Viltrox has become a company that has earned the right to leapfrog Samyang as I believe they are the new standard for budget alternative lenses from first party manufacturers, sans Sigma/Tamron. On Fuji, I have the 13mm f/1.4 and the 75mm f/1.2 and they’re two of my absolute favorite lenses that I own. When I see them developing any lenses in the future, I will be watching closely and cheering them on for creating some really incredible stuff. Glad to see they’ve created such a great lens for E-Mount. Eager to see the 27mm f/1.4 they’re rumored to be developing for Fuji.
Canon screwed me with the FD > EF transition all those years ago. Since then, I've collected a few used bodies and lenses at super cheap prices, but will never buy ANY new Canon hardware. The RF mount debacle does not surprise me! :(
I've got goosebumps looking at the test pictures. It's simply superb. Not to mention the physical features it has. Does Viltrox make any money from this at all?
Off course they are making money , the other producers simply robbing people, I can`t believe how ridiculous pricing on Canon RF lenses . simply outrageous
Yeah i have it too and it makes me doubt if i want to buy it. This one comes to same category lenses line which i like 16-35 f2.8 (which i have), 20mm f1.8 (which i also have)
This lens seems to offer excellent quality for a great price which ironically makes the likes of Canon even less likely to allow it to be available for their RF mount. Folk are prepared to pay more for OEM lenses because they are generally the best. When you have a 3rd party lens manufacturer producing lenses like this for such a relatively low cost its hard to imagine even the OEM being able to match it optically and even less likely they could do so at anywhere near the same price! It's little wonder Canon would rather such options were not available really lol.
Not very often I see an advert or a review where I go out and purchase the item without needing or wanting it, well when I watched this review and seen the image quality tests I knew I had to get this lens. I saved up some money and got lens, it arrived today so I done my own tests and it lives up to the hype and is as good as the sample in this review, very happy I didn't comprise and get the Sony 20mm F1.8.
I think m gonna buy this as soon its available. I somehow like colors of viltrox lenses, My 85mm F1.8 produce colors that i feel best as per my liking. My Tamron 28-200 produce slighly warm tones.
Chinese Lens manufacturers during early 2010 took advantage of the manual focus capabilities (focus magnification, focus peaking etc) of mirrorless cameras which didnt exist with dSLR technology. A new market started of manual focus lenses with decent optical quality and very low prices. That gave them profits and experience and now their next move is the autofocus area. Of course contrary to other camera manufacturers Sony is very open with its autofocus technology and that is appreciated. canon has a different policy. The firmware updates of Canon mirroless cameras doesn't allow third party autofocus lenses.
Fortunately, the lens is also released for Nikon Z. I am already very excited. As always a great video, Chris :). And I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw where you took pictures. Was just three weeks in Wales and was lucky enough to visit and photograph the cathedral in St. David :). Was just totally blown away when I recognize for the first time in the years I watch your videos where some of the shots were taken, I was not aware before
Viltrox is really doing a home run! Great to know this coming to Z mount soon. Nikon users definetely need this , considering the nearest alternate is 20mm 1.8 S, it's a stellar glass, but not wide enough.
Christopher, I so much love and enjoy your reviews. I always try to remember to punch the like-button, and I often do, but this time you deserve a shout-out. Consider it focus-breathing from my part :). Thank you for the music.
The specs (it doesn't even weigh a ton), the performance, the price. It seems too good to be true, it feels like there should be a catch. Or is it actually more or less normal and I just got used to prices being unreasonably high?
Looks like excellent value for money. I sometimes find my Sony 20mm 1.8 G lens isn't quite wide enough, and wonder if 16mm would be a better fit for me. However, the Sony has excellent bokeh and a low minimum focus distance which can be a lot of fun.
I have the Viltrox and love it. I used to have the Sony 20mm and it was a very good lens. I think the advantage of the Sony was the faster and more accurate AF. Plus, being a native lens, you can shoot more frames per second. I just wasn't inspired by the 20mm or the character of the Sony, yet a wonderful lens.
Great job for viltrox on this one. Putting a rubber gasket on the new lens. Viltrox should put rubber gasket in all of their upcoming lenses. Even if the lens body is not weather sealed. This will be a good strategy.
I just bought my canon and despite loving it, i am now regreting my choice, only because of the amount of available lenses for Sony. Everytime i plan to get a new lens i see how difficult it is to choose a lens without getting bankrupt :(
I wish there can be a fully manual version of this lens. As I know, this lens has a small probability of being unable to focus at low temperatures (It's a problem with any electronic lenses but this lens dosen't handle it well). So as a outdoor photographer or a astrophotographer working at low temperature, a fully manual version is more reliable.😊
It looks like the in-camera adjustments didn't do anything for the dark corners. Maybe there's a firmware or software update down the road that will fix the issue?
How does this compare with Samyang 18mm 2.8, was going to get that then this gem appeared. Though the Samyang is likely more lightweight and portable, the 1.8 and wider view is tempting.
The Samyang is a nice "throw-in-the-bag" travel lens, but quality-wise, the Viltrox is so much better. And even though the Viltrox is 2mm wider even has less distortion. I have both lenses. I use the Samyang in a super-light travel kit, but for a truly epic scene or events, I use the Viltrox. This doesn't mean the Samyang isn't sharp in the center, but the Viltrox is better and also sharper corner to corner.
¡Gran episodio! Gracias por todo el trabajo duro que pones en estos videos. El contenido informativo y entretenido es la razón principal por la que veo y disfruto de 📸
It's strange that there is no L-mount version of it. At this rate, should we expect other camera brands to adopt E-mount? We are seeing some like those ultra-slomo cams. Also RED is using RF/EF mount and funnily blocking Canon from internal compressed RAW while at it.
Very tasty and I can see it wining many friends. But what is service from Viltrox when things go wrong ? Please consider doing a video about that for Viltrox and other ‘new’ brands .😎
Your detailed review is very helpful for me. However, in the lens geometry analysis, it seems to have too ideal distortion even in the non-correction mode. Is it possible for wide lens ? Please check distortion chart again.
Could you please include this in your review of camera lenses I noticed a couple of Cheaper Chinese lens and a couple of sony kit lenses do not focus to Infinity as in I cannot get any stars in focus when doing astrophotography I was out in Northern Manitoba Canada during the fall last year as I spend multiple hours trying to get Focus until I swap lenses to a Canon FD lens
Between the viltrox 16mm and the sony 20mm which one would have a better deep focus and sharpness? As an example say a large event with groups of people with an aperture of f5.6 to f8. Paired with a sony A7RV for optimum resolution.
Great video! Quick question, I got this lens and can't get a pc or mac to see it (I tried different wires). I am concerned that I won't be able to connect for firmware like I do my other Viltrox lenses. Have you had this issue? Thx. Keep up the great work
yep. I jumped onto Nikon a while back, waiting, waiting for the a74, no news of anything, went Nikon. kind of regret it, pretty bad AF. i shoot landscape and macro, but now I have a family, i shoot my girls, 50% always missing the eye w/ eyeAF. really pissing me off! i loved Nikon, untill I see what people are talking about.
There are a lot of great affordable lenses in the market but whats highly disappointing is the lack of rubber gaskets. I guess even if the lens body is not weather sealed, at least include some rubber gasket to add better protection to the camera. I could be missing something and maybe including a rubber gasket will add another cost but the additional cost is probably not that high and many people would buy more of these cheap lenses for their main cameras.
how is the stabilization with cameras like the A7CII (active stabilization) and ZV-E1 (dynamic stabilization) vs. Sony lenses like the 16-35mm f2.8 GMII? And how does the autofocus compare for video in low light?
@@NavrajRajLostSouls Cool! I haven't seen any good comparison videos either. Some say that the samyang has a bad autofocus and has some problems with the contrast compared to the tamron. Is that true? Is the autofocus good for moving subjects? Is it good for a little sport? I have the samyang 14mm and 85mm and I'm happy with their quality. is the samyang 35mm-150 of similar quality?
Nice review and lens..but too bad you didn't do apsc review. I considering to trade my sigma 16mm since it cant be use on full frame body but i have both system apsc and full frame Will you considering to review this lens on sony apsc next time sir? Please 🙏
I have the Viltrox, but gave my Sigma 16-28mm lens to one of my sons as a gift. In all honesty, I preferred the Sigma more, but the Viltrox is still a wonderful lens. I think for video, the Sigma would be better. Of course, it's also about 400 dollars more (with tax).
Reasonable price, not too big nor heavy. Not FE 14GM alternative but it has its place. Maybe is just me, but mention RF 3rd party situation constantly is not going to change. And this becomes the usual bitxxing which is unnecessary. While Canon taking their time, why no one mentioned Nikon Z 3rd party lenses stagnates, and L mount is not getting anything outside of Panasonic-Sigma-Leica.
Does the dynamic stabilisation work well on this lens, considering it isn't a native Sony lens? - Are you getting gimbal like smoothness when vlogging?
Sony shooters are truly blessed to have 3rd party lenses that perform this well. Bravo.
Reason why I’m shooting sony
Because they know sony shooters are pro's, unlike canon fan boys
Agreed. And happy to see more and more 3rd party lenses coming to Nikon z bodies
Viltrox has become a company that has earned the right to leapfrog Samyang as I believe they are the new standard for budget alternative lenses from first party manufacturers, sans Sigma/Tamron. On Fuji, I have the 13mm f/1.4 and the 75mm f/1.2 and they’re two of my absolute favorite lenses that I own. When I see them developing any lenses in the future, I will be watching closely and cheering them on for creating some really incredible stuff. Glad to see they’ve created such a great lens for E-Mount. Eager to see the 27mm f/1.4 they’re rumored to be developing for Fuji.
Canon will never allow other manufacturers to make a similar lens like this. They'll release it on their own and charge us $1500.
And we will not buy it!
Canons RF strategy is completely useless. Great bodies, but who the F*** cares.. if you can not mount anything to it why bother...
Its exactly why im avoiding canon rf camera. The lenses are just too expensive.
Yup. Just switched to Nikon. I can't wish Canon much good.
Canon screwed me with the FD > EF transition all those years ago. Since then, I've collected a few used bodies and lenses at super cheap prices, but will never buy ANY new Canon hardware. The RF mount debacle does not surprise me! :(
Viltrox's manufacturing has vastly improved. 👏👏👏
Oh god. I'm thinking on buying the 14GM but after watching this review. I'm definately buying Viltrox. Keep it up, Viltrox
Did you get it in the end? :)
ditto
Your review format is the shit, no bloat, just good honest information. You’ve saved me a lot of money today.
Nice to see Viltrox improving! This lens looks really interesting. I hope the 28/1.8 is as good.
Viltrox is king❤❤❤ for poor kids likee us
This seems like a fantastic lens. Hopefully they'll release a Z mount version sometime soon.
They said on their Twitter that it is coming eventually
Viltrox has really been knockin it out of the park lately.. I might get a FF camera just for this lens
I own it. Great for vlogging and establishing shots. Performs well in low light at f/1.8, too.
Love my Viltrox 85mm f/1.8. I'll get this one as well. Really impressive value for money. Congratulations Sony shooters!
I've got goosebumps looking at the test pictures. It's simply superb. Not to mention the physical features it has. Does Viltrox make any money from this at all?
Viltrox probably still makes us$100 per lens, it just exposed other manufactures of making us$1000 lol.
Off course they are making money , the other producers simply robbing people, I can`t believe how ridiculous pricing on Canon RF lenses . simply outrageous
Pretty impressive, now I only need this to show up on Nikon Z
It will come very soon. Viltrox will announce probably this month and start selling in Fall.
Viltrox are nailing it for value. Im looking to get the 13MM F1.4 for my A6600!
Great lens, you won't regret it
looks VERY interesting. If I didn't have the sony 20 1.8 I'd definately go for this one.
Yeah i have it too and it makes me doubt if i want to buy it. This one comes to same category lenses line which i like 16-35 f2.8 (which i have), 20mm f1.8 (which i also have)
What’s your alls opinion now between the 20 1.8 and the viltrox? I’m going through this right now
This lens seems to offer excellent quality for a great price which ironically makes the likes of Canon even less likely to allow it to be available for their RF mount. Folk are prepared to pay more for OEM lenses because they are generally the best. When you have a 3rd party lens manufacturer producing lenses like this for such a relatively low cost its hard to imagine even the OEM being able to match it optically and even less likely they could do so at anywhere near the same price! It's little wonder Canon would rather such options were not available really lol.
Canon releasing a lens with these specs would probably have faster AF but cost like $1500 more
Not very often I see an advert or a review where I go out and purchase the item without needing or wanting it, well when I watched this review and seen the image quality tests I knew I had to get this lens. I saved up some money and got lens, it arrived today so I done my own tests and it lives up to the hype and is as good as the sample in this review, very happy I didn't comprise and get the Sony 20mm F1.8.
I think m gonna buy this as soon its available. I somehow like colors of viltrox lenses, My 85mm F1.8 produce colors that i feel best as per my liking. My Tamron 28-200 produce slighly warm tones.
What a bargain! Kudos to Viltrox!
Chinese Lens manufacturers during early 2010 took advantage of the manual focus capabilities (focus magnification, focus peaking etc) of mirrorless cameras which didnt exist with dSLR technology.
A new market started of manual focus lenses with decent optical quality and very low prices.
That gave them profits and experience and now their next move is the autofocus area.
Of course contrary to other camera manufacturers Sony is very open with its autofocus technology and that is appreciated. canon has a different policy. The firmware updates of Canon mirroless cameras doesn't allow third party autofocus lenses.
I’m getting one to replace my 16-35gm for my real estate job. Viltrox started to become my favorite lens maker!
Thanks Chris! You inclusion of star shots is very much appreciated 👏👏👏
Looks to me like the slow AF is intentional, as it looked buttery smooth, perfect for video. This really seems like it's intended for video work.
Unless for vlogs and you're filming yourself at an arm's length... why would one use a UWA lens for video?
Fortunately, the lens is also released for Nikon Z. I am already very excited. As always a great video, Chris :). And I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw where you took pictures. Was just three weeks in Wales and was lucky enough to visit and photograph the cathedral in St. David :). Was just totally blown away when I recognize for the first time in the years I watch your videos where some of the shots were taken, I was not aware before
Viltrox is really doing a home run! Great to know this coming to Z mount soon. Nikon users definetely need this , considering the nearest alternate is 20mm 1.8 S, it's a stellar glass, but not wide enough.
Christopher, I so much love and enjoy your reviews. I always try to remember to punch the like-button, and I often do, but this time you deserve a shout-out. Consider it focus-breathing from my part :). Thank you for the music.
I bet that focus speed will be tweaked in later firmware updates. Sounds like an incredible achievement, especially for a relatively new manufacturer.
I’m wondering if that screen is to help astro and low-light landscape photographers?
That’s a nice looking lens.
I will buy it when they release z mount version, a little wider and much cheaper than 20 1.8.
The specs (it doesn't even weigh a ton), the performance, the price. It seems too good to be true, it feels like there should be a catch. Or is it actually more or less normal and I just got used to prices being unreasonably high?
It is only 50g heavier the the 14mm gm. So in my book very reasonable and still lighter then a 16-35 or 14-24 options
Cool, thanks for the review! Was waiting for this one. Seems like a must-buy lens 👍
I'm so happy I made the move to Sony recently
Astrophotographers will definitely love it. I amazed its sharpness in the night star photo
Looks like excellent value for money. I sometimes find my Sony 20mm 1.8 G lens isn't quite wide enough, and wonder if 16mm would be a better fit for me. However, the Sony has excellent bokeh and a low minimum focus distance which can be a lot of fun.
I have the Viltrox and love it. I used to have the Sony 20mm and it was a very good lens. I think the advantage of the Sony was the faster and more accurate AF. Plus, being a native lens, you can shoot more frames per second. I just wasn't inspired by the 20mm or the character of the Sony, yet a wonderful lens.
fantastic review as always! I wish canon allows these kinds of third party lenses soon
Mostly they will be forced to do it .. 🤍
I can tell it's a great lens, I've used it when traveling, I loved it !
Although AF accuracy in low light is a bit random
All the cons seem to be very minor and the price is just amazing.
Great job for viltrox on this one. Putting a rubber gasket on the new lens. Viltrox should put rubber gasket in all of their upcoming lenses. Even if the lens body is not weather sealed. This will be a good strategy.
What a great wide lens ! Thanks for your review .
A great lens! Every picture was impressive, especially that Milky Way shot!
I just bought my canon and despite loving it, i am now regreting my choice, only because of the amount of available lenses for Sony. Everytime i plan to get a new lens i see how difficult it is to choose a lens without getting bankrupt :(
Great review, Chris!
I wish there can be a fully manual version of this lens. As I know, this lens has a small probability of being unable to focus at low temperatures (It's a problem with any electronic lenses but this lens dosen't handle it well). So as a outdoor photographer or a astrophotographer working at low temperature, a fully manual version is more reliable.😊
It looks like the in-camera adjustments didn't do anything for the dark corners. Maybe there's a firmware or software update down the road that will fix the issue?
SHEESH! As a fuji shooter, sony.. you got a good one! Viltrox is AMAZING
How does this compare with Samyang 18mm 2.8, was going to get that then this gem appeared. Though the Samyang is likely more lightweight and portable, the 1.8 and wider view is tempting.
The Samyang is a nice "throw-in-the-bag" travel lens, but quality-wise, the Viltrox is so much better. And even though the Viltrox is 2mm wider even has less distortion. I have both lenses. I use the Samyang in a super-light travel kit, but for a truly epic scene or events, I use the Viltrox. This doesn't mean the Samyang isn't sharp in the center, but the Viltrox is better and also sharper corner to corner.
¡Gran episodio! Gracias por todo el trabajo duro que pones en estos videos. El contenido informativo y entretenido es la razón principal por la que veo y disfruto de 📸
Just what I've been looking for. I don't think there's an equivalent of this lens in the market for Sony FE.
mind blowing lens damnnnnn the glass is sooooo good for the price
It's strange that there is no L-mount version of it. At this rate, should we expect other camera brands to adopt E-mount? We are seeing some like those ultra-slomo cams. Also RED is using RF/EF mount and funnily blocking Canon from internal compressed RAW while at it.
Very tasty and I can see it wining many friends. But what is service from Viltrox when things go wrong ? Please consider doing a video about that for Viltrox and other ‘new’ brands .😎
Wow that is an amazing lens.
It’s also comes for Nikon Z. Yeeeees! Was Never hyped for a lens. But… for real. That’s awesome!!
Are you sure about that ? i'd like it on my Z6 :)
Yes it should be released in January 2024
@@malekith13
Went to canon from sony and god is such a pain not having the viltrox and the new sigma's dg dn lenses to use.
Your detailed review is very helpful for me. However, in the lens geometry analysis, it seems to have too ideal distortion even in the non-correction mode. Is it possible for wide lens ? Please check distortion chart again.
Could you please include this in your review of camera lenses
I noticed a couple of Cheaper Chinese lens and a couple of sony kit lenses do not focus to Infinity as in I cannot get any stars in focus when doing astrophotography
I was out in Northern Manitoba Canada during the fall last year as I spend multiple hours trying to get Focus until I swap lenses to a Canon FD lens
How did viltrox pull this off??
Dear Christopher, could you add APS-C test ?! The Viltrox would be a 24mm lens on APS-C very interesting.Thanks
Between the viltrox 16mm and the sony 20mm which one would have a better deep focus and sharpness? As an example say a large event with groups of people with an aperture of f5.6 to f8. Paired with a sony A7RV for optimum resolution.
As you say. I would love this on my Canon.
Real shame.
Great video! Quick question, I got this lens and can't get a pc or mac to see it (I tried different wires). I am concerned that I won't be able to connect for firmware like I do my other Viltrox lenses. Have you had this issue? Thx. Keep up the great work
@christopherfrost It would be interesting to compare this with the Tamron 17-28, but surprisingly it appears that you haven't reviewed this one yet.
1:47 Is me or something have a mark in lens?
Can you dim the display on the lens? It would be pretty stupid if it blinds you when being out in the dark shooting starscapes.
For ultrawide prime i prefer either 16 or 18 than 20 or 21.
Admittedly, things like this are making me consider adding a Sony camera to my presently all-Canon lineup...
yep. I jumped onto Nikon a while back, waiting, waiting for the a74, no news of anything, went Nikon. kind of regret it, pretty bad AF. i shoot landscape and macro, but now I have a family, i shoot my girls, 50% always missing the eye w/ eyeAF. really pissing me off! i loved Nikon, untill I see what people are talking about.
They outdone themselves
There are a lot of great affordable lenses in the market but whats highly disappointing is the lack of rubber gaskets. I guess even if the lens body is not weather sealed, at least include some rubber gasket to add better protection to the camera.
I could be missing something and maybe including a rubber gasket will add another cost but the additional cost is probably not that high and many people would buy more of these cheap lenses for their main cameras.
Chris, are you really holding your breath on Canon changing its lens stand ?
Lens is so sharp on 42mp it is practically a 16-35mm f1.8 😩
I wish you would review Panasonic S lenses. Panasonic needs to send you some.
I'm already impatient for the Nikon Z mount variant of this lens. 😅
Any chance Viltrox would make the same lens for Nikon - Z or F mount?
how is the stabilization with cameras like the A7CII (active stabilization) and ZV-E1 (dynamic stabilization) vs. Sony lenses like the 16-35mm f2.8 GMII? And how does the autofocus compare for video in low light?
omg. third party lenses with such great value such as this really gets me thinking on switching over to sony. damn canon.
I hope all copies of this lens is as good as yours.
Ok and now this lens for the Nikon Z mount. Quick!
Test samyang 35-150mm f2-2.8 I beg you
its badass lens, never found any good comparative review, so bought and used, and i love it. One lens for all needs and beautiful colors to my liking.
@@NavrajRajLostSouls Cool! I haven't seen any good comparison videos either. Some say that the samyang has a bad autofocus and has some problems with the contrast compared to the tamron. Is that true? Is the autofocus good for moving subjects? Is it good for a little sport? I have the samyang 14mm and 85mm and I'm happy with their quality. is the samyang 35mm-150 of similar quality?
Is there a way to use this lens with Canon RF?
Thank You!!!!!!!!
I made my field test on this lens as well but I think it’s too big for my need. 😢
It works on a7rii...is it ok for real estate photo?thanks
Awesome! As usual :)
If this is only available in Canon mirrorless.
Their RF 16mm is light years behind this lens.
Nice review and lens..but too bad you didn't do apsc review. I considering to trade my sigma 16mm since it cant be use on full frame body but i have both system apsc and full frame
Will you considering to review this lens on sony apsc next time sir? Please 🙏
On APS-C the lens will have the same performance but the corners will probably be perfectly bright even from f/1.8
With comparison to Rokinon 14mm u tested, which image do u prefer? Which would u rather use as well?
I have both lenses and the Viltrox is much superior. This doesn't mean that the Rokinon isn't sharp, but not nearly as good as the Viltrox.
How much does it weigh?? in grams???
would you pls upgrade your Sony APC-S to A6700?
Should you recommend this lens for video? Or Sigma 16-28 dg dn is better?
I have the Viltrox, but gave my Sigma 16-28mm lens to one of my sons as a gift. In all honesty, I preferred the Sigma more, but the Viltrox is still a wonderful lens. I think for video, the Sigma would be better. Of course, it's also about 400 dollars more (with tax).
Hey chris .. im waiting for your nikon z 12-28 mm pz vr lens review.. so that i can decide whether to go for it or not. 😅
It'll be a few weeks. One has just arrived in my 'test lab' today
@@christopherfrost Thanks for all you do : )
@@christopherfrost okay Chris.. no problem..!! 🤘🏻
If today was the 1st of April I would have said this was an April fool joke.
Next , we need one for Nikon Z mount
I will keep my Sony 14mm 1.8 GM !
Reasonable price, not too big nor heavy. Not FE 14GM alternative but it has its place.
Maybe is just me, but mention RF 3rd party situation constantly is not going to change. And this becomes the usual bitxxing which is unnecessary.
While Canon taking their time, why no one mentioned Nikon Z 3rd party lenses stagnates, and L mount is not getting anything outside of Panasonic-Sigma-Leica.
1 min 47 sek. - what is inside your lens?
Nikon z version?
Does the dynamic stabilisation work well on this lens, considering it isn't a native Sony lens? - Are you getting gimbal like smoothness when vlogging?
waiting for a Z MOUNT
I hope they release it for Z mount
I wish sigma had LCD focal distance screen. I doubt anybody likes fly by wire
Fuji 8mm Review please :)
I got fired from my job in Korea, but thinking about photography will pull me through as I pack up to leave after only three months.