Sony’s lens lineup has a notable hole in the case of quick 35mm choices, leaving many photographers trying to find third-party alternate options. The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB FE lens goals to fill that void with professional-grade options at a fraction of the fee you’d anticipate.
Coming to you from Lee Zavitz, this complete video places the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB FE lens by means of its paces throughout a difficult road pictures session. Zavitz assessments the lens in demanding lighting circumstances with harsh shadows and vibrant solar, precisely the situations the place autofocus programs sometimes battle. The outcomes shocked him, significantly the lens’ distinctive “3D pop” and character that units it aside from the clinically sharp however sterile look of many trendy lenses. What makes this particularly noteworthy is that 35mm represents the widest focal size most photographers can use earlier than distortion turns into problematic at body edges.
The autofocus efficiency proved spectacular throughout real-world testing, lacking solely about one shot out of fifty whereas the topic walked straight towards the digicam at f/1.2. This hit fee turns into much more important when you think about the razor-thin depth of area at most aperture and the difficult lighting circumstances. Zavitz carried out these assessments on the Sony a7R V, which offers one of the crucial demanding autofocus situations accessible. The lens makes use of what Viltrox calls “quad hyper VCM motors” in a floating focus system that delivered silent and snappy efficiency all through the shoot.
Past fundamental performance, this lens packs options sometimes present in rather more costly glass. The complete magnesium alloy building contains weather-sealing, an 11-blade aperture for clean bokeh, and a singular digital show displaying focus distance and aperture settings. Two programmable perform buttons might be custom-made by means of Viltrox’s smartphone app, together with the power to set A and B focus factors for fast switching between preset distances. The lens even lets you customise the boot display with your personal emblem and colours.
Key Specs
Focal Size: 35mm
Most Aperture: f/1.2
Minimal Aperture: f/16
Lens Mount: Sony E (Full Body)
Minimal Focus Distance: 13.4″ / 34 cm
Optical Design: 15 Parts in 10 Teams
Aperture Blades: 11
Filter Measurement: 77mm
Weight: 2 lb / 910 g
Dimensions: 3.5″ x 4.8″ / 89.2 x 121.8 mm
At roughly $1,000, this lens punches effectively above its weight class by way of construct high quality and efficiency. The one notable downside Zavitz recognized was focus respiratory when racking focus from minimal distance to infinity, although he is seen worse examples in different lenses. For wedding ceremony and portrait photographers who sometimes carry a 35mm and 85mm mixture, this represents a big worth proposition in comparison with Sony’s restricted quick 35mm choices. Take a look at the video above for the total rundown from Zavitz.
