The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 is a full-frame autofocus lens available both for the Nikon Z system and for Sony E mount. At just $380, it undercuts lenses such as the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 ($850) and Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 ($750). But how does it perform? This review will answer any questions you might have!
Compared to other third-party lens manufactures like Sigma and Tamron, Viltox is definitely targeting a lower end of the market right now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; lens prices have jumped significantly over the last several years, and some budget glass is definitely welcome. That’s where the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 comes in.
Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 Specifications
- Full Name: Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 STM ASPH ED IF
- Mount Type: Nikon Z and Sony E mounts
- Focal Length: 35mm
- Angle of View (Full Frame): 63°
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.8
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
- Filter Size: 55mm
- Lens Elements: 10
- Lens Groups: 8
- Special Elements: 2 aspherical, 2 ED glass, 2 high refractive index
- Anti-Flare Coating: Multi-layer nano coating
- Vibration Reduction: No
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Control Rings: Manual focus ring, clickless aperture ring
- Function Buttons: No
- Focus Motor: STM
- Minimum Focus Distance: 0.40 meters (16 inches)
- Maximum Magnification: 0.1× (1:10)
- Mount Material: Metal
- Weather/Dust Sealing: No
- Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 90 x 70 mm (3.5 x 2.8 inches)
- Weight, Nikon Version: 370 g (0.82 pounds)
- Weight, Sony Version: 340 g (0.75 pounds)
- MSRP: $380 (check current price)
These specs are surprisingly good for an inexpensive lens, especially the two aspherical and 3 extra-low dispersion glass elements. However, the lack of weather sealing is potentially a concern. At least the lens doesn’t extend when focused.
Build Quality and Handling
Despite the low price, the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 is an all-metal lens that feels nice and solid. If anything, I think that Viltrox went a bit too far with the metal construction – even the manual focus ring is metal and doesn’t have a rubber cover.
There’s also a dedicated aperture ring on the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8, and videographers will appreciate the clickless design. The ring is adjustable from f/1.8 to f/16 and is labelled in third-stop increments. If you’re not a fan of adjusting aperture directly on the lens, you can turn the ring all the way to the “A” position, which allows you to adjust aperture on the camera as usual.
There are no other buttons, switches, or rings on the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 – it’s a very sparse lens with just the manual focus and aperture rings. I would have liked to see an A-M switch at the least, but no luck.
Interestingly, there is a USB-C port that could be very useful for updating the lens’s firmware in the future. Third-party autofocus lenses periodically run into issues with newer cameras (or firmware updates on existing cameras) that harm their autofocus performance. The USB-C port definitely makes the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 more future-proof.
As for the rest of the Viltrox’s build quality features (or lack thereof), the biggest thing that stands out to me is the lack of weather sealing. There is no rubber gasket near the lens mount, nor internal seals to keep out dust and moisture. This may not be a surprise, but it’s definitely disappointing.
The good news is that the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8 is a prime lens with no external moving parts, so it’s not going to become waterlogged the first time you step out in a drizzle. Even so, I definitely wouldn’t trust it in a downpour, and I’d be cautious when using it in windy, dusty environments.
The next page of this review covers the optical characteristics of the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.8, including focusing performance and sharpness tests in the lab. So, click the menu below to go to “Optical Features”:
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