draw.

• F/1.8: 2.3 EV
• F/2.8: 1.5 EV
• F/4.0: 0.8 EV
• F/5.6: 0.8 EV
• F/8.0: 0.7 EV
• F/11: 0.7 EV

Focus Shift & Aberrations

There is no focus shift or visible spherical aberration. In fact, the lens appears slightly overcorrected for spherical aberration, which likely contributes to its biting sharpness.

The APO design also shows its strengths here, with no longitudinal chromatic aberration visible—on par with the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S.

Here is a 100% crop of the image’s upper left corner from a 46 Mp sensor. We can see some small, almost negligible lateral chromatic aberration, which can be fixed with one click in post. Although very small and much better than average performance, the Nikon Z 50/1.8 was even better here.

Flare Resistance

Flare resistance is a difficult category to evaluate, as small changes in angle or position can have a significant impact on the results. Here, I’ve tried to push the lens in a worst-case scenario to reveal its limitations. The performance isn’t poor, but there is a noticeable drop in contrast in some situations, along with ghosting in others—sometimes both at once.

I’ve included test shots at both wide and small apertures below.

While the results are among the best we’ve seen from Chinese lenses, they don’t quite match the level of the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, which shows excellent control with no visible ghosting and only minor contrast reduction around the sun in certain conditions.

Coma

Coma correction isn’t perfect wide open, but it’s still quite well controlled. To eliminate the small—almost negligible—traces of coma entirely, stopping down to f/5.6 is required. (The f/2.8 sample isn’t entirely representative, as I later noticed slight camera shake.)

At maximum aperture, coma performance is on par with the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, though the Nikon cleans it up more quickly, requiring only a one-stop reduction.

Sunstars

The lens produces decent 18-point sunstars from f/8, becoming more defined at f/11 and very well rendered by f/16.

In this category, it outperforms the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, as sunstars appear at wider apertures and develop more clearly when stopping down.

Focus Breathing

The Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 exhibits fairly strong focus breathing, which is unfortunate given its clickless aperture and otherwise good potential for video work. This limitation reduces its appeal for videographers.

As shown below, the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S performs significantly better in this regard, showing virtually no focus breathing.

Bokeh

Bokeh balls look very nice, with even illumination and no visible color fringing. Some mild onion ring texture from the aspherical elements can occasionally be seen, but it’s subtle and unlikely to stand out in most images. Towards the edges of the frame, cat’s-eye shapes appear, though the overall rendering remains quite pleasing.

Compared to the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, it shows slightly more onion ring texture, a marginally less smooth transition, and a bit more pronounced cat’s-eye effect towards the corners.

Let’s have a closer look at the background blur at different distances!

Short Distance

At minimum focusing distance, it can produce a somewhat dreamy background blur, though it’s not as creamy as some other lenses.

Mid-Distance

As we move backwards, at medium distances, the blur remains strong but takes on more character, which becomes more noticeable than at close range.

Long Distance

The somewhat vintage character becomes more noticeable in longer-distance scenes.

Bokeh is, of course, a matter of personal preference. In my view, this lens produces background blur quite easily, with a distinct vintage rendering that some will really enjoy. This character likely stems from a slight overcorrection of spherical aberration, combined with the use of aspherical elements.

Compared to the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, this lens delivers more character in its bokeh, which can sometimes appear a bit busy. The Nikon, on the other hand, produces a smoother, creamier blur—especially at minimum focusing distance and mid-range distances. Personally, I prefer the Nikon’s rendering, but it’s worth looking at the samples to see which style you like best.

Conclusion

Designing a lens that is sharp and well-corrected for aberrations, distortion, and coma—while also minimizing vignetting—has always been a challenge. In the past, designers had to juggle priorities and accept compromises. With modern software correction, vignetting and distortion can now be handled quite effectively in post-processing or in-camera, allowing designers to focus more on maximizing sharpness.

With this lens, it seems that Viltrox has aimed to push performance across the board. However, the laws of physics still apply, and this comes at a cost—namely increased size, weight, and price. That said, it sits in a middle ground: not exactly cheap, but not overly expensive either.

Overall, this 55mm lens may not be the absolute top contender, but it holds its own against more expensive and bulkier competitors.

Which Lens Wins?

Compared to the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, does it come out ahead? In some areas—such as sharpness and sunstars—it does. In others, the Nikon has the edge, while some aspects are broadly on par. It’s worth noting that the Nikon is already extremely sharp, but this lens does push slightly further.

If absolute sharpness and sunstars are your top priorities, this lens is the better choice—and it’s also more affordable. If you prefer softer bokeh, lower distortion, and slightly better control of chromatic aberrations, or faster AF, the Nikon remains the stronger option, albeit with only a small advantage at a higher price.

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Alternatives

I mention only a few lenses with f/1.8 and f/2. There are loads of 50mm f/1.4 lenses too,

Nikon Z 50mm d/1.8 S
I have already explained almost all the differences between this lens and the reviewed lens in the article above.
Buy new: Amazon (anywhere) , B&H for $467 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk from $435  (Affiliate links)

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 50/1.8G:
The predecessor of the above lens- It’s smaller, lighter, with very good to excellent sharpness. The reviewed Z lens beat it in every category, though, but the AF-S version costs less than 1/3 of the Z lens, but requires an FTZ adapter to be used on Z cameras.
Buy new: amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au for $216 (Affiliate links)
Buy used from: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.com.au , ebay.fr ≈$100 (Advertisement)

Viltrox 50mm F2
It is a more modern AF lens from the third-party manufacturer Viltrox. This lens exists in Nikon Z and Sony FE mount. Autofocus and full electronic contact with the camera. If you have a Nikon Z camera you can use this lens without an FTZ adapter, which helps you avoid the hassle of the adapter and also saves you about $150-$250, but the lens itself is more expensive at about $360.
Buy New: Viltrox Store,
amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au $359 (Affiliate links)
If you buy from the Viltrox Store via the affiliate link or using this coupon code (MARTINMH) there, you’ll get an 8% discount.

Voigtländer 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar
This is a manual lens but with electrical pins, no autofocus but proper EXIF info to the camera. It is available for Nikon Z, Sony E, and Leica M mounts. It is an outstanding lens with great sharpness, the cernter sharpness although fantastic, does not come up to Nikon’s Z 50/1.8 levels, but the the midframe and corner sharpness exceeds Nikon’s sharpness. None of these will be distinguishable in normal situations or seen in images unless you really enlarge the images to the extreme. It has better sunstars but a little more prone to ghosts with the sun in the image. It is more expensive than the Nikon Z 50/1.8.
Buy New: Amazon, B&H ~ $899 (Affiliate links)
Used: eBay (Affiliate link)

More Sample Images

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.

Further Reading

• What camera gear and accessories do I use most frequently?
• Review: Nikon Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8G
•  Review: Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-S
• REVIEW: Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air (FE)
• Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S

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Martin

Martin M.H. lives outside Stockholm, Sweden. He is a M.Sc. in Computer Technology but he has been a passionate photographer for over 50 years. He started his photographic adventures when he was thirteen with an Agfamatic pocket camera, which he soon replaced with a Canon rangefinder camera that his mom gave him in his teenages. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. He has photographed any genre he could throughout the years and you can see all kind of images in his portfolio. During the later years though it has been mostly landscape, nature, travel and some street/documentary photography.

Latest posts by Martin (see all)

• REVIEW: Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 EVO - April 20, 2026
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