Viltrox has been on a tear lately, dropping new products, including lenses, video monitors, flashes, and more. It seems like every other week they are releasing another new lens, and the latest from the company is the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens, which is sure to be popular with portrait shooters.
The new Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens is available for Sony E mount, with a Nikon Z mount version on the way. As the name suggests, this lens is geared toward professionals and sits right below their flagship LAB line of lenses. I have used the 85mm for over a month now, and there is a lot to love about this lens—and one caveat, which I will discuss later. This is the fourth 85mm lens released by Viltrox and the first Pro line model that features a maximum aperture of f/1.4.
Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Build Quality
The build of the Viltrox 85mm is fantastic. The metal body is dust- and splash-resistant, with weather sealing throughout and a sharp-looking red gasket around the rear metal lens barrel. The lens feels well made, and the buttons and dials move smoothly and click firmly into place. It also comes with a hard plastic lens hood that complements the quality of the lens itself. It’s clear upon unboxing the 85mm that Viltrox has designed this lens for users who will be using it in a variety of shooting conditions.
Jazz trumpeter Wayne Tucker captured with a Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Rachel captured with a Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Handling
The 85mm weighs in at 800 grams and is not what I would consider compact. However, the size and weight never felt cumbersome to me, whether on location or in my studio, even when shooting for a few hours at a time. I took the 85mm with me to Smoke Jazz Club, where I captured portraits of musicians both around the exterior of the club and inside as well. The lens handled excellently in this and other situations, in part due to the thoughtful layout. The lens features a well-placed, clickable (or de-clickable) aperture ring that has a satisfying click, and a large manual focusing ring. The AF/MF switch and custom button are also set right where you would expect them to be without looking. At no time during my various shoots did I feel like I was searching for a button or dial while shooting, which is always appreciated.
One other thing I will mention regarding handling is the Viltrox app. When you need to update the firmware in your lens, simply plug a USB-C cable from your phone into the back of the lens (the port is located on the lens mount), fire up the Viltrox app, and in a minute, you have the new firmware loaded onto the lens. Having used many camera brand apps, the Viltrox app is refreshing in not only how simple it is to use, but that it’s reliable. This makes the whole experience of using gear from Viltrox feel more premium and user-centric.
Jazz trumpeter Wayne Tucker captured with a Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Image Quality
The Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens shines when it comes to image quality. The images are very sharp, with great contrast and color. The bokeh is also pleasing, with a natural separation between the subject and background. The lens is also quite sharp at f/1.4, which those of us who love to shoot wide open will appreciate. In addition to various portrait shoots, I took the 85mm paired with a Sony a7R V to the B&H Bild Expo in New York City, where I not only captured some fun portraits but also enjoyed the ability to shoot indoors without having to use a high ISO due to the fast maximum aperture.
Opera singer Annalisa captured with a Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Autofocus
One thing to note: this lens has Viltrox’s new Dual Hyper VCM Motor autofocus system, which magnetizes when the lens is powered on. When it is off, however, you can hear the elements moving around inside. This is normal, but definitely something to be aware of before purchasing. There are other lenses that have a similar sound when off, but the 85mm was more noticeable upon unboxing.
The autofocus is fast and accurate, although not quite the speed of a high-end Sony lens. However, it worked extremely well for shooting portraits in and out of my studio. Now we are going to get into that caveat I mentioned, and it has to do with the autofocus system. The main issue I had with my pre-production copy is that from time to time, the lens would jump back and forth trying to lock autofocus, without achieving a lock. It would just hunt back and forth looking for focus. I updated the firmware, which seemed to help the issue, although it didn’t fix it altogether. I made Viltrox aware of the issue.
Rachel captured with a Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens
Conclusion
One thing I have not mentioned yet is price, and this is a big one. As of the writing of this review, the Viltrox 85mm is priced at $598 on B&H Photo’s website. Simply put, the Viltrox 85mm is a tremendous value, even when considering the limitations discussed in this review. Consider that a Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM lens will run about $1,300 for the original version, and just under $2,000 for version II, and it becomes hard to pass up on the build quality, features, and, most importantly, the image quality of the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens. The lens offers so much at an incredibly affordable price.
As usual, I have posted my YouTube review of this lens above for those of you who would rather watch a review than read one. There are a few more photos in the YouTube review as well.
Specifications
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Focal Length: 85mm
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Aperture: Maximum: f/1.4, Minimum: f/16
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Lens Mount: Sony E
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Lens Format Coverage: Full frame
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Angle of View: 28°
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Minimum Focus Distance: 2.6′ / 79 cm
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Magnification: 1:7.7
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Macro Reproduction Ratio: 0.13x
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Optical Design: 15 elements in 11 groups
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Aperture/Iris Blades: 11
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Focus Type: Autofocus
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Image Stabilization: No
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Filter Size: 77 mm (front)
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Dimensions: ø: 3.3 x L: 4.3″ / ø: 84.5 x L: 108.5 mm
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Weight: 1.8 lb / 800 g
Get a Vltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro lens here.