THE BEST ULTRA BUDGET LENS?

Viltrox is an interesting company. For a long time they were one of several companies making cheap, but not particularly special lens. Now suddenly it feels like they’ve gotten serious.

Their reputation has been growing, particularly with their LAB lenses. That’s their premium glass line. Sadly, I’ve not had a chance to test any of those. But if anyone at Viltrox reads this, I’d love to take that 135mm LAB glass out for a drive.

Earlier this year, I was looking for a compact lens and I ran across the Viltrox Air 40mm lens. Compact, useful, all purpose focal length with a constant aperture of f/2.5. And the kicker? It was $170. Well worth taking a chance.

So how does it fair in the field?

Pretty damn well.

Look, I’m no pixel peeper. But I shot this thing in the field with no issues. Autofocus nailed it every time. Images are sharp. F/2.5 is an odd choice of primary aperture, but it really doesn’t matter. You don’t need to shoot at f/1.8 every time. At this aperture you can still get decent depth of field, if you choose.

Obviously this won’t be my new go-to lens. 24mm is my preferred lens. BUT… if you’re a new shooter with Sony, Nikon or Fujifilm and have a tight budget, this is a badass little lens.

At 40mm, you’re going to be good for portraits and landscapes. Not great, but pretty good. I genuinely can’t think of a better starter lens.

Check out my images of Maci and Lynesia below.

Model Maci Angele

Model Lynesia Ashley

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