Wiltrox AF 50 mm F/2 Air Review

Sometimes I feel haunted by 50 mm lens! My first prime lens was a pentax 50 mm f/1.7, and later my first nicon lens was 50 mm F/1.8G. Although I think 50 mm is on the broad side for my style, my first Nikon Z lens was also 50 mm. So, when Wiltrox offered me to send his new Wiltrox 50 mm F/2 air lenses for review, I thought, why not? In this review, I will put this small 50 mm for testing on Nikon Z6.

features

The Viltrox 50 mm F/2 offers an interesting and inexpensive option for the first-sided 50 mm lens. Yes, Nikon 50 mm F/1.8S and Nikon 50 mm F/1.4 are excellent lenses, but they both weigh more than 400 grams of touch. Not the heaviest lens nearby, but I recalled my old 50 mm f/1.8g days at 185 grams. Although this F-mount was slightly soft than the classic Nikon Z Glass, it was a small lens that was closed fast.

Can Viltrox 50 mm F/2 air fill the same niche? I was interested in finding out. Here are its original specifications:

• Focal length: 50 mm
• Aperture Range: F/2-F/16
• Minimum focus distance: 51 cm (20.1 ″)
• Maximum magnification: 0.11x
• Design: 13 elements, 9 groups
• Aperture Blade: 9
• Autofocus: Yes
• Stabilization: No
• Filter thread: 58 mm
• Length: 56.5 mm (2.2 ″)
• Weight: 205G (7.2oz)

The new Wiltrox 50 mm F/2 gives me a great reminder of my old Nikon. This is just 205g and 56.5 mm length. It is found only a type of minimal design with a focus ring, and it comes with a twist-to-snap Little Hood.

On the Nikon Z6 body, it is a very light and choice lens. It is also quite decency $ 199, and for this it also has a metal mount – although it is not sealing the season. At this price point, this may not be a surprise. However, it is worth noting that Nikon Z 40 mm F/2 has weather sealing and for a while, For $ 200 on sale too,

Unlike some other third-party lenses at this price point, the Wiltrox lens has autofocus. it’s really great. It is not silent because you can hear a soft click here and there, but not too loud. It is certainly cool compared to Nikon 50 mm f/1.8g, and Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 z about equal volume but with more different clicks. It focuses rapidly adequately, but it is slightly slower than Nikon 50 mm F/1.4 Z (which also focuses in low light for its sharp aperture). For its intended purpose, the focus system of 50 mm F/2 air certainly works adequately.

Optics

I was curious to see how good this Wiltrox was alternately, given how many lenses would compromise on optics at this price. But after shooting with Wiltrox, I got some pleasant surprise.

First surprise? Bokeh is really very good. This is not correct, but not even upset. Bokeh does not have too much color, and its confusion is still quite rounded into the frame.

And a double surprise: Bokeh still stacked a relatively circular, due to the nine-blade aperture of the lens.

Here is a tight crop of the above photo so that you can see how Bokeh looks at F/4.5:

I have compared the bokeh of this lens to Nikon 50mm f/1.4 z on F/2 and f/4. And, I have used a background that makes too much lens look poor: focus out of grass. Here are some crops to portray differences:

Certainly one should be careful compared to these shots, although I used the same trippai position, the size of the lens affects the subject-lens distance to some extent. “My perception is that the first picture is in favor of Nikon’s Bokeh, but the second makes it clear that Nikon has a more longer more longitudinal chromatic aberration than Wiltrox. The third picture, closed for f/4, actually starts taking a small side of viltrox in Bokeh.

Overall, I think the Wiltrox has a very good bokeh, somewhat surprisingly for the price. Given the f/1.4 maximum aperture of Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4, it will still be my choice if you want maximum background blot. But in the net quality of Bokeh in a given aperture, I actually take a little side of Wiltrox.

Another surprise is fast. I was not expecting this lens to be sharp, but I was wrong. It is open very sharply, at the same level of Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 z when both are shot on the same aperture of F/2.

Even more surprising, the sharpness is relatively consistent in the frame. The corners of Viltrox look very wide open, and in fact, they are better than Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 z:

Colorous disaster is also well controlled. In fact, the design of this lens is not at all simple, including 13 elements in 9 groups, including ED, high-fragmented, and an aspherical element.

You are probably thinking, where is the agreement? Is this lens not very good to be true?

Well, there are two possible agreements, but I think they are relatively small. The first is provoking. In some conditions in the lens, there is a high amount of flare when the sun is out of the edge of the frame. It rarely appeared, but it may appear in some types of backlit landscapes. Nevertheless, I took a lot of backlit shots, where flaminging did not appear, so it is not a mandatory. You can also flare a green colored with light sources in the frame, as with most lenses.

The other agreement is that it is possible to achieve more maximum sharpness with other lenses. Remember how I said that Wiltrox F/2 air and Nikon were the same on 50 mm f/1.4 zf/2, and that Wiltrox was a little better in corners? Well, this is true, but once the lens is stopped at f/4, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 starts showing some teeth:

So if you are shooting, the landscapes F/4 or F/5.6 closed, the other glass may be a bit more suitable, although in practice I felt that the difference was not big. Speaking practically, the acuity of the Wiltrox looks great, even when the pixels peep at 100%. At f/4 or f/5.6, some lenses will be slightly faster, but I suspect that it will differentiate into real -world photography.

Finally, this lens has some viewing. The Vignet does never really go away even when it is closed, but it makes a slightly clear from F/4. This is mostly correct, and may not require perfectly correct for pictures. Here is told how this headshot performs at a relatively identical light source at a distance:

To keep sharpness and vignetting in perspective, here is a completely uncontrolled image:

And here is an ultra close-up, to show how fast it is, it is cropped into an area of ​​about 300 mm to show:

Overall, Wiltrox created a great little compact 50 mm that works very well for its intended purpose: during wide shoots, competing with the lens with optical performance in F/2, which costs three times more. In practice, I see Wiltrox as a contestant of Nikon Z 50 mm f/1.4 with a similar level performance, a narrow maximum aperture, but lighter and less expensive.

conclusion

When I saw this lens on $ 199, I was hesitant. But the hesitation is gone – this lens hits its value point with stunning bokeh and sharpness wide open. If someone asks me for a recommendation for cheap 50 mm “Nifty Fifty” for Z-Mount, Viltrox 50 mm F/2 will definitely top the list.

If you are interested in achieving this lens, consider buying it on B&H through the following link to support such independent reviews: