Viltrox is changing the game in camera lenses, with the latest premium prime that matches Sony’s best at half the price
Photographers these days are spoiled for choice when it comes to third-party lenses, with Sigma, Tamron, Samyang and others offering excellent alternatives to more expensive proprietary optics from the likes of Sony, Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm. However, there is another name that rightly deserves to be known in 2024: Viltrox.
The Chinese photography and film equipment manufacturer has been releasing excellent quality lenses for a few years now – including, most recently, autofocus lenses for popular lens mounts – at what is almost always at least half the price of proprietary equivalents, and for the most part without clear compromises.
I’ve been shooting with the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Nikon Z mount for over a year – it costs exactly half the price of Nikon’s own 85mm f/1.8, and I can barely tell the difference between photos from the two lenses.
Viltrox’s stock is only set to rise with the launch of its latest lens, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB. It’s the first of Viltrox’s premium ‘LAB’ series of autofocus lenses, and if the online response from reviewers is to be believed, it’s almost perfect.
Currently it is only available in the Sony E-mount for Sony mirrorless cameras, including the full-frame Sony A7R V; but the 135mm F1.8 LAB looks incredible, and it’s half the price of Sony’s fantastic FE 135mm F1.8 GM – and at the time of writing it is on sale for $764.15 at Amazon in the US – that’s 24% off.
As someone who is particularly interested in these types of lenses but doesn’t price them at a premium, the five-star Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena was one of my favorite Nikon lenses of 2024, but it costs $2,499.95 / £2,649 / AU$4,249 – the new Viltrox lens has certainly caught my attention – I assume this, like other Viltrox lenses, will be too will be made available for other systems in due course, including Nikon Z-mount. Plus, there could be more LAB lenses to come – leaked photos of one 35mm F1.2 LAB for Sony was shared by Sony Alpha Rumors this week.
Is it time to take Viltrox seriously? And should people like Sigma and Samyang be concerned?
Visually impressive, hindered by one practical obstacle
We have yet to complete our review of the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB lens, but the general response to it online from those who have used it has been extremely positive. In terms of optical quality, Viltrox itself has published the lens’s MTF charts – laboratory tests that indicate a lens’s sharpness and contrast from the center of the frame to the edges – and these show that it is near flawless lens no matter what aperture you use it at. , even wide open at f/1.8.
Bokeh also looks impressive (see below) – and that’s essential for a fast aperture prime telephoto lens like this, as it’s ideal for portrait photography (although I also love the compression you get with this focal length for landscape photography ). Autofocus performance is supposedly quiet and also reliably fast, so there’s no real compromise there, although there does appear to be a little focus breathing, which could leave this lens out of the question for serious filmmakers.
What filmmakers will like, however, is the aperture ring, which can be set to smooth or clicky operation. There are no aperture or focus distance markings on the outside of the lens, but this information can be found on the neat digital display. This view is also customizable, meaning you can import any image you want as a welcome screen via the Viltrox app – for me that’s a nice party trick. The app connectivity also allows for easy firmware updates.
The 135mm F1.8 is built to a very high standard, with magnesium alloy construction and advanced weather sealing. The lens’ gigantic build could be a dealbreaker, though: it weighs 43.6oz/1,235g, and for reference, Sony’s 135mm lens weighs much less, just 33.6oz/950g. The extra weight of the Viltrox lens is unlikely to make a big difference if you’re shooting with a larger camera like a Nikon Z8, while it seems to be a good match for the Sony A7R V (see below), but it’s a front – heavy mismatch with thinner models such as the Sony A7C R.
Apart from that, Viltrox has made many photographers (and probably competing brands) think twice. The LAB series could be the start of something special, and a range of lenses that price-conscious photographers who also value quality will increasingly be attracted to.
