{"id":75418,"date":"2025-07-30T14:01:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=75418"},"modified":"2025-08-01T17:52:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T16:52:26","slug":"review-viltrox-af-15mm-f-1-7-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-viltrox-af-15mm-f-1-7-air\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Viltrox AF 15mm F\/1.7 Air"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Viltrox<\/h2>\n

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

Viltrox has recently released a couple of small, lightweight lenses in its AIR series, both for full-frame and APS-C cameras. These lenses have generally offered strong optical performance with impressive sharpness at affordable prices. Now, Viltrox has added a wide-angle 15mm lens for APS-C sensors to the series (22.5mm equivalent). This lens is also very lightweight, and at $239, it can still be considered budget-friendly. For the first five days after launch, it comes with a 5% discount \u2014 and using the affiliate links provides an additional 5% off*. But is it any good? Let’s find out!<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"I tested this lens on a\u00a0Nikon Zfc<\/a>.
\n\"\"You can see this review as\u00a0a\u00a0YouTube\u00a0video\u00a0here<\/a>!
\n\"\"Sample images in high resolution here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f3.5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

The Pink Series<\/p>\n

\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air | f1.7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air on a Nikon Zfc<\/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>\n15mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angle of View<\/td>\n84.9\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>\n0.23 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Size<\/td>\n58mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lens Mount<\/td>\nE, RF, Z, X<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n195 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size (D x L)<\/td>\n68 x 58.5 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/Group<\/td>\n12\/10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"Lens
Lens construction | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buy new:<\/strong> VILTROX Store<\/a>, Pergear store<\/a>, Amazon (anywhere)<\/a> for $227-$239 (Affiliate links)
\n* Only Viltrox store link includes the discount, but check all links for the best price!<\/em><\/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

As the name suggests, the Viltrox AF 15mm f\/1.7 Air is an autofocus lens. There’s no image stabilisation built into the lens, though that’s hardly necessary at this equivalent focal length of 22.5mm. Despite being part of the budget-friendly Air series \u2014 known for its compact and lightweight design \u2014 the build quality doesn\u2019t feel cheap. It is, however, slightly larger than the other lenses in the Air series.<\/p>\n

Electronic contacts on the mount allow communication with the camera, and a USB-C port on the metal mount enables firmware updates.<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens is made of hard plastic, though the mount itself is metal. The design is minimalist, featuring only one control point: a relatively large focusing ring. This ring normally controls manual focus, but it can also be customised to adjust either the aperture or exposure compensation \u2014 and it operates clicklessly.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens lacks environmental sealing. It comes with a sturdy plastic lens hood with a matte interior to reduce reflections, but it is so tiny, I wonder if it’s of any help. The hood can be reversed for compact storage. In addition to front and rear caps, the package includes a cloth pouch.<\/p>\n

\"Viltrox
Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Optical Features<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"MTF
MTF curves | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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
\"\"
Infinity sharpness ref. image | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Infinity
Infinity sharpness | Viltrox 15mm f\/1.7 Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sharpness is excellent in the center right from f\/1.7, with very good performance in the midframe and corners. The midframe reaches excellent levels just one stop down at f\/2.8, and the corners catch up by f\/5.6 \u2014 though still not quite as sharp as the rest of the frame. From f\/11 onward, diffraction starts to have an impact, particularly in the corners, where it becomes more noticeable 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