Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 Lens Review - Lab and Real World Perspective Using Sony A6400

In this video I will be reviewing the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 Lens (geni.us/Omf6EW) using the Lab and Real World testing via my Sony A6400. Please feel free to ask questions and links below...
GEAR SPECIFIC TO THIS VIDEO:
-Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 Lens: viltroxstore.c... 8% Discount Code = JASONHERMANN
- Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 Lens: geni.us/Omf6EW
MY GO TO CAMERA GEAR:
-Sony A7C: geni.us/N6UyGd
-A7C Smallrig Cage: geni.us/p3CzUFW
-Sony A6400: geni.us/L75omA
-A6400 Smallrig Cage: geni.us/enVbs
-GoPro Hero 9: geni.us/64dXn
MY GO TO LENSES:
-Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Lens: geni.us/T47S5
-Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Lens: geni.us/xFVSF
-Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens: geni.us/rtuL62
-Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS Lens: geni.us/VhO5F
-Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens: geni.us/HugPuk
-Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens: geni.us/7HBE
-Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 Lens: geni.us/VFg9X
MY AUDIO GEAR:
-Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Studio Mic: geni.us/MFFe
-Affordable Compact On Camera Mic: geni.us/BLry
-Better On Camera Mic: geni.us/48tBO
-Zoom H5 Recorder: geni.us/4FtDl
-Zoom F1 Field Recorder: geni.us/t8dEBe
-Meze 99 Classics Headphones: geni.us/q7XX
OTHER GO TO GEAR:
-Sandisk SDXC Memory Card UHS II: geni.us/BfubLow
-NISI 67mm Variable ND Filter: geni.us/wwk7Dfq
-Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW II Backpack: geni.us/b3bp
-Color Checker Calibration Tool: geni.us/OHktStI
-Feelworld T7 7” 4K HDMI Field Monitor: geni.us/rTYXkfx
-Main Light: geni.us/NNfzffm
-36” Collapsible Softbox: geni.us/RGp1
-GVM 850D RGB LED Video Lights: geni.us/8lLh2
-DJI Ronin RSC 2 Gimbal: geni.us/742rxa
-Zeapon Motorized Micro 2 Plus Camera Slider: geni.us/9zGEQk
-Manfrotto Tripod: geni.us/RzPqOi
-Leofoto Mini Table Tripod: geni.us/PvDs
-C-Stand: geni.us/jZe7DjM
-Manfrotto Magic Arm: geni.us/D0nmxER
-Metabones EF to E Lens Adapter: geni.us/w16GOu
-MacBook Pro 14”: geni.us/GYcI
-LG 24” Monitor: geni.us/7F2Q
-SANDISK T7 1TB SSD Portable Drive: geni.us/rhMsxBF
-USB-C to USB-C Cable: geni.us/qlpLX
-Apple USB-C to USB Adapter: geni.us/S6xP
GOING SHOPPING? - (Affiliate Links)
-Shopping @ Amazon: geni.us/6BuMCLe
-Shopping @ BHPhoto? bhpho.to/3Pn1oKT
-Shopping @ Ebay? ebay.us/BunQHE
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[@tastemysaucer]

Best lens review ever. No stupid music, no nonsense. Super good.

[@kurtmanderbach8164]

I just got this lens today and I really like it! First thing I tested it on was my dogs…The focal range is perfect for indoor. I didn’t need to get too close to them or shoot from adjacent room to make it perfect. I will use this often. Great video. Love your King Charles Cavaliers!

[@IanWilkinson]

Thanks for this review. Judging by the edge softness, vignetting and LoCA I don't think Sigma has anything to worry about - I'm thinking about their superb 16mm f/1.4 and 30mm f/1.4 DC DN lenses at roughly the same price - although your real world photos look great. Pity that Sigma hasn't produced a 24mm APS-C lens yet.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thanks for the comments and sharing your thoughts Ian ;) I'm hoping Sigma will make a 24mm and 20mm version of the DC DN Lenses. I have a feeling those lenses will be a decent bit more money though similar to the 16mm...

[@Princeton_James]

Still an awesome lens that fits right between the 16 and 30. For the price it's a no brainer. It destroys my sony 20mm 2.8 pancake.

[@royhobbs785]

Nice job, i use a Minolta 24mm lens on my a6000, while it doesn't have AF it's really terrific. Nice to know that there is a 23mm Auto lens available

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thank you Paul :)

[@Jobitto07]

Best review on KZbin for this lens. After watching this im sure i will get this lens. Thanks for sharing it.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thank you very much for the kind words :)

[@thr6453]

Have you bought the lens. Can you please share your experience in detail with this lens. I want this for videos only. Is colour fringing too much? How is the autofocus?

[@Jobitto07]

@@thr6453 I wish I could give you a better reply about your question. Yes I got it and i love it, im not a professional photographer and i don’t shot video. I think this guy and his video explains pretty well what can this lens do, remember this is a lens in the 300s price range.

[@Garbid]

Sigma trio and viltrox 23 + 12mm rokinon. As I got viltrox it's almost always in my a6600. Just because of focal distance. Hoping that sigma will make the 23mm f 1.4. will buy it immediately. Also aperture ring on the lens is really useful. As it allows you to worry about only iso and shutter speed. Taking into account not enough weels on a6400 for example it's very handy.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Great gear you have and very good points you raise as well. Thanks Garbid for the awesome comments :)

[@mousse4444]

Jay, If you put your recording levels at around 10 on the a6400, the lens is totally inaudible. PS: On another subject, try putting your AF speed to slow and your tracking speed to responsive. This will give you a very cinematic AF look to your videos. To be used only for certain situations.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thanks for the tips Bill ;)

[@thr6453]

Hey Can you please share your experience with this lens in detail. I want to it for the video work. I really like the focal length and want to buy as my first lens. But the reviews showing Cons of this lens luke Chromatic Aberations and Autofocus are really confusing me. What should i do??

[@sanjaygopal9293]

After watching ur vdo I made my mind n finally bought it today. As sigma is not having 23 mm I hope I wont regret with this purchase.(I will be using it for talk head videos only)

[@weareallamericans7358]

Jay, A comparison to the Zeiss 24mm 1.8 would epic. Not that they're in the price universe, but ever so close in FOV.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yes I agree and the Zeiss is far sharper in the corners I can tell you that for sure ;)

[@nicksaleh7472]

I was a bit worried by the autofocus noise as demonstrated in your video, but the latest firmware update basically fixed the noise for me!

[@Jason_Hermann]

That is really good to know Nick, thanks!! I was not aware of that and will update my lens asap ;)

[@nicksaleh7472]

Yeah, I was very pleasantly surprised...I didn't expect lens firmware to matter so much. Thanks for your video! It helped in my decision to get the lens, which has been great!

[@thr6453]

@@nicksaleh7472 Hey Can you please share your experience with this lens in detail. I want it for videos as my first lens. I really liked the focal length but reviews showing Cons of this lens like heavy Chromatic Aberations and Autofocus are confusing me. How is the lens performing after latest firmware? How is the vignetting, autofocus sound and chromatic Aberations are doing at 1.4? I will use it at 1.4 for making Cinematic videos !!

[@LucaBono.Studio]

Thanks for the review! I should get it one for my KZbin channel, I love the 35mm look!

[@hudhudtv4155]

Thx. Good video 👍

[@elhadikhelfellah9707]

I purchased this lens last week , lens is good for the price , but at F1.4 it's not good , very visible soft corner , so if you shoot at mainly on 1.4 just avoid it

[@thr6453]

Hey Can you please share your experience in detail with this lens. I want to buy this lens for videos. Will the Cons of this lens matter a lot in videos? As I will be shooting with 1.4 and will Chromatic Aberations ruin my shots and how is the Autofocus. I want it for video work mainly and I really like the focal length but dont know if I should buy it or not. How is the lens performing after firmware updates??

[@ifeanyi_maduka]

But I thought the whole point of shooting at f1.4 is to have soft defocused backgrounds and corners, no?

[@user-zf8ih8dv3b]

what a good review

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thank you :)

[@WMDTech]

I got this lens for my ZV E10 and i had this weird issue. The Aperture dial isnt working after slapping this lens. I can adjust the aperture via Aperture Ring only. Not sure what to do

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yeah I don't know either, it sounds like the lens electronics for aperture control stopped working... You can reach out to Viltrox maybe for help?

[@2MinuteReview]

I was half listening when you said Basherkill and I went "oh I know that spot"

[@Jason_Hermann]

It's a great spot :)

[@wendellglo5076]

Wow such an amazing review 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thank you Wendell :)

[@jasonmelo9379]

I like the fringing it looks like hailation. That's why this has that vintage look almost like film.

[@soneeeee4440]

wish it had clicked aperture and lock. wish vignette and fringing was less harsh. not very useful in bright situations. I bet they'll have a v2 that improves it a bit by the end of the year. i don't expect a clicked ap ring or lock. Photographers don't matter that much lol.

[@classzedits]

i need your expertise because i'm not sure if i'm using this incorrectly. camera is sony zv e10 with this viltrox 23mm... my issue is i'm getting a greenish tint on my skin and also on some white surfaces like my wall paper. thanks.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Hey there, have you checked your white balance? That is what makes the whites look white in different lighting conditions. If you press the Fn button on the back of the camera it will bring up the function menu and you can change your white balance as you can see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqfXZ5Z5p8x4pNk in my ZV-E10 beginners guide...

[@PraveenGurbani]

In this lense can we face a issue with video mode Vignetting (black borders dark) with sony apse camera??

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yes a little bit when wide open at f/1.4-f/2 area...

[@PraveenGurbani]

@@Jason_Hermann in this lens only or sigma and tamron can also had this issue at 1.4?

[@fap31frank]

Hi. Please can you help me to decide? 7artisans 35mm f0.95 vs viltrox af 33mm (or 23mm) f1.4 I don't care too much about autofocus ... I'm more interested in final quality, definition and usable aperture. Thank you!!!

[@Jason_Hermann]

Hi Frank, all of these lenses are not very sharp in the corners at the widest aperture. The sharpest option out there in this category would be the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens: amzn.to/3hniLuA

[@fap31frank]

@@Jason_Hermann I have seen your video of the SIGMA 16 / 30mm f / 1.4 DC and I see that it is much sharper. And now it costs almost the same as a Viltrox ... I think I'll buy that SIGMA, thank you very much !!!

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yeah, I would go with the Sigma for sure ;)

[@AlexEllis]

I just got the 16mm moving from a Fuji X100F that has a 23mm fixed lens. The 16mm is way too wide for me. Which are you recording with usually? The 30mm or the 23mm? I have about 1-2.5ft for spacing options.

[@Jason_Hermann]

Hey Alex, I'm still using my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Lens at the moment ;)

[@AlexEllis]

@@Jason_Hermann I'm not sure if a 30mm would work for me given the 50mm equivalent on a crop factor. The 23mm is already close to the wall to get a nice frame.

[@Jason_Hermann]

@@AlexEllis 23mm is too close and the 16mm is way too wide?

[@AlexEllis]

@@Jason_Hermann no. I have 23mm it's just right. 16mm is too wide. Sony compatible options in this budget appear to point to the 30mm.

[@Jason_Hermann]

In that case this 23mm sounds like your best option Alex :) Otherwise you will probably be cramped if using the Sigma 30mm...

[@gamkagan]

What are your thoughts on the Viltrox 33mm & 56mm? How do they compare to the Sigma?

[@Jason_Hermann]

I have not used either of those lenses Yet Gam, so I can't really say one way or the other. Sorry...

[@lewisoninc]

can you try these on full frame body? like zv-e1 or a7siii? cropped or clear zoomed in of course

[@michaelangelogianan1223]

Does color fringing appear on low light photography?

[@gigioustic8190]

nice review, but would you suggest between 33mm viltrox or sigma 30mm f1.4？

[@Jason_Hermann]

It really depends if you need the wider view. I prefer the Sigma over the Viltrox unless I need that wider 23mm, then the VIltrox is great. I happen to have both though, so...

[@tushardani]

Which would you recommend for general photography ? This one or sigma 30 ? Not for video .

[@Jason_Hermann]

Both are really good, so that is hard to say honestly. The Viltrox offers a wider view, so if you want that I would go with the Viltrox, otherwise I would go with the Sigma.

[@Garbid]

Have sigma trio f1.4 +viltrox 23. If I would start again the first lens would be viltrox 23 f1.4. Can do portraits. Can be used to shoot group of people and good for street, architecture or travel photography. Also good for video. Second would be 56mm sigma. Third 16 mm sigma or 12mm rokinon for wide shots or real estate.

[@thr6453]

I want it for videos. Will colour fringing ruin my shots? As i take many shots of sun behind my subject ?? And how is the Autofocus for videos? Will it be recorded on the shotgun mic?

[@Jason_Hermann]

The color fringing is not that bad, so I don't think it would ruin your shots. As far as video AF goes, it's not that loud, but I still think the on camera mic would pick it up at times.

[@thr6453]

@@Jason_Hermann Should I consider it over Sigmas as I really like the focal length ?? Although Sigmas are more sharp !!

[@Jason_Hermann]

I prefer the Sigmas, but if you need the 23mm the Viltrox is a great option for the money!

[@ZakiArab]

Which one is better viltrox 23mm or Sigma 30mm? With the price around the same

[@Jason_Hermann]

Well, they are both very good lenses with the Sigma being sharper but not as wide. 23mm is a lot wider than 30mm on an APS-C camera, so it is a hard decision. I have both and I still usually use my Sigma 30mm unless I need a wider view. I sue the 23mm often when I am filming from above looking down at a product I'm reviewing, because the extra wide view lets me have the camera closer to the subject. However, when I'm talking in front of the camera I prefer the 30mm view instead. It really depends...

[@ZakiArab]

@@Jason_Hermann ahh I see, thank you for your feedback!

[@tridentroy]

Awesome 😎

[@Georgetybet]

I got the lens used from eBay after this review but I get “Check the lens is mounted” error when it’s on. When I go to using it as an unknown lens from settings, I don’t see the F information, I also don’t see the parts of the lens opening and closing when twisting it like a regular one ! Is it a broken one or my totally beginner fault?

[@Georgetybet]

I’m using it with the zv e10 btw

[@Jason_Hermann]

I would return that lens as defective if it does not work. You could try to update the firmware on the lens, but I would send it back...

[@ananthums8970]

Vignetting can be fixed in post right ?

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yes, easily in Lightroom for example.

[@ananthums8970]

Can u do a vdo btwn 23mm on apsc and 35mm 1.8 on full frame

[@Jason_Hermann]

I'll see what I can do ;) You looking for recording in front of the camera in the studio type comparison, or portraits, regular photos, lab testing etc...

[@ananthums8970]

@@Jason_Hermann not in front of camera anyway ... I have the 56mm sigma ... Am planning to buy either sigma 30mm or viltrox 23mm f1.4 ...

[@ananthums8970]

I want to know abt it's foto and vdo af , vignetting and chromatic abberation

[@Jason_Hermann]

I would recommend the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 over the Viltrox 2mm f/1.4 for sharpness, and much better autofocus technology in the lens. It's faster, more accurate, and pretty much silent on the Sigma. The Viltrox is also good and a wider lens which is also highly desirable in certain situations, but it's not "as good" optically or mechanically when compared to the Sigma.

[@ananthums8970]

@@Jason_Hermann yes I understood ... If I pick up 23mm the pictures wud be in a different perspective than 30mm since I have the 56mm ... Am i right ? Hope u understood wat I said 🥴 The contrast btwn 56mm and 23mm is larger than 56mm and 30mm right

[@rjcaubalejo]

Is the continous af for photo good?

[@Jason_Hermann]

Yes for moving subjects I use AF-C

[@cottojn]

Humm from 30mm to 23mm your face seem slimmer... nice 👍🏾

[@Jason_Hermann]

Thanks ;)

[@BojanBojovic]

Ah, that fringing and CA are a deal breaker. 😬