3 lenses. 10mm of Separation.

Viltrox. Never heard of it until now, at least for me. Therefore is not under my radar. Viltrox is another China lens manufacturer; not to be taken lightly.

Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f/1.8 STM Lens

What if I include two of Fujifilm sharpest lenses into the mix. 10mm of focal length separate these 3 lenses. XF80mm 2.8, Viltrox 85mm F1.8 and XF90mm F2 WR. They may seem pretty close but they are all very different at the same time.

My first impression of this lens is pretty positive. Very well build. Autofocus is pretty quick and silent. I couldn’t really fault this lens other than I do missed an aperture ring. Which the Viltrox doesn’t have. After a while I gotten used of not having one. It’s about being adaptive to the circumstances. The minimum focusing distant is more that the XF90mm. Which makes it a little less versatile when you needed to shoot closer but certainly not a deal breaker.

Below are some photos taken with this lens in the last 2 weeks. Let me know what you think? Process in Capture One.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/220, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/60, ISO400.

X-T3, F2.5, 1/340, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/250, ISO160.

X-T3, F2.2, 1/500, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/750, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/2900, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/8500, ISO160.

X-T3, F4, 1/9000, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1300, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1800, ISO160.

X-T3, F2, 1/1500, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/210, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/800, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1100, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/340, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/4500, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1100, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1500, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/60, ISO640.

X-T3, F2.2, 1/480, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/420, ISO160.

X-T3, F3.6, 1/400, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/320, ISO250.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1100, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/1800, ISO160.

X-T3, F1.8, 1/250, ISO160.

What do you think after looking at the photos? I think its quite impressive

considering the price point. Below are 2 shots to compare the bokeh of XF90mm vs the Viltrox 85mm. Which photo do you think is taken with XF90mm?

#1 – Viltrox 85mm F1.8

#2 – XF90mm F1.8

Here is video to showcase the real world AF speed of this lens.

Below are photos taken from the minimum focusing distant of the Viltrox and both XF80mm and XF90mm is also shot from about the same distant from the object. I would like to compare the IQ of the photos taken from different S-stop. These set of photo are all unedited.

Viltrox 85mm @F1.8 ISO 400, 1/220

Viltrox 85mm @F2 ISO 400, 1/180

Viltrox 85mm @F2.8 ISO 400, 1/90

Viltrox 85mm @F4, ISO 400, 1/45

Viltrox 85mm @F5.6 ISO 400, 1/20

XF90mm @F2 ISO 400, 1/140

XF90mm @F2.8 ISO 400, 1/70

XF90mm @F4 ISO 400, 1/70

XF90mm @F5.6 ISO 400, 1/26

XF80mm @F2.8 ISO 400, 1/100

XF80mm @F4 ISO 400, 1/58

XF80mm @F5.6 ISO 400, 1/28

Final thought.

Viltrox 85mm is great lens. The reality it’s no match to both the XF80mm and XF90mm in term of image quality. But the Viltrox is not really bad as you could see from the photos. It’s actually not that far off from the two great lenses from Fujifilm. I do find the auto focus speed just a little slower. AF accuracy is also not that far off. Hit rate will will a tad lower for sure. Do note that the Viltrox 85mm is not a WR lens. Viltrox strongest advantage is how its being price. At USD$379 it truly offer great value vs the XF80mm at USD$1199 and USD$949 for XF90mm. There is really nothing much to think about it if you are looking at this focal length; the Viltrox offers the best value.

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