{"id":62609,"date":"2024-12-18T16:19:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T15:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=62609"},"modified":"2025-01-30T08:48:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T07:48:51","slug":"review-viltrox-af-35mm-f-1-7-xf-aps-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-viltrox-af-35mm-f-1-7-xf-aps-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 XF (APS-C)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"viltrox<\/span><\/p>\n

The APS-C 35mm focal length is equivalent to 52mm on a Fullframe camera, therefore it is in the \u2018standard\u2019 focal length category and very close to the classic 50mm lenses on fullframe cameras, with an angle of view offering none of the \u2018perspective distortion\u2019 associated with wide angle or telephoto lenses. This lens on an APS-C camera is equivalent to a Nifty Fifty on a fullframe camera. Let’s have a closer look at it!<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"I tested this lens on a 26 Mp Fujifilm X-S10<\/a>.
\n\"\"You can see this review as\u00a0a\u00a0YouTube\u00a0video\u00a0here<\/a>!
\n\"\"Most of the sample images in high resolution here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/2.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Fijifilm X-S10 | f\/1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Focal Length<\/td>\n35mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angle of View<\/td>\n45\u00b0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
# of Aperture Blades<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Aperture<\/td>\nf\/1.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Aperture<\/td>\nf\/16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Focus Distance<\/td>\n0.33 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Size<\/td>\n52mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lens Mount<\/td>\nFujifilm X, Nikon Z, Sony E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n170 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size (D x L)<\/td>\n65 x 59 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/Group<\/td>\n11\/9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"Viltrox-35-1-7-APSC-Fuji-X\"
Lens construction | Viltrox 35mm f\/1.7 APSC Fuji X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Buy new:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Viltrox Store<\/a> (15% off stock price December 18-30):<\/p>\n

Amazon (Anywhere)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disclosure<\/span><\/h2>\n

Viltrox kindly provided this lens for test and review purposes.<\/p>\n

Handling and Build Quality<\/span><\/h2>\n

This autofocus lens features a sleek, minimalist design with no external controls apart from the manual focus ring. It is compact and lightweight, weighing only 179 g, making it an excellent match for smaller camera bodies. In the following picture you can see it next to the TTArtisan 35mm f\/1.8, which I liked a lot when I reviewed it and I still like it but it is slightly larger than this Viltrox, otherwise the exterior build, look, and design are very similar.<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 35\/1.7(left) vs. TTArtisan 35\/1.8 (right) in front of Fujifilm X-S10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The focus ring is relatively large and metallic, and, like all Fujifilm lenses, it controls focusing electronically. Turning the ring quickly results in significant focus shifts, while slower movements allow for more precise adjustments. It employs internal focusing, so the lens’s length remains constant when focusing, and the front element does not rotate.<\/p>\n

\"viltrox
Viltrox 35mm 1.7 with lens hood on a Fujifilm X-S10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens body is made of hard plastic, while the mounting plate is metallic. The mounting plate includes electronic pins for data communication, enabling autofocus, aperture control via the camera, and transmitting EXIF data. Additionally, there is a USB-C port on the mounting plate for firmware updates.<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7, mounting plate with electronic pins and USB-C port<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All the markings on the lens are printed, which contributes to the plasticky feel of the build. The lens comes with standard plastic rear and front caps, as well as a plastic snap on lens hood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 35mm f\/1.7, its front cap and lens hood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This lens lacks built-in image stabilization. While the autofocus is accurate, its speed on my Fujifilm X-S10 is unremarkable. That said, Fujifilm cameras are generally not known for blazing-fast autofocus, and the X-S10 is among the slower models in their lineup. Even so, the autofocus is sufficiently fast for typical day-to-day photography.<\/p>\n

Optical Features<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"MTF-Viltrox-35-1-7-APSC-Fuji-X\"
MTF | Viltrox-35mm f\/1.7 APSC Fuji-X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There have been a few lenses from China with outstanding MTF charts lately and this is the latest one. Such a theoretical performance could only be seen from high end and very expensive Japanese or German lenses in the past but now with computer aided lens design the Chinese seem to catch up in the theoretical design when it comes to sharpness and some of the aberrations at least. Let’s have a look in practice.<\/p>\n

Sharpness (Infinity)<\/span><\/h3>\n

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!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Infinily Sharpness Points of Inspection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fijifilm
Fijifilm X-S10 | Viltrox AF 35mm f\/1.7 | Infinity sharpness chart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well here we can see that the practice matches the theoretical curves as the sharpness is top notch. The lens is very sharp from wide open at f\/1.7 in all areas. Corners are generally not as excellent as the centre and midframe but the they are very sharp and we can see diffraction makes the lens a little less sharp at f\/11 and a little more at f\/16.<\/p>\n

Sharpness (Portrait)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s look at the points of interest for portraits at the portrait distance: the very centre, the centre\u2019s inner periphery\u00a0 (1\/3 rule intersection), and the centre\u2019s outer periphery (1\/4th intersection).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Portrait Sharpness Points of Interest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n