Recently Viltrox released a new lens - Viltrox 16mm f1.8 full frame lens. Previously, they have been cultivating the mass configuration of mainstream focal lengths, but after the launch of the AF 75mm F1.2 Pro with excellent image quality at the end of last year, we have higher expectations for its other products, especially the one with a very wide user base. FE mount users are also looking forward to a lens with super specification, high image quality and good price.
So Viltros has brought a full-frame super wide-angle "new star" this time: AF 16mm F1.8 FE.
Although Sony has a huge lens group, there are not many automatic lenses that can be selected under the full-frame focal length of 20mm, and there are very few manual lenses with good image quality, let alone a large aperture and ultra-wide angle plus good image quality.
Basically, only the FE14mm F'1.8 GM lens that meets the above conditions, and the price is not acceptable to most consumers. Other options either need to reduce the aperture to F2.8. There must be a certain compromise in terms of weight.
We also checked its information carefully. This full-frame 16mm F1.8 adopts brand-new specifications and a new design, and there is no "copy" of other brands. It is really a great challenge for the design.
Exterior Design
Viltrox has never been ambiguous in terms of appearance materials, and this time is no exception. The overall texture is excellent, and the whole body is made of metal but not heavy, only weights 550g. The volume is not large (excluding the hood), and it is really very compact compared to other autofocus super wide aperture lens.
The orange logo on the lens barrel is very conspicuous, and you can tell it is a Viltros lens at a glance, but this lens is not marked as a pro grade (we guess only the F1.2 aperture will be marked as pro).
The display screen on the mirror body is very conspicuous, which is also one of the biggest features of this lens. Previously, there were only Batis lenses and some Nikon S-Line lenses with a display on the lens, and basically only one information was displayed.
Batis 25F2
The color LCD screen equipped with Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 FE is very rich in display content. It can simultaneously display object distance indicator bar, current object distance, aperture bar and current aperture. In addition, there are two function prompts of Fn mark. This screen is an ips screen with a resolution of 160*80, especially in low-light environments, it is very intuitive to display the status of the lens.
There are two levers and two buttons on the mirror body, which are divided into Fn1 and Fn2. The Fn1 button is also designed with a small protrusion, which is convenient for quickly confirming the position of the two buttons to realize blind operation.
The Fn1 button is the focus lock button by default, and a custom button can be set in the camera. Fn2 is the function of switching the focus. Press the Fn2 button to switch between two preset focus distances. This may come in handy in some fixed shooting positions where two focus points need to be switched frequently. Preset two focal points of a and b.
Tips: Short press to switch between two points a and b, point a or point b is displayed on the left side of the display, long press to set the focus distance of the current point.
For example, when point a is displayed, turn the focus ring to display infinity ∞, and press and hold point a to focus on infinity. Short press to switch to point b, then turn the focus ring to display 0.27m, then point b is in focus at 0.27m. Then short press Fn2, the focus will switch between infinity and 0.27m.
The aperture ring and focus ring have moderate and smooth rotation damping, and it's very reasonable, so there will be no accidental touch or hard turning.
The bayonet at the rear of the mirror is made of electroplated brass, and the metal part has hidden threads. There is an orange rubber ring to prevent dust, and the inside of the mirror body also has a high-level dust-proof design, and there is a USB-C interface for later upgrades.
Another thing that surprised us in this shot is that the front part is not the bulb head! The more common 77mm filter can be installed directly, and the price of this size filter is relatively acceptable. You should know that there is only one autofocus non-bulb large aperture super wide angle below 20mm.
STM ASPH ED IF is written on the front of the lens. It can be said that the content of this lens has also been revealed. This time the lens material is quite luxurious. It adopts a structure of 12 groups of 15 elements, including 4 ED lenses and 3 non- Spherical lens, from the design point of view, mainly emphasizes the super resolution. It is guessed that double floating focus is used, which can also ensure a certain image quality at various focusing distances.
Related posts:
1. Viltrox 2023 Lens Roadmap Update! New Autofocus 135mm F1.8 Coming Soon?!