At half the price of the equivalent Nikon, how does the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF Lens for Nikon Z do its job? Pretty good in my opinion. Third-party lenses can be an unfortunate glitch given their lack of sharpness and cheap build, however, Viltrox certainly doesn’t have that.
Unlike Canon’s recent business decision to ban some 3rd party lenses for its RF mount Nikon doesn’t seem to mind this and lets consumers judge the quality of 3rd party products while still producing its own sharp high-quality lenses. To date, Viltrox has produced 9 focal length Z-mount lenses for the full frame and APS-C range. Do any of these lenses fill the void in the Nikon lineup? No, but each is a significant saving compared to the manufacturer’s own models.
First things first, I’m a Viltrox fan and I love the fact that you can get sharp images for a fraction of the cost of named brands. Does that make me a sucker? No, as I also own and use named brand lenses. I love the fact that for less money I can also get a high-quality third-party lens, and Viltrox offers that. I have not try yet Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 Lensso I can’t compare and contrast the two for this article, but maybe someday.
Construction and Quality
This is an autofocus lens that also works with eye-detect AF and is available for both Nikon Z mount and Sony’s E mount. In the box there is a carrying bag, manual, warranty card and the lens itself with front/rear caps and a lens hood as expected. Multi-layer HD nano coating effectively reduces ghosting and flare, 10 elements in 8 groups, and an internal focus system to reduce size, this lens is compact at 90mm, not too much of a difference in size with 13mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8, of which the heaviest as expected is 85mm.
The lens is made of metal, weighs 340g, has a smooth aperture ring through all stops, f/1.8 to f/16, and has a heavier notch projection, allowing you to easily distinguish it from the ring. focus if you are looking. through the viewfinder. If you want to control aperture through your camera, just go beyond f/16 and there’s an aperture lock with a clear click so you don’t accidentally drop it between these states without knowing it. .
The lens hood fits all the time with no issues, and while it doesn’t have the same metal construction as the lens itself, it’s solidly built. If you’ve read mine review afterward Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF Lens for Nikon Z you’ll understand that I have a love-hate relationship with Viltrox lens hoods. Thankfully although because of the 13mm lens this has been rectified, I still often struggle with the 85mm lens hood.
The 55mm filter thread is also metal, and the lens body has no buttons to switch between autofocus and manual focus. The autofocus is fast and quiet, and the manual focus ring is just right, not loose, but just enough to reduce humidity to provide accurate focusing. It’s also nicely knurled like the rest of the Viltrox lenses I’ve used, and there’s enough friction between the notch and your finger to not lose grip.
Software updated via the USB-C port means direct computer input and no need to download the sd card first, which is hopefully the way all camera manufacturers will go with the new versions. update their software. Not any hassle downloading to sd card and then installing via SD card, it’s just a simpler, more streamlined way.
How does it work?
Given the light weight, I honestly was apprehensive that maybe it wouldn’t work well, thinking that the glass isn’t heavy so the quality isn’t good. How wrong I was and honestly, I should have known better if the other two Viltrox lenses I had were exceptional. After my first test shot, I couldn’t wait to go out with the lens to see what it was capable of.
The lens focuses quickly and returns sharp images at all apertures. Focusing at f/1.8 is buttery smooth and at f/2.2 produces some really soft bokeh which I really enjoyed. Yes, it is not perfectly spherical and for me this is not an issue as I usually don’t shoot at such wide apertures plus I am looking at an overall image that is not circular bokeh how.
For all of these images, I manually used the aperture ring to see how it worked and this went smoothly. I wouldn’t expect too much focused breathing when filming, although it does mention minimal breathing on the Viltrox website; I haven’t tried that one yet, so the judges have skipped that one.
Shooting at different apertures and at different ISOs, I have not once been disappointed with the way the lens performs. I do enjoy prime lenses, however, 35mm is not a focal length I’m familiar with for many of my images, so it’s interesting to see the field of view and the considerations to make when planning photo department. I’m looking to try out some streets and architecture with a lens at this focal length.
The lens was very sharp with lovely focus relaxation and worked extremely well with all the subjects I photographed.
When it comes to mid-range apertures from f/8 – f/11, it works well for all handheld shots; it is out of focus and fast even in lower light conditions.
Testing in a sort of everyday carry scenario is something I enjoy doing with all lenses; if it works well here, it will work even better given my time. All images below are hand-held images except for the image of Fuji XT4 and Viltrox lenses. Although the lens does not have vibration reduction, thanks to the in-body stabilization of Nikon Z7 II I was able to hold an image for up to 1/10th of a second at f/8 in windy conditions as you can see below
What I like
Everything about the lens works and that’s what it’s all about. There’s nothing about it that screams or even alludes to, oh no, don’t do that to it. It’s light, compact, smooth to use, and produces sharp images. And don’t forget the $379 price tag – you definitely can’t go wrong with a lens of this quality. Even for in-camera multi-exposure images that I found myself experimenting with more when the weather wasn’t so great, the lens produced the results I wanted.
What I don’t like
There’s nothing I don’t like about this lens: the build quality, the weight, the aperture ring on the lens, everything fits. I would have liked to have seen it weather protected but for that price and quality I can live without it, plus a fraction of the construction cost of weather sealing, I can cover it’s by the Amazon shower cap if I need it. arrive.
Inference
As I mentioned at the beginning, I am a fan of Viltrox lenses and currently own 3 of them. I’ve had no problems with any of them, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with each one due to the image quality they produce at a relatively low cost. I will also mention if they don’t work as expected or have any bugs I wouldn’t recommend them. I go out all winter with them and I use Amazon shower caps when the weather is really rough, but so far no problems.
I look forward to testing this lens with portraits as I think it will yield some interesting results. So far, I’ve mostly used a pedestrian lens as it’s not a focal length range that I usually shoot, but honestly, I can see myself getting further with this lens. because I love the results it produces. I’m going to the highlands next week to see some fall colors and although I will be traveling light this lens will definitely go with me, after all, it weighs only 340g.
So if you’re in the market for a 35mm . prime lens you definitely can’t go wrong with this from Viltrox. It’s powerful and produces quality sharp images at all apertures with low distortion, fast and precise focusing, and it features a smooth manual focus ring. All this is at a very reasonable cost.
