Sharp & AF! The Viltrox 23mm F1.4 AF Lens Review 

I read the title as "sharp af" lol

Finally a native 23 1.4 for Sony apsc after 8 years.

Thanks for keeping us APSC emount users up to date. I feel like this platform has been left in the dust in favor for the full frame A7’s. I just ordered this lens today to round out my focal lengths: 16mm Sony pancake, 30mm sigma, 50mm Sony 1.8, and now this lens. Can’t wait.

GREAT review. Really appreciate your providing real-world shots (portraits, etc.). Thank you!

Thanks for this review! Lens looks beautiful! Shots are crispy too! Been a fan of the viltrox 85mm f1.8 and its nice to see that they're making some new stuff! !

Looks really interesting....I think 23mm on an aps-c lens is a fantastic focal length...we now have the 35mm look of a full frame camera..I will definitely be buying this lens.

I just got my a6400 I’m looking into affordable lenses. I don’t have a Sony G master budget. Thanks for keeping me updated on new options.

glad they finally released it. sony apsc really needed that native 23mm

Nice, just got mine in yesterday. Reviewing soon as well. So far, it's be really fun to use!

Great Video! Mine arrives today.

Another great review. I couldn't tell the difference between them. Amazing.

Great video. Good to see Viltrox is making AF lenses for Sony E Mount cameras.

I really miss the 35mm prime experience I had with my old RX1. This might just be the perfect addition to my 16-55g! Thank you for the review :)

Perfect. This FOV (54.2°) is a better pairing for me with the Sigma 16mm and 56mm than the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (42.8°). Wish it was 24mm instead of 23mm, but close enough.

Wow! Thank you very much for listening to my suggestion regarding reviewing this lens. Thank you for another great video! This was very helpful

I have been hoping you would review this!. It is a tempting option! Not sure if I will go full frame so not sure about getting this lens

Love the lens !! Great review got this lens after seeing this review as I was thinking about the sigma 16 or 30mm this was perfect in between.

Finally a 24/23 mm AF lens, what took so long for companies to make this lens?

Great review. Auto focus!!! Thanks for making me want to buy yet another lens. 🤑

I switched from canon DSLR for this combo of a6300 and Viltrox 23 1.4, have been looking for a decent 35 mil equivalent on a crop sensor for a while! It's really unbeatable for it's size, weight, price and the great quality you can get out of this setup. Love it for traveling

Viltrox is doing some great stuff here!!!

Thank you for this, I Just bought the A6100 Body and Viltrox 23mm f1.4

bro its been so long since I've watched you i looked up technology mafia.

Great review . I would love to see you compare it with Sel - Zeiss 24mm please.

Great review.

So basically it's an affordable alternative to the Zeiss 24mm

Great review. I have this on my Fuji and it is awesome.

Hi Is there a video review in Low light Video ? ( VILTROX 23MM F/1.4 ) ,,Thanks ,

I wish Viltrox made MFT AF lenses, since their mft speedbooster/focal reducers are so popular

Arthur, a little off topic but I would love some insight on how you handle your video exposure for the office/studio part? The windows/outdoors are brilliantly exposed all while you look great too inside. I’m totally trying to nail this myself at home with my 6500 and sigma 30 1.4 with a VND. Do you just expose the windows properly and then just add enough lighting inside to reach for final overall exposure goal? I’m finding every time I expose for the windows I can never bring the inside back in post. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Amazing video 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Viltrox 23 1.4 vs viltrox 24mm f1.8 fe ... could u kindly compare them . Thanks

Hello Arthur Thanks for the great video, I've been following you're high end comparisons of different gears and I would like to get your advise on this lens as I need a wide angle, fast lens for my m50 talk head videos (I have sigma 30mm, 1.4 but my space is tight to use it especially in cropped 4k). I'm choosing between this lens (viltrox) and the 21mm 1.4 manual Samyang (rokinon) I would love to get your advise on which lens would be better in terms of quality and versatility, since they're both sold within the same price range in Australia N.B. I have no problem using manual lens. Thanks in advance for your help Cheers Moe

Hey Arthur. Appreciate all the reviews you've done. Between canon sigma and viltrox which prime set would you recommend.

can you compare this lens and sigma 30mm 1.4? thx for review

would love to see a comparison of this lens vs tamron 24 2.8! both budget friendly 35mm equivalents for a6k line

I was and still am looking foward for your review of the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 autofocus lens. its the first low cost autofocus kinda portrait lens we got on the APS-C E-mount side of things. Please be sure to take a look at it!

Reg. 6:48 - There's a Viltrox 13mm F1.4 for APS-C (likely both Sony and Fuji) on the roadmap. Due in Q1 2021.

2:45 best photo 💥 good work focus 😂

Thanks for the review. I think the closest competitor will be the Zeiss 24mm 1.8.

Hi Arthur! Which one do you prefer for travel photography, 23mm viltrox or 30mm sigma? Thank you

Pls make a comparison with Sigma 30mm f 1.4 and how's the Bokeh in this lens?

wish there were more video examples but good video man

I like how they try to mimic the orange G Master logo. Its a C Master lens

I m consindering between this viltrox and the Sony Zeiss 24. What would you prefer, you tested both right? And how is the Autofokus difrence?

I use it on Fujifilm, and it is very impressive. Fast, sharp and with nice rendering. Oh, and very cheap! Their 85mm is also really impressive, all though it is very big as it also works with fullframe sensors. Awaiting their 56mm f.1.4 which is supposed to come soon.

Which one will be better for travel landscape/portrait shots? This or the 16mm sigma?

if it is hunting for focus, then it does not support phase detection autofocus and only contrast autofocus. I would say, forget about eye autofocus with this lens. Is it correct?

Need a sigma 16mm vs this lens Review ASAP ❤️

Viltrox 23mm F 1.4 vs fujinon 23mm F 2. Which one better?

Thank you so much love your videos. Can you do a comparison to the sigma 56? I have the 56 but I need a wider lens.

which sharper/better between viltrox and sigma 30mm f1.4？

hilarious that this comes out right as i sell my sony a6400, in part for no reasonable options in this focal range! Oh well, there were other reasons for the transition but i'm glad to see that a6xxx users will have such a wonderful and affordable option now!

Instant buy for me after this review

Okay Arthur! I’ll buy this one for my a6000.

Another fantastic review!!! Love the photos by the way. The only thing that I was expecting is how this lens performs for filming (I thought you'd show us some footage). But, overall thanks for the review.

I'd like to see a fokus comparission between the sel35f1.8, Sigma 30f1.4 & Viltrox 23f1.4 on the Sony a6400... Fokusspeed & Accuracy

Hey Arthur and everybody - would it be helpful to get this Viltrox 23mm if I already have the Sigma 16mm 1.4 and Sony E 35mm 1.8 oss? Would this 23mm focal range be too similar to either of those lenses, or would it still add enough diversity to the type of shots I can make?

Yo tengo el 56 mm y son muy buenos, estaba pensando conseguir este de 23 mm para espacios más pequeños ya que con el 56 mm necesito hacerme bastante lejos para tomar las fotos

hows the auto focus on the a6000 with this lens? I'm stuck between the sigma 16mm 1.4 and this lens. which one should i get?

Good review

comparison with the sony zeiss 24mm1.8!

Can this lens focus on close subject like food/product video? Not macro level of course.

Does anyone know if the CA on this lens has been fixed or is even possible to be fixed with a software update? I thought you could only fix that with certain glass. I have the Sigma trio but I really want a 35mm FOV and this is really the only lens I like so far. Sigma put out the 18-50 2.8 now so I'm torn between the 2. Decisions decisions.

Is there a canon mount one for this lens? I can't find it anywhere in Australia

Makes me wonder if we are being fleeced by the big oems for the astronomical prices we pay for native lenses. I had the Zeiss 24 and it looks like the viltrox can hang.

Hi great review can you please review the NEW Viltrox 85mm f1,8 version II very interested in the performance of this 85 on aps-c thank you

this lens is better or sony 35-f1.8 prime?

Awesome review! I was wondering if saving a $100 over the sigma 16mm is worth it. I read nothing but good review of the sigma, but I want something a little more compact.

If you had to pick only lens to buy; This lens or the Sigma 30mm 1.4?

Looks like the APS-C and Full-Frame versions are the same price. Might as well buy the FF version to utilize 23mm full frame and 35mm equivalent in APS-C mode.

Could u maybe make a comparison between the viltrox 23mm and the zeiss 24mm?

What camera did you use when rotating the lens at your palm? its pinky color ;)

I have the Viltrox 85mm, kicks the opposition out of the park for price and picture quality

Thanks, what about chromatic aberration at f/8?

Mr Arthur, do mind reviewing the Viltrox 33mm F1.4 when u have it, and compare it to the Sony 35 f1.8..it will be an interesting comparison for the sharpness and bokeh. Thanks.

Will the auto focus work if I mount it to a Sony A7C?

I have the Sony Zeiss 24mm f1.8 for APSC , this is direct competitor for it. i am curious to see how it compares to that lens as this lens looks like it was based off of that lens.

I bought a Viltrox 56mm for my A6400. Great IQ, but I had autofocus issues with aperture smaller than f1.8. Simply AF worked only in the center of the frame.... I asked for a refund. Has the 23mm lens the same incompatibility?

Hola Arthur, muchas gracias por el video, me gusto muchísimo. Con respecto al Viltrox 23 1.4, consideras que ¿es mejor en cuanto a nitidez que el Sony 24 1.8?, Estoy tratando de decidirme por un 23 o 24 milímetros, el precio no es relevante y me gustaría saber tu opinión. Gracias de antemano. Saludos cordiales.

Need suggestion. I want a lens for video work and some Street photography, 23mm on APS-C is perfect for that. But I'm not sure of the quality of this lens. So I'm confused between sigma 30 and viltrox 23. Should I go for viltrox over sigma? Note: 30mm is bit too zoomed in for my usage.

Very interesting. The nearest competitor is excelent Sony 24 1.8. But the price is tree times more. Would be cool to see how they compare.

Looks like I purchased one as they just released it and no review yet. Finally a 35mm equivalent that is sharp, minimal distribution and the AF is fast. I love this focal length, I think it's the best of both world. Indoor/outdoor. The vignette is strong at 1.4, also the purple fringing is pretty noticable as well, should be easily corrected. I have an issues with the aperture ring. It's too smooth. It changes as you take the camera out from the bag. Oh, I also realize the hood can be over twist. That was my take on it. Otherwise a very nice lens.

5:41 insane amount of chromatic aberration / purple fringing on that shot

what with horizon?

Can you please compare it with 3 lenses? The Zeiss 24mm 1.8, the Sigma 16mm and the Sigma 30mm.

for one lens solution sigma 16 1.4 or this viltrox ?

Does it also work with Nex 5N? How are the photos?

Would you ever try a Fujifilm camera like the X-T4? The user experience and lenses are great, and the film simulations give great sooc results.

The 2 copies I bought had front focus issues. I couldn't deal with that and went with the sigma 23mm 1.4 much reliable lens. I could've gotten the Sony 24mm buts way too big for my liking.

have you reviewed the 70-180 tamron?

Wish he compared it to the Sony 35 F1.4 (Sel35f18). yeah, the field of view would be a little different, but it would be a good comparison for prime lenses. Why compare it to the Sigma when in past videos you clearly like the Sony 35 over the sigma? It was certainly interesting to see it hold it's own against the much more expensive Sony G lens.

If it had weather sealing I would consider it.

When I wrote viltrox about using my nex 5r camera for this lense all they said was they haven't tested using the camera. This lense should work with any apsc e mount Sony camera correct?. Thank you

3:19 was that car in motion at time you took the photo?

If you really want video to be useful, then compare it to Sony E 24mm F1.8 Zonnar *T ZA which is also very useful and overal handy lens with nice colors and works in dark too. ps. Could be magnesium instead of aluminium too.

Generally, the lens at this point (firmware 1.1.1) is not suitable for some serious applications where we photograph some time-critical events. And it's not even about its AF speed, because this one is quite good (I have no comparison to SEL24F18Z or Zeiss for 1000 USD) but in 80-90% street photography (candid) it works. The problem, however, is with its unpredictability. Well, in critical situations it happens that the camera cannot sharpen the image. Pressing the shutter button halfway has no effect, additionally, it is not possible to take a picture (it does not react to full press). The only option is to turn the camera off and on. This situation occurs at several cases. a) when we quickly take several photos one after another - (but without using the burst mode) b) when we quickly switch between priority modes (e.g. from S to A or P) Another problem with autofocus was when focusing at infinity. In some situations (it was in dark scene) it was unable to do so. In addition, sometimes after switching the priority mode, the camera lost the ability to change the aperture (it set itself to F16 despite the fact that the ring was set to A - i.e. the value controlled automatically from the camera) A restart of the camera was required then. After some time, I noticed that sometimes the ring on the lens worked in such situations... (you could change F-Stop by rotating ring but not on camera itself) As for the pluses, 1.4 is sometimes useful (I tested it at the Eyes of Fire event - fireman shows tomiga.wordpress.com/2020/08/16/eyes-on-fire-2020-ogniste-igrzyska-na-brzegu-odry/ ) I also had a Sigma 56 F1.4 there, from which I took most of the photos - it was definitely less unreliable - (unfortunately Viltrox failed in many moments - required a restart of the camera - but when the photo was successful it was quite ok). Ultimately, however, I will probably leave this lens to myself, but at the moment I cannot recommend it to someone who expects reliability and trouble-free, especially when it comes to autofocus. I assume that some of these problems can be solved by updating the firmware (the lens has a USB socket, so the update should be trouble-free - at least at the connection level). I hope that Viltrox will deal with these flaws quite quickly ... because at the moment it looks like the lens has not been tested well ... and it should not hit the market in this form .

2:35 did you add motion to the photos?

How is it compared to the 24 mm 1.8 Zeiss with regards to video and photo? My favorite lense, but too expensive.

this is such a lokey lens thats looks cool.