Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 VCM "Chip" Lens Review | Sony CAN Pancake!

[@timothysteenwyk2978]

I was already considering this lens but your sample images have me sold! Combined with my old A7rii, this could be a great every day carry kit that I wouldn’t be hesitant to travel with

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Enjoy!

[@AndrewOzete-ui5fs]

Thank you Dustin. Your detailed lens reviews are always helpful.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

My pleasure.

[@tscott6843]

Excellent fact based review with great real world examples. As always.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you!

[@rem792]

This says a lot about Panasonic and their 26mm f8 manual focus only pancake lens.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Wow. That's not a particularly exciting lens.

[@Spencer_White]

Yep, I'm quite annoyed at Panasonic for that release; loses credibility, it's not even cheap!

[@andrewsorrell2924]

viltrox l-mount please! would be a good match on the S9.

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Great to the point no bull review, as ever. I'm not a Sony shooter but find this tiny thing quite interesting. Thanks for uploading. 😊

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thanks for the kind feedback.

[@TillGroos]

I have to admit, i like the look of the images. I own a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestor 2.8/135mm vintage lens and i like that look, too. Maybe i should get one of this, it's currently 80€ on that indiegogo page in germany. Combine this with a used a6000 and you would get a nice pocketable camera setup. Great review as always Dustin!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's cool.

[@funnybeingme]

This would be a great lens with my ZV-E1 when I want to be super lightweight when walking around town. Yes I also do use it for photography as I love the image that comes out from the sensor.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Exactly.

[@RMontrell]

Definitely Thinking about getting this for my zve1!!

[@luciandanaila7561]

As always I find your reviews pro style. I love everything about this lens and I guess Sony should do a joint venture with Viltrox experts when it comes to lens making... I will definitely buy this product and hands down you are a great salesman because you made me wanna buy this lens just judging by the shots you took with it.... simply great!

[@paulhancock]

On one of the smaller previous generation bodies e.g. A7III/A7R III/A9 this is a really fun, street/travel pocket shooter. There is just nothing you don't need for that purpose and f4.5 would likely be my chosen f-stop for that purpose anyway. I've been looking for a compact lens for taking on trips for a while and was getting ready to pull the trigger on the Sony 24mm f2.8, at multiple times the cost. This will do nicely for a lens which won't get used 'that' often...

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Exactly.

[@WoT_the_Feck]

Just ordered one on the kickstarter page for £67 at that price it’s a no Brainer

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

For sure - that's an amazing price.

[@paulhancock]

Same, I've been looking for a compact travel/street lens for a while and, as you say, it's a no brainer.

[@DDHDTV]

is it the one on indigogo? Edit: Dustin just mentioned it. It is Indiegogo Edit: nooo it's from the UK. ordering from the EU will result in unknown high custom charges. damn Brexit

[@lionheart4424]

Sample images look amazing. I hope this gets both X-Mount and Z-Mount versions. This would pair amazing with the rumored X-M5 that is supposedly being released soon and the Zf would absolutely benefit too!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Definitely.

[@houghwhite411]

Finally trend is going towards small camera kit again

[@Ax4k]

I ordered one and will try it

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Enjoy.

[@nremac]

Ha! I love the comment at the start about the online chatrooms. People - especially those with no actual experience doing the thing they're talking about - always have something to say. :) I grabbed one of these and as always love the review! I think I'll take it for walks as a companion to my Voigtlander 50mm f1. That should be a fun juxtaposition.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's particularly ironic for me sometimes, as I frequently have gear before it is publicly released, and often the things people are presenting as fact aren't even close to being true.

[@robertcudlipp3426]

Fingers crossed that Viltrox release this lens for a variety of apsc bodies , including Sony.

[@MysterDaftGame]

Having seen Christopher Frost's video on that lens, it seems to be an even better lens on APS-C (you don't have that cliff drop of sharpness in the extreme conrners). Makes me want to look for a NEX7 or an A5000 to pair with this lens ! A true pocketable set !

[@MysterDaftGame]

Makes me think that Viltrox should release an X mount version, it would be a hit !

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It definitely is a perfect size fit for even the smallest body.

[@MysterDaftGame]

@@DustinAbbottTWI this is where it would make most sense to me !

[@alibarancelik8903]

If you haven't bought one already, DON'T. Apparently this is not compatible with NEX series cameras and limited compatibility with A5000.

[@MysterDaftGame]

@@alibarancelik8903 yeah i've heard that since I posted this. I finally settled on an A6300 anyways. I got it at a very good price from a friend of mine But thank you for your warning !

[@benjamindover4337]

Good stuff. Now if Sony would release an actual compact camera like the a5000..

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's fair.

[@PaulAllen-rm1in]

I'm putting this lens on my A5000 nice and small should be cool.

[@tadc]

Indiegogo ships the lens without a warning. It arrived at my door today unannounced. Problem is Indiegogo did not say the lens is incompatible at all with Sony NEX cameras. The effect is that the camera doesn't even power up with the lens attached. It's a bummer because I wanted it for my NEX-6. I can use it with my a6700 but it makes less sense there.

[@hartsyde]

FYI there is an update for this lens firmware , and surprisingly to me it updates via the viltrox app and does so over bluetooth , you just apply power to the usb c connector, launch the app and away you go.. "simples" Version 1.05 Is the new firmare if i remember correctly.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thanks for the tip!

[@duvalpenny100]

Why do you think they chose to make the aperture "blades", look like blades? wouldn't it have been better to create a true circle? I can only think of sun stars, but at 4.5 are you even getting any sunstars?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Sunstars is the right answer. They made a mask that helps create more defined sunstars. I think it was overdone, myself, but it's a look.

[@toysars]

Great review as always! How would you compare sharpens of this lens to x100vi at wide open f2?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I would say it is pretty comparable, as Sony sensors are easier to sharpen.

[@TungstenOvergaard]

We need something like this for APSC. 18mm (28mm equivalent), pancake size (f2.8?).

[@acouragefann]

42mm is a pretty useful (very POV-like) perspective so I think this lens is still a pretty good choice on APS-C

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I can see Viltrox doing it, for sure.

[@Elgsdyr]

You mean like the Sony E 20mm F2.8 pancake?

[@quikee9195]

@@Elgsdyr There is also Sony E 16mm f/2.8 ... but it's pretty bad.

[@robertcudlipp3426]

Trust you are correct. Viltrox are proving an absolute lens making revolutionary company.​@@DustinAbbottTWI

[@Soundwave857]

You could do manual focus with the Sony Remote app if you really need it. I'm curious if that aperture piec can be removed to get it round again. a 40,5 mm filter thread would have been pretty nice

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Filter threads are pretty impossible when you are relying on that front lever.

[@Soundwave857]

@@DustinAbbottTWI A 40.5mm filter will fit perfectly. The ribbed part has exactly 40mm and the lever is at 46mm diameter. Alternatively 37 and 39mm filter also exist and with filters you don't even need to use the lever. Easiest fix would be getting a 37 to 40,5mm step up ring, sand the 37mm filter thread off and glue it with double sided tape on

[@everydaykhiem974]

​@@Soundwave857 I thought about this. I know many companies produced stick-on filter threads for the Sony RX 100 and ZV line-up. Check out the brand and product called Kamerar MagFilter (for Sony RX 100). I know because I got one for my old Sony RX100 and ZV line-up. Maybe it'll work, or maybe it won't. I just purchased the Viltrox on Indiegogo, so I'll test and see if it works once it arrives. I think I have the 52mm currently, though. Like Dustin said, the front lever will be the tricky part.

[@DDHDTV]

awesome, so cheap, I'mma get it. Also excited for Samyangs upcoming exchangeable lens element lenses. I'd love to have this a bit wider too, could then also use it on an a6000, which still has the pop up flash!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That Samyang concept is interesting.

[@Swabian59er]

I bought it for my 6400 and wait hopeful for the delivery in Germany. It's exactly what I was waiting for! So no reason not to take the camera with me because of size, weight, wrong lens on it, ...

[@SJMPhotography]

Any update on a release date for the comparison between the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 and Fuji 16-50 F2.8-4.8? Thanks again!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I still need to get the loaner. I'll probably do the work in October and release in November. My whole October schedule is basically shot and uploaded already.

[@lukebusellato2542]

What do you think of this lens compared to the Brightlin Star 28mm.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This is the superior lens in a lot of ways (autofocus, better optically), though the Brightin Star lens is much brighter.

[@martinphilipps8678]

waiting for the fuji version

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's coming soon. I've just started reviewing it.

[@Keilikeramen]

Thank you I just order it for my a7cR for hiking.I looking for a cheap lens and even manual lens is ok for hiking landscape photo between 28-35mm bring along with 20mm G lens. lasttime I carry 50-400mm tamron hike fuji mountain in Japan almost can't survive😂 and I'm not ready for 35 1.4gm lens yet

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You'll enjoy it.

[@funnybeingme]

Tamron 28-200mm and Sony 20mm is my go to combo for hiking/backpacking when I went to Patagonia and currently Alaska.

[@Keilikeramen]

@@funnybeingme 28-200 Tamron look nice I'll check that one too

[@AndrewOzete-ui5fs]

I have the Tamron 28-200 as well. I love the size, but I have found that it is quite slow to focus compared to native glass. Cheaper, yes. Lighter, yes. More compact, yes. But focus speed and accuracy, for me anyway, meh.

[@roquemocan]

Could someone make like a "lens cap" for it... but what it actually does is make the aperture narrower? (Maybe it has a smaller opening). Or a series of lens caps with different openings... or a lens cap with a variable leaf shutter...

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Interesting thought, though is there a market for something like that which could cost more than the lens itself.

[@GilbertTV]

I like it 😎

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It looks like like a lot of people do; they've raised over $200,000 in 24 hours on Indigogo.

[@Ciotat1895]

Great for the price but equally good for unobtrusive street photography. Just bought one at Indegogo.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I hope you enjoy it.

[@stans5270]

As much as I want to purchase this and have a pocketable Sony camera, I already have a Pixel camera in my pocket. Yes, it's worth the money, [$90] but will it sit on the bottom of my camera bag while I take out a better lens with my big camera. Or will my big camera sit in the camera bag with my phone's camera in my pocket.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Also a fair take on it all.

[@grumpyrocker]

I'd buy an x-mount version of this lens.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Agreed.

[@therealsergio]

You lost me at only 4.5 and no manual focus ring. My whole use case for this lens would have been setting to F11 and focusing manually at 1m and using for daytime street photography. I'll have to wait longer for that 28mm pancake to show up...

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This may prompt some other pancakes to be released.

[@wilhelmw3455]

Far better than the Panasonic 26mm f8 and cheaper.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I've heard that a few times.

[@Andy-h7c8o]

3:27 Not autofocus?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Only autofocus.

[@timmyssweet]

Wow, that's got me excited about photography again. Let's face it, traditional camera's are bulky compared to a smartphone.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's encouraging to hear. I would love to see more people move away from expecting their phones to be a decent camera

[@kostas9535]

Unfortunately, it seems that it has a major flaw according to Viltrox's update in Indiegogo. The glass of the lens physically "touches" the lens cover when the camera is on and the cover is closed... A very bad design on part of Viltrox. I hope they come up with a solution that they will provide to all of us who backed the project.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I haven't had any real world issues with that, though I've been pretty attentive to opening the cover. I'm sure there have been times that I haven't, however, and I think you'd actually only have issues if you repeatedly did it over a long period of time. I'm somewhat skeptical that a solution will come, however, as that would require a complete redesign.

[@petercraven7930]

Warning: the copy they shipped to me is not functional. Viltrox customer service is basically a bunch of internet trolls!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's not really true re: customer service. Stick with it and they will provide you warranty service. I purchased one for my nephew from the Indigogo and it arrived working perfectly.

[@petercraven7930]

@@DustinAbbottTWI paid content creator

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

@@petercraven7930 Ummm, in case you missed what I said, I purchased that lens from Indigogo personally.

[@knnroy]

nikon 26 evreyday of the week

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's a hard sell for Sony shooters :)

[@knnroy]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Will come a pancake in the end. Ultra sharp ultra fast ultra distorted.

[@martinohesse]

It's a cookie lens, but not for me.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Definitely.

[@personaltrainersg]

But at this level of iq and functionality... would you say "might as well just use my phone"?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I've never yet seen a phone that is matching the performance of this lens on a decent camera.

[@younvshe]

I have read a lot of reviews about this lens. Unfortunately, most of them are review videos provided by sponsors and cannot provide effective reference value. I personally think this is a useless lens. Its thinness and lightness do not bring any Advantages, and the following significant disadvantages: the inability to install a hood will cause some glare when shooting indoor competitions, or scenes with a large light ratio, the aperture cannot be adjusted, and landscape photos cannot be taken. The closest focus distance is very far, and the subject cannot be highlighted. , it is impossible to install a filter, and the 1/8000 shutter speed will not be enough in bright daytime. It is obvious that it is like the kung fu in most Chinese movies. It looks so gorgeous, but in reality? I will not purchase any product from viltrox.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Interesting feedback, though I find it odd that you make a sweeping statement that its thinness and lightness bring no advantages. Is not making a camera potentially pocketable an advantage? Being able to bring it in highly restricted weight situations not an advantage? It seems like you are straw manning its advantages while steel manning its weaknesses. Just don't buy it if you don't like, but the fact that tens of thousands of photographers have chosen to buy it shows that there are many who are interested.

[@fincrattanaka4633]

The lens is a joke. The can't adjust the aperture mean you cannot take perfect landscape photos, nor can you take portraits with shallow depth of field. It will even be overexposed when the sun is strong. This also means that it can hardly be backlit. It is nothing more than a so-called street image.i will choose samyang35f2.8 or sony 28f2.that is so cheap and very good.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's clearly not a lens for you, but also clearly not a joke. In less than 48 hours they have raised about $260,000, which means a LOT of backers and a LOT of interested people.

[@dogblessamerica]

To be honest I would probably go for the Samyang 35/2.8 too but this lens looks a lot of fun for very little money, and would make the A7c almost pocketable

[@RikMaxSpeed]

Other than its size and mediocre image quality, what’s the point of this lens?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I would argue that the size is the point. There are plenty of people who really want this type of lens.

[@RikMaxSpeed]

@@DustinAbbottTWI 200g for the Sony 28mm F2, vs 60g for the pancake… I guess it’s a matter of personal choice.

[@xtra9996]

F4.5? LoL That's what I get when I tape my lenses.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

LOL