Introduction
The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 is another addition to the company’s small, lightweight, and affordable ‘Air’ series. Though new, the few lenses released so far have shown impressive performance. This full-frame 50mm lens, with a maximum aperture of f/2, is compact, lightweight, and budget friendly at $199—but does its performance match that of its previous siblings? Let’s find out!
I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images with a Nikon Zf ).
I used a Megadap ETZ21 PRO E-to-Z adapter with the FE mount version of the lens on Nikon Z cameras.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.
Sample Images
Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.
Specifications
| Focal Length | 50mm |
| Angle of View | 47.4° |
| # of Aperture Blades | 9 |
| Max Aperture | F2 |
| Min Aperture | F16 |
| Min Focus Distance (Magnification) | 0.51 m (0.11x) |
| Filter Size | 58mm |
| Lens Mount | Sony E, Nikon Z |
| Weight | 205 g |
| Size (D x L) | Ø 65 × 56.5mm |
| Elements/Group | 13 / 9 |
| Buy new: VILTROX (8% discount), B&H, Amazon (anywhere) (Affiliate links) |
Disclosure
Viltrox kindly provided this lens for test and review purposes. Megadap kindly provided the E to Z adapter for test and review purposes.
Handling and Build Quality
The lens is made of hard plastic, though the mount plate is metal. The design is minimalist, featuring only one control point: the relatively large focusing ring. Electronic contacts on the mount plate allow communication with the camera, and a USB-C port on the metal mount enables firmware updates. Despite being part of the budget-friendly Air series, known for its compact and lightweight design, the build quality does not feel cheap.
The lens lacks environmental sealing and in-body stabilisation. It comes with a lens hood, which has a matte interior to reduce reflections and can be reversed for compact storage. In addition to front and rear caps, the package includes a cloth pouch.
The focusing mechanism is internal, so the lens does not change length, and the front element does not rotate during focusing. Autofocus is driven by a stepping motor (STM) with a lead screw, which should have the advantage of more accurate, quieter, and faster AF compared to geared STM motor.
The focusing ring can not be customised to do anything else than manual focusing.
Optical Features
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!
Excellent sharpness right from f/2 in the centre of the frame, while the midframe and corner are very good. Stop down to f/4 and you get excellent sharpness even in the midframe and corner.
At wider apertures, while sharpness is at least very good everywhere, there is a small sharpness dip in the midframe, which recovers from f5.6.
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 at all tested points from wide open at f2.
Sharpness (Close-up)
Sharpness is very good at f/2, excellent at f/2.8, and phenomenal between f/4 and f/8. At f/11, diffraction causes a slight dip, which becomes more noticeable at f/16.
Lens Distortion
The Viltrox AF 50/2 Air is a virtual zero-distortion lens, almost. There is a slight pin cushion distortion, which requires -3 in LR/PS to correct.
Vignetting
Vignetting at the maximum aperture (f/2) is quite strong and may require correction in most scenes. Stopping down to f/2.8 reduces it slightly, but it remains noticeable. At f/4, vignetting becomes more moderate, and by f/5.6, it reaches a more manageable level. From f/8 onward, it is almost negligible. While vignetting is strong, it is not significantly higher than that of other fast 50mm lenses. However, f/2 is not among the fastest 50mm lenses, and its vignetting does not decrease as quickly as in some other lenses. Unfortunately, the Vignette control in Nikon Z cameras does not help much.
- F/2.0: 2.5 EV
- F/2.8: 1.7 EV
- F/4.0: 1.5 EV
- F/5.6: 1.2 EV
- F/8.0: 0.8 EV
Focus Shift & Aberrations
There is a minimal amount of bokeh fringing at f/2, but it disappears completely when stopped down to f/2.8. Even wide open, it’s barely noticeable in real-world scenarios.
On the other hand, there is a small but visible amount lateral chromatic aberration in the uncorrected images, but it so small you won’t notice it in normal cases. See the 100% crop of an image corner below! See also the images of the frame corners in infinity sharpness section to see a case, where it is more visible!
Flare Resistance
Flare resistance is this lens’s Achilles’ heel, as it significantly detracts from its otherwise excellent performance. Unfortunately, it suffers from both veiling and ghosting flare—primarily veiling flare at wider apertures, while both veiling and ghosting become more prominent at smaller apertures.
Coma
The lens suffers from coma at wider apertures, especially when used wide open. However, stopping down to f/2.8 significantly reduces it, and by f/4, it is virtually eliminated.
Sunstars
The Viltrox 50mm f2 Air can produce from f/8, but they get nice only at f/16, and while nice at f/16 they are relatively small.
Focus Breathing
The Viltrox AF 50/2 Air suffers from mild focus breathing.
Bokeh
It is always interesting to look at the bokeh of a fast 50mm lens, while this VIltrox is not super fast but with a f2 max aperture is considered as a fast 50. Let’s take a look at the bokeh balls first!
There is one aspherical element in the lens construction, although it is not shown in the lens design diagram. It manifests as onion-ring patterns that are clearly visible in bokeh highlights, except in the very center of the frame.
Outside this central area, also rim highlights appear around the bokeh balls, resembling soap bubble bokeh, along with some double edging. This is not a promising sign in terms of achieving creamy, soft bokeh, but let’s examine the background blur in different real-world scenarios.
Short Distance
Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2
Mid-Distance
Long Distance
The beauty of bokeh is in the eye of the beholder; in other words, it is highly subjective. The background blur of this lens is not the creamiest, and to my eye, it looks a bit too busy—especially when the background is slightly contrasty or filled with details. That’s just my take, though. Check out the images in this section and the sample gallery to see how you like it.
Conclusion
| I LIKE | AVERAGE | I DON’T LIKE |
| Sharpness across the frame Distortion control Chromatic aberrations correction size & weight Price coma (-) |
Vignetting (-) Sunstars Focus breathing Bokeh (-) |
Flare resistance |
The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 stays true to its place in the Air series—it is light, compact, and offers many good optical qualities. It has strengths and weaknesses similar to other lenses in the series, performing slightly better in some areas and slightly worse in others, though not by much.
To summarise, it has fantastic across-the-frame sharpness, comparable to the best 50mm lenses, along with excellent chromatic aberration and distortion correction, very good coma correction, and solid build quality in a compact, lightweight package. The sunstars, focus breathing, and vignetting are not deal-breakers, but they are not as strong as its other qualities. I do wish vignetting improved a little faster and that the bokeh were softer.
The one real area for improvement is its flare resistance.
Overall, the lens offers more strengths than weaknesses, with only one significant drawback. Considering its budget-friendly price of $199 (at the time of writing), it clearly outperforms the average lens in its class.
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| Buy new: VILTROX (8% discount), B&H, Amazon (anywhere) (Affiliate links) |
Alternatives
Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S
This is a top-class lens that is optically superior in almost every way to the tested lens—and it’s 1/3 of a stop faster, too. However, it is slightly larger, weighs twice as much, and costs three times as much as the tested lens. If you’re a Nikon Z user looking for the best lens at this aperture, this is the one to get.
Buy new: B&H, Amazon for $630 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay ~ $320 (Affiliate links)
Voigtländer 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar
If you prefer manual focus lenses, this is a fantastic lens and better than the tested lens in almost every way. It has 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 more even more expensive than the Nikon Z 50/1.8.
Buy New: Amazon, B&H ~ $899 (Affiliate links)
Used: eBay (Affiliate link)
Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G
In the Sony world this lens offers fantastic performance in most categories and good in others in a compact package. It is slower than the tested lens though and at the same time more expensive
Length: 45mm | Diameter: 60mm | Weight: 174g | Filter Thread: 49mm | Released: March 2021 | Price (March 2025): $598
Amazon | B&H | ebay.com (affiliate links)
Sony FE 50mm f1.8
A solid small lens that offers good resolution, contrast and especially controls.
Length: 68.6 x 59.5 mm | Weight: 186 g | Filter Thread: 49mm | Released: 2016 | Price (March 2025): $248
buy from Amazon | B&H | ebay.com (affiliate links) for $248
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 50/1.8G:
The predecessor of the current Nikon Z lens, designed for DLR cameras with very good to excellent sharpness. Requires adapter to be used on mirrorless cameras, costs about the same as the tested lens but can be bought used at half the price.
Buy new: B&H, 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 (Affiliate links)
Sony FE 55mm 1.8 ZA
the FE 55mm 1.8 offers a good balance between small size and good performance. New it is very expensive compared to some of the new competitors like the Samyang 50mm 1.4 AF II though.
Length: 70.5mm | Diameter: 64.4mm | Weight: 281g | Filter Thread: 49mm | Released: October 2013 | Price (March 2025): $898
Amazon | ebay.com | ebay.de | B&H (affiliate links)
TTArtisan 50mm 2.0
Manual focus, no electronic contacts. The smallest and cheapest 50mm lens to put on your camera and way better than the low price suggests. available in Sony E, Nikon Z, L-mount, and Fuji X mount.
Length: 35mm | Diameter: 60mm | Weight: 189g | Filter Thread: 43mm | Released: July 2022 | Price (March 2025): $69
TTArtisan | Amazon | ebay.com | B&H (affiliate links)
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 Z Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 S
- Review: Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 S
- Review: TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 – Return of the Nifty Fifty
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Martin
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Looks more impressive than their 40/2.5 Air, at practically the same size… Easier FL to design for or Viltrox learning as it goes? Mix of both?
Also, for E mount the most obvious (but still pricier) competition might be the Sigma 50/2 DN.
Agreed.
Nice review again Martin.
-maybe add an extra remark at the conclusion-
Since this lens -might- be optimised for a (thick) Sony hot mirror filter pack it might not be a 1:1 result if you use this lens as intended on a Sony body. It probably might perform even be better on a Sony body. Other reviewers Chris Frost and Dustin Abott published their reviews using their high / and very high res Sony bodies. The results (even more positive) are in line though. Reviewing is an extremely difficult task also sample variation plays a role.
I doubt that for this price there is any room for tweaks in this lens’s construction for different camera bodies besides the flange distance behind the rear element (and the mount of course). So, the question is if this lens is designed with any specific filter stack thickness in mind, or something in between that would fit all?
“Sony FE 50mm f1.8
a solid small lens that looks quite expensive next to the Viltrox 40mm 1.8 AF or the Sony FE 50mm 1.8 but also offers better resolution, contrast and especially controls.”
This sentence doesn’t make any sense.
Right, it was a copy/paste miss. Fixed. Thnx.
But the price…
I see it for about 200€ everywhere…
And lenses like these go for really cheap second hand on eBay or so. You can often buy good as new cheaper Viltrox lenses for like half the price, as soon as enough people buy them and some get bored.
I suppose low price means that many people will try them, even those who don’t really know what they are getting into, and since these are Chinese brands, they don’t hold much value.
I think there are still mistakes in the Sony 50 1.8 FE section (release date, price, dimensions)
Right
These Chinese manufactures are starting to produce frighteningly good lenses for the price point. From my perspective to this is unthinkable performance when compared to much more expensive lenses at the A7s launch.
Thanks for the very informative review.
However you wrote “Viltrox does not mention any aspherical elements in the lens construction…”
At least the Nikon Z version contains one aspherical element.
I wonder if the Sony version is different here.
As seen in the lens construction and the tech info I received, there was no mention.
Where did you get the info about the Asph element in the Z version?
Could you please share that?
It’s in both versions according to their own website
Indeed, I hinted that in my review because I saw signs of it in the images, but they had not depicted it in the lens construction scheme they had provided, It was not mentioned in the pre-release data sheets either. Anyways, it is there, I change the review accordingly.
Here is the link with the correct diagram:
https://viltrox.com/products/af-50mm-f2-fe
Thnx, updated the review lens construction scheme.
Hello, Martin!
Thanks for the review. I just learned about that lens and was pleased to find you already gave it a closer look.
Can you share your opinion on the autofocus performance?
As I wrote in the review, the AF is accurate and nearly silent, the speed is more than adequate for normal use even for slow moving subjects, better than average, but it is not sport lens fast AF.
Do you have any thoughts in comparison with Sigma 45/2.8?
Unfortunatly, I have not tested that lens and can’t compare the two side-by-side, but I can tell that this lens is far sharper than the Sigma, on the other hand the Sigma seems to handle flare better than this Viltrox. And of course, this lens is one stop faster.
At first I didn’t realize quite how small it is, it’s shorter than most of the other 50s and about the same size as the Samyang 45/1.8, just a bit longer than the 40/50G… I’m tempted to trade my old Samyang for one of these now, just dunno if I want the 40G for the features/sealing or this Viltrox for the speed.
I do have a 35GM and a TT 50/1.4 so I care more about portability than anything with that second AF alternative… hmm, decisions decisions…
Hi Martin,
thanks for your Work.
Do you think the Viltrox 50 2 is better than samyang 45 1.8.
What think the other reader?
Or what is the best tiny 50? without the Sigma 50/2.
Hi, thanks.
This Viltrox is a better lens than the Samyang 45mm. The sharpness of this Viltrox is right up at the same level as the best lenses available, quite a feat for a lens at this price point.
Martin. Great review. Thanks. My last 50mm prime was a Canon fd 50mm. I got back into serious photography about 5 years ago..after a 20 year leave; now shooting with Sony full frame bodies.
I have mostly zooms, with one Sigma 105mm macro prime.
I always loved the 50mm focal length, and was looking at adding either the Sigma or Sony 50mm 1.2 prime. I probably still will add one of those, but when I stumbled on this new release, with the stellar reviews, I ordered one. The small size will supplement my kit with a nice small, lightweight, inconspicuous, street photography lens. For $183.00 USD, why not…