Viltrox is coming out with a 23,33,56 for xmount, emount, and EOS-M mount. All at 1.4. Rumored to be 250-350 per lens. Pretty excited about them given the quality of this lens.
You were one of the reviews that decided me to take this lens and I can't thank you enough. It became my favorite lens, I am no expert but I have the 35 f2 and the 50 to140 2.8 wich are both great but still, I just love to shoot with the viltrox. It has it's flaws, as you said in the video but very manageable. Such portraits... My biggest regret is that it don't have an aperture ring like the fuji lenses. thanks again
According to B&H, there is indeed an E-mount version with the same autofocus and FE compatibility that is 'coming soon'. It lists the expected availability as June 5th 2019
I just tested mine and I am fully satisfied with the image quality. I got it from Aliexpress and it came with the 72mm skylight filter, blower and lens pen as free gift.
Viltrox already have an FE 85mm f1.8 lens that's manual focus only (with electronically controlled aperture), but it looks almost identical and even has the same filter thread size. I'm guessing the optics are exactly the same and that we'll see an AF version of the lens for FE before too long. Great video as always!
Oh Chris I don’t know if you did the lens update but I heard viltrox released a lens update through the micro usb in the lens which helped the autofocus a bunch!
thanks for the review, I'm a wildlife photographer who is getting my first dedicated portrait lens and I found your review very helpful. Its nice to know that it stacks up pretty favorable against a well acclaimed lens like the 90mm, my only other lens I use for portraits is a nifty fifty so I imagine this will blow my socks off!
Like Lenses like this very much. Not perfect sharp but affordable (private use), without major problems and very smooth bokeh without colored outlines 👍🏻
According to the viltrox website this lens exists as manual focus for full frame e-mount cameras at 299 USD$. For the link check the Wikipedia article with the title: List of third-party E-mount lenses.
love your reviews. I want to get this lens or the mitakon 35. I want a good lens for portraits and OTHER COOL stuff. I love the idea of the Mistaken and its photos and the Manual focus. What prime do you think would be a better lens to compliment my fuji 16-55 and my 55-200???
I was hoping you would get your hands on this lens as I hope to buy it soon. Just got myself a Fuji XT-2! :) EDIT: Interestingly the results of AF speed and IQ tests seems to differ a lot from one review to another. For example Mattias Burling found the lens to be "razor sharp" with AF faster than the Fuji 90mm. Hm...
The different camera bodies make a huge difference with speed and possibly with focusing accuracy ... X-T20 was released in early 2017 ... almost 2 generations older than the current crop when looking at the quick Fuji updates since.
its equally big as the 90mm F2 so its not extremely large in comparison? well im not so sure, interesting that it could be put in to the sony mount none the less.
Hi Christopher, here Lorenzo from Italy. I heard that the Sony version of this lens can be turned in an 85 f/1.6 via firmware update. Do you know if this is possible for the Fuji version too? Thank you for your video!
hallo Chris, thank you for your great work. Just a question: what do you think about the manual focus version of this lens? I generally prefer to shot in manual focus, but I've heard that with a 85mm lens it's hard to focus. And...what about image stabilization? I have a sony a7II. Thanks
I'm using the Canon 85 1.8 with a fringer pro adapter, works great. You do get purple fringing wide open but the lens is very sharps and puts out a very pleasing contrasty image. With the adapter though it's not any smaller than this
Wow!I wonder how you put Fuji X mount lens on Sony E mount camera and reduced aperture from f/1.8 to f/4! How big the focus noice is? Is it good enough to menu focus for video shoot?
I focussed it and stopped it down on the Fuji camera. Then I removed the lens before turning the camera off. Then I physically pushed it into the Sony camera's mount. See - I told you it wasn't very scientific!
I’m new to photography and recently got this lens for my Fuji xt3. Does anyone know why the brightness/darkness of the photo that I take is different than the preview? With this lens I always have to take a test photo to see if I need to adjust the ISO/aperture/SS. I don’t have this problem with Fuji lenses
I can't believe you heard that! Yes - our first little baby girl was actually lying over my shoulder as I recorded this review. I didn't think anyone would hear that!
A very sweet little sound it was, and I’m sure she’s just as sweet a little person :) I’m going to listen more carefully in the future in case your little co-host makes another appearance!
This lens in the video are the mrk 1. Viltrox came out with a mrk ll now. That greatly improve the quality of it. You can reconize mrk 1 with the round hood, Mrk ll have a different split lense hood. Btw to your question, the closet focus distance is 80 cm and you dont need 1.8 in a studio.
Lazy buggers. Why would you design a full-frame size and weight lens for assuredly APS-C size camera? After all, Fuji has repeatedly admitted their plan to shy away from full-frame sensors. The lens could have been at least 30-40% smaller and lighter without sacrificing a iota of its optical characteristics. The version II is slated to come out this year (it was supposed to be out already, but then again, so was the 56mm F1.4): let's hope, it's considerably smaller, lighter and optically better yet.
At what distance do you test your sharpness? you always test the same way but each some lenses are designed to have peak resolution at close distance, others at longer distances.
The distance for this one would have been something like 3-4 meters - quite a normal focus distance. As well as that, you will have already seen that I also test at close distances so you can see the difference
@@davidellinsworth22 Trust me - it's a myth made up by lens conspiracy theorists who want to justify spending thousands of pounds on old Zeiss lenses and don't like the fact that they've been ripped-off. There's contrast, and there's resolution: that's it.
@@christopherfrost Thanks for reply, i want to buy 1 extra lens with addition to my 15-45 mm Fuji Kit Lens which is very good in image quality, I am little confuse B/W this 85mm or XC50-230mm lens.
Using your boring chart to see the lens sharpness all the times, makes us bored. Go out and shoot human or landscape. We won't use the lenses to take walls or chart photo🐱.
Viltrox is coming out with a 23,33,56 for xmount, emount, and EOS-M mount. All at 1.4. Rumored to be 250-350 per lens. Pretty excited about them given the quality of this lens.
ZVCH This info help me holding my bucks 😂
@@Anna-pw4bk Well the news was dec '19 but now who knows. Fujirumors has been talking about them!
We go to MKBHD for Tech Review
We go to Christopher Frost for Lens Review
We go to dpreview for camera reviews.
Agree!
We go to Tony Northrup for Froknows roast
@@ivankindle3 HAHAHAHAHA
mkbhd has little to do with real tech reviews. Its more like a "cool gadget overviews" with him.
Thanks for All the work you put into your Reviews. It is very nice of you to recently cover more Fuji /Fuji-related gear.
You were one of the reviews that decided me to take this lens and I can't thank you enough. It became my favorite lens, I am no expert but I have the 35 f2 and the 50 to140 2.8 wich are both great but still, I just love to shoot with the viltrox. It has it's flaws, as you said in the video but very manageable. Such portraits... My biggest regret is that it don't have an aperture ring like the fuji lenses. thanks again
According to B&H, there is indeed an E-mount version with the same autofocus and FE compatibility that is 'coming soon'. It lists the expected availability as June 5th 2019
I just tested mine and I am fully satisfied with the image quality. I got it from Aliexpress and it came with the 72mm skylight filter, blower and lens pen as free gift.
Viltrox already have an FE 85mm f1.8 lens that's manual focus only (with electronically controlled aperture), but it looks almost identical and even has the same filter thread size. I'm guessing the optics are exactly the same and that we'll see an AF version of the lens for FE before too long.
Great video as always!
The STM (autofocus) version is available for preorder from B&H.
This is now on my wanted list. For the price this seems like excellent performance!
Can’t wait for the Sony version of the Viltrox 85mm 1.8 🙌🏽
I’m really keen to try one of these. The price is fantastic and I’d personally love a telephoto 1.8 prime. Thanks Chris for the review!
Thank you so much for this Test! Viltrox really has delivered some very useful products, wish them the best
Oh Chris I don’t know if you did the lens update but I heard viltrox released a lens update through the micro usb in the lens which helped the autofocus a bunch!
thanks for the review, I'm a wildlife photographer who is getting my first dedicated portrait lens and I found your review very helpful. Its nice to know that it stacks up pretty favorable against a well acclaimed lens like the 90mm, my only other lens I use for portraits is a nifty fifty so I imagine this will blow my socks off!
Like Lenses like this very much. Not perfect sharp but affordable (private use), without major problems and very smooth bokeh without colored outlines 👍🏻
According to the viltrox website this lens exists as manual focus for full frame e-mount cameras at 299 USD$.
For the link check the Wikipedia article with the title: List of third-party E-mount lenses.
as far as i know, viltrox is going to release an e mount version of this lens this july 2019
The lack of an aperture ring on the lens is a downside for me.
That's one of the things I like about the Fuji system.
Over-rated, I'm a Fuji user and often just set the camera up to change aperture on camera. It's actually less fiddly!
It all comes down to image quality. Aperture ring not a game changer.
This is the best lens I've ever owned.
Fantastic sharpness straight at 1.8 .
Stunning bokeh.
Love your vids Chris!!! Very well produced!!!
We are eagerly waiting for fuji 56mm f/1.2 review :)
And a comparison to the viltrox 🙏
I am eagerly waiting for a faster autofocus in the Fuji 1.2-56 mm
I was looking at this lens just the other day lol, convenient thanks Chris!
Wow. Many thanks for this review! I was just considering buying this lens. Nothing like one of your videos to seal the deal :)
this guy deserves 1 million of subscribers 🤣
i think so too : )
Who?
apparently they worked out the focusing kinks and the aperture issue on their latest firmware. supposedly there's a lot faster autofocus now.
Thanks, been waiting for you to review this one. How do you compare it to the Fuji 90mm?
Is the firmware of your Viltrox 85mm f1.8 up-to-date? As far as I'm concerned there is an update which improves the AF alot. Any differences?
yes V1.01 avilable on april 17 2019
Yess works great now
looks like a real sweet lens
Firmware 3.1 fix the hunt and focus to infinity.Is fast and accurate now
i own this len,i can certainly tell you this len is so great ,cheap price and good sharp，you cant find another len like this
How about samyang 85mm
Very impressive image quality
Thanks for the review. Looks like incredible value for money.
The bokeh is GREAT!
Can you try out the new mark ii version?
love your reviews. I want to get this lens or the mitakon 35. I want a good lens for portraits and OTHER COOL stuff. I love the idea of the Mistaken and its photos and the Manual focus. What prime do you think would be a better lens to compliment my fuji 16-55 and my 55-200???
Bro you are Doctrate in lenses. Thanks for everything
Please make a video about the mark ii version of this lens on fuji mount
Thanks for this review, appreciate the time and effort. 👍
I was hoping you would get your hands on this lens as I hope to buy it soon. Just got myself a Fuji XT-2! :)
EDIT: Interestingly the results of AF speed and IQ tests seems to differ a lot from one review to another. For example Mattias Burling found the lens to be "razor sharp" with AF faster than the Fuji 90mm. Hm...
probably huge copy to copy variation, due to lower quality control. Samyang and others were the same when they first started.
The different camera bodies make a huge difference with speed and possibly with focusing accuracy ... X-T20 was released in early 2017 ... almost 2 generations older than the current crop when looking at the quick Fuji updates since.
Yay it was impt that u review this lens as it is the first af third party for fuji. I heard viltrox is gna produce more fuji x lenses.
Thank you for the great review :) could you please check the mark ii of this lens ?
Great review- thank you!
Whats the latest firmware? I got mine checked the version its at 1.03 is that the latest?
its equally big as the 90mm F2 so its not extremely large in comparison? well im not so sure, interesting that it could be put in to the sony mount none the less.
Hi Christ, is it just me or the minimum focus of the 85mm got closer with the new update of 1.1.1?
Nice Review Chrsistopher. Too bad it doesn't have OIS, but happy it has auto focus.
Hi Christopher, here Lorenzo from Italy. I heard that the Sony version of this lens can be turned in an 85 f/1.6 via firmware update. Do you know if this is possible for the Fuji version too? Thank you for your video!
Would you review the mark II version?
hi there excellent reviews. quick question are you going to test he mk ii of this lens ?
No, there aren't enough differences really
Christopher Frost Photography thanks
I would totally give it a try IF it would feature an aperture ring. I'm so used to the ring ... I can not and want not live without it. lol
hallo Chris, thank you for your great work. Just a question: what do you think about the manual focus version of this lens? I generally prefer to shot in manual focus, but I've heard that with a 85mm lens it's hard to focus. And...what about image stabilization? I have a sony a7II. Thanks
I haven't tested the manual version (I don't really intend too, either)
Nice. You should've compared it to the Fuji 90mm f/2.5 though.
F2
Fuji 200mm F0.95
I have the Viltrox EF to XF (with focal reducer) adaptor and was considering this lens vs Canon 85/1.8. I am still considering
I'm using the Canon 85 1.8 with a fringer pro adapter, works great. You do get purple fringing wide open but the lens is very sharps and puts out a very pleasing contrasty image. With the adapter though it's not any smaller than this
Thx for the review, is this good for macro photo ?
Watch the video, and you'll find out!
@@christopherfrost i watch and didnt see any comments about macro photography like the XF80 mm thx.
@@AlainLafleche1 04:54
What is the difference between the original and the mark ii?
Some say that the 56mm 1.2 fuji lens can cover a full 35mm sensor as well, try that again when you test it!
I've heard rumours about that with the 90mm lens, too. Yes, okay, when I handle those lenses I'll try to test that.
Is this a lens you could use for macro photography?
Its better this viltrox 85 or the fringer adapter with the canon 50 1.8 stm? thank you
Thanks for this review ! What about the speed of autofocus ? And the reliability of it ?
Great video! Thankls for that. How hard would be to convert an e-mount version to eos m? I'd love to use it on my M50.
I don't think you'll be able to do that
You need to update the firmware of that lens and you ll have a very very fast and accuarate bargain lens
Wow!I wonder how you put Fuji X mount lens on Sony E mount camera and reduced aperture from f/1.8 to f/4!
How big the focus noice is? Is it good enough to menu focus for video shoot?
I focussed it and stopped it down on the Fuji camera. Then I removed the lens before turning the camera off. Then I physically pushed it into the Sony camera's mount. See - I told you it wasn't very scientific!
Christopher Frost Photography Wow! can’t believe it! You are amazing!
Where the aperture ring which is a MUST for Fuji cameras?
It's not a MUST - you can control aperture from your camera
@@christopherfrost not when you set front only for iso and don't want to swap between functions 😅
@@nerdMike You'll need to change your setting them I'm afraid :-(
Any idea what is the firmware of the lens when shooting this video?
I’m new to photography and recently got this lens for my Fuji xt3. Does anyone know why the brightness/darkness of the photo that I take is different than the preview? With this lens I always have to take a test photo to see if I need to adjust the ISO/aperture/SS. I don’t have this problem with Fuji lenses
Won't they get into trademark problems by using the name STM?
STM in this context is just short for stepper motor.
@@philippr5352 isn't Canon's STM also short for stepping motor?
@@TheJudge064 Yes, it is. And since it’s such a general term, I doubt there would be any trademark problems.
Great review as always Chris. Is it my imagination or was there the sounds of a baby in the background just towards the end?
Sam Taylor I heard them too!
I can't believe you heard that! Yes - our first little baby girl was actually lying over my shoulder as I recorded this review. I didn't think anyone would hear that!
A very sweet little sound it was, and I’m sure she’s just as sweet a little person :) I’m going to listen more carefully in the future in case your little co-host makes another appearance!
Can this be a good product/food photography lens?
This lens in the video are the mrk 1. Viltrox came out with a mrk ll now. That greatly improve the quality of it. You can reconize mrk 1 with the round hood, Mrk ll have a different split lense hood.
Btw to your question, the closet focus distance is 80 cm and you dont need 1.8 in a studio.
Those were some serious l33t h4x0r skills indeed Chris 😉
Lazy buggers. Why would you design a full-frame size and weight lens for assuredly APS-C size camera? After all, Fuji has repeatedly admitted their plan to shy away from full-frame sensors. The lens could have been at least 30-40% smaller and lighter without sacrificing a iota of its optical characteristics.
The version II is slated to come out this year (it was supposed to be out already, but then again, so was the 56mm F1.4): let's hope, it's considerably smaller, lighter and optically better yet.
Yes!!!!!!!. Im waiting for this!!!
Is this compatible to fujifilm xa3?
Yep. You can use it on every Fuji X
At what distance do you test your sharpness? you always test the same way but each some lenses are designed to have peak resolution at close distance, others at longer distances.
The distance for this one would have been something like 3-4 meters - quite a normal focus distance. As well as that, you will have already seen that I also test at close distances so you can see the difference
Christopher Frost Photography Thanks! You should try at 10m+ you'd get different results especially on longer lenses ;)
@@Innovate-pq9ci Honestly if a portrait lens can't perform at portrait distances (i.e. 3-4 meters) then it's not fit for purpose!
Christopher Frost Photography I said longer lenses ;)
Do you ever analyse lens microcontrast, or consider it important?
I don't believe it exists: only contrast, and resolution
So you've never observed differences in tonal transition between low element primes and a zoom set to the same focal?
@@davidellinsworth22 Trust me - it's a myth made up by lens conspiracy theorists who want to justify spending thousands of pounds on old Zeiss lenses and don't like the fact that they've been ripped-off. There's contrast, and there's resolution: that's it.
WTF is that sound at 6:20?
6:34 also - squeaky chair?
I noticed that too. Sounds like he's multi tasking with his new arrival. Congratulations Chris
Looks like the Samyang 85mm f/1.8 blows this lens out of the water!
The Samyang is a bit sharper, yes, but don't forget the Viltrox's advantages
It is not all just about the sharpness.
Had both,kept the Viltrox... Eye af and af in general is very important when you make money with the lens
How about samyang 85mm f 1.4? Is it better than viltrox
Anybody tested this lens with Bayer sensor cameras like X-T100 or X-A5?
The results will be almost the same, really
@@christopherfrost Thanks for reply, i want to buy 1 extra lens with addition to my 15-45 mm Fuji Kit Lens which is very good in image quality, I am little confuse B/W this 85mm or XC50-230mm lens.
@@christopherfrost I placed order for this 85mm lens, thanks.
That AF speed looks horrible due to hunting.
Too big for APS-C
You're the best
1st but im modest so im claiming 3rd
I am subscribed. I wish someone will sell this viltrox 85mm f1.8 fuji x mount here in the Philippines. I badly need to own an af lens.
please its for sale sa lazada hanap2 lang po
can you give me one of your lenses i realy need one
Im sure he will give you one after you begged in the comments.
Hey Chris do you have a baby in the background of your audio? I'd swear a heard a baby
We all know that in the beginning the word was NOT God!
monj
Using your boring chart to see the lens sharpness all the times, makes us bored. Go out and shoot human or landscape. We won't use the lenses to take walls or chart photo🐱.
There are plenty RUclips reviewers don't do technical charts and I like them too. In the end do I depart my hard earned cash just because they say so.
I don't like that bokeh(